Visa run at Nong Khai: new things I should know?

[anotherfarangishere]

Hello everyone,

I'm in Bangkok and planning to make a visa run in Nong Khai around August 30.

I did it a lot of times 10 yeas ago, but not recently.

From what I read, in 2024, for Lao visa with a French passport I need:
- 40 dollars with new banknotes in very good condition (extra 1 dollar is charged if my visa is processed out of the official working time)
- a photography

So, if I remember correctly, except it was $30 by the past, things didn't change.

 

For coming back the same day to Thailand, my immigration history is as follow:

- 0 visa run since many years

- after 6 months outside Thailand, I came back around March 25 with an e-visa that I extended for 30 days

- stayed 10 days in HK and flied without visa to Chiang Mai on July 2 where I got 30 days exemption that I extended for 30 days

So, it should be a no brainer to make a 60 days exemption visa run at Nong Khai, that said if someone has some warnings or very recent - after July 15 - bad experience, I'll love to hear from him.

Thank you!

P.S. Is there a way to get PDF of the Lao forms to fill them in Thailand?

[DrJack54]

Your plan looks fine.

Out of interest is the plan to fly Bangkok to Udon Thani? 

[Upnotover]

16 minutes ago, anotherfarangishere said:

P.S. Is there a way to get PDF of the Lao forms to fill them in Thailand?

Search "Laos visa on arrival form" and you should see one there. I used it twice and no comments were made.

[anotherfarangishere]

4 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Your plan looks fine.

Out of interest is the plan to fly Bangkok to Udon Thani? 

Thanks for you comment!

Well, you already mentioned it few weeks ago! I flied to Udon Thani only one time - again, 10 years ago - and I didn't like it as the transport from airport to the city was difficult: the driver wanted his minivan was full before to leave and let us wait for 30 or 40 minutes. Furthermore, it was rude.

Above all, I don't see the point in not using the night train: Nong Khai railway station is a 10/15 minutes walk to the border (or a 30/40 minutes one to the center or the bus station if you want to go to Udon instead of wait 6 hours the train to Bangkok in Nong Khai station, or you can take a tuk-tuk, of course).

That said, now I'm decided to use Nong Khai, I'm still going to have a look about flights to Udon. But 2 consecutive nights in the train is not a problem for me (at least, it wasn't 10 years ago, but now, with 10 more years, who knows... 😁)


I just edited my post: "P.S. Is there a way to get PDF of the Lao forms to fill them in Thailand?"
 

[DrJack54]

17 minutes ago, anotherfarangishere said:

That said, now I'm decided to use Nong Khai, I'm still going to have a look about flights to Udon.

In my years (way back) of border/visa runs, I would fly from Bangkok to UT and stay at bar area just behind central plaza.

There is mini van from front of plaza to Friendship bridge. 

The taxi from airport to Udon Thani is now not a rip off..

Some tips are posted in attached thread 

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1289254-laos-border-bounce-via-udon-thani-nong-khai-report-questions-hiccups/

[anotherfarangishere]

22 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

In my years (way back) of border/visa runs, I would fly from Bangkok to UT and stay at bar area just behind central plaza.

There is mini van from front of plaza to Friendship bridge. 

The taxi from airport to Udon Thani is now not a rip off..

Some tips are posted in attached thread 

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1289254-laos-border-bounce-via-udon-thani-nong-khai-report-questions-hiccups/

I don't want to use mini van (remember?) 😇

I just have a look on Internet: there are shuttle from UT airport to friendship bridge, the site was speaking of 150 bahts, so, it's the price for private mini van I guess, not public bus.

I checked your link: maybe there was already a story about a 100 baht fee 10 years ago, but I'm not sure...

[Caldera]

16 minutes ago, anotherfarangishere said:

I just have a look on Internet: there are shuttle from UT airport to friendship bridge, the site was speaking of 150 bahts, so, it's the price for private mini van I guess, not public bus.

 

Let's call them public minivans, and I think the last time I used one it was 200 baht.

[anotherfarangishere]

5 minutes ago, Caldera said:

 

Let's call them public minivans, and I think the last time I used one it was 200 baht.

I don't see the reason to call them public minivans but anyway, public or private, I don't want to use minivans.

[DrJack54]

3 minutes ago, anotherfarangishere said:

I don't see the reason to call them public minivans but anyway, public or private, I don't want to use minivans.

Fine use private taxi.

Don't understand what you are asking

[anotherfarangishere]

22 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Fine use private taxi.

Don't understand what you are asking

???????? Are you serious? I never asked about flying to Udon Thani - your idea - instead to use the train - my idea.

I was asking about some recent experience about crossing the border and some possible new things I should know. This is why a created this post.

About the train, I just found a video on YouTube: there is now a direct train from Bangkok to Vientiane (or kind of, as the new station is not really in Vientiane). I wonder if there are two trains, the old one to Nong Khai and the new one to Vientiane, or only one?

EDITED. Well, I found the answer on this site (SRT official site, https://www.railway.co.th/Station/StationList direct link to the page is not possible): there are two trains, the one ending at NK leave Bang Sue at 20:25 and arrive at 6:25 (1 more $ for the visa...) and the one ending in Vientiane at 21:25, arriving in Vientiane (Khamsawath) at 7:55.

[Pattaya57]

Sounds like OP would love this thread (direct train to Laos)

 

 

[DrJack54]

4 minutes ago, anotherfarangishere said:

I never asked about flying to Udon Thani - your idea - instead to use the train - my idea.

You stated in OP...

 

"That said, now I'm decided to use Nong Khai, I'm still going to have a look about flights to Udon"

 

You are aware of the options. Just do it. 

[anotherfarangishere]

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

You stated in OP...

 

"That said, now I'm decided to use Nong Khai, I'm still going to have a look about flights to Udon"

 

You are aware of the options. Just do it. 

Yes, because you mentioned it again.

[thaipo7]

I will give you one.  If you apply online which is very easy, they will tell you there is a special line for e-Visa.  NOT TRUE, you will stand in line like everyone else.

[Caldera]

1 hour ago, anotherfarangishere said:

I don't see the reason to call them public minivans but anyway, public or private, I don't want to use minivans.

 

Well they are public because it's a service provided to the public, specifically, to passengers arriving at Udon airport. You don't hire them privately, you pay 200 baht for your seat and they will leave whenever they are full enough.

[anotherfarangishere]

36 minutes ago, thaipo7 said:

I will give you one.  If you apply online which is very easy, they will tell you there is a special line for e-Visa.  NOT TRUE, you will stand in line like everyone else.

Thanks for the tip, but I've read about the e-visa and I won't apply online: it's most expensive - $50 instead of $40 - and some people claim their e-visa wasn't recorded in the system and they had to pay again at the border.

Too bad, I could pay $50 instead of $40 to avoid to loose one page on my passport... but taking the risk to pay $50 + $40...

BTW, did things have changed at Padang Besar since July 15? If I remember correctly, someone told me on this forum that now people weren't allowed to come back on the same day and have to stay one night in Malaysia. Padang Besar = $0 visa and very little stamp on your passport.

[Jack1988]

4 hours ago, anotherfarangishere said:

Hello everyone,

I'm in Bangkok and planning to make a visa run in Nong Khai around August 30.

I did it a lot of times 10 yeas ago, but not recently.

From what I read, in 2024, for Lao visa with a French passport I need:
- 40 dollars with new banknotes in very good condition (extra 1 dollar is charged if my visa is processed out of the official working time)
- a photography

So, if I remember correctly, except it was $30 by the past, things didn't change.

 

For coming back the same day to Thailand, my immigration history is as follow:

- 0 visa run since many years

- after 6 months outside Thailand, I came back around March 25 with an e-visa that I extended for 30 days

- stayed 10 days in HK and flied without visa to Chiang Mai on July 2 where I got 30 days exemption that I extended for 30 days

So, it should be a no brainer to make a 60 days exemption visa run at Nong Khai, that said if someone has some warnings or very recent - after July 15 - bad experience, I'll love to hear from him.

Thank you!

P.S. Is there a way to get PDF of the Lao forms to fill them in Thailand?

Why do you have to make a passport photo and fill the Lao visa form? I did a border run last time, I didn't do anything, just pay and come back to Thailand the same day 

[Pattaya57]

7 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

Why do you have to make a passport photo and fill the Lao visa form? I did a border run last time, I didn't do anything, just pay and come back to Thailand the same day 

So you must be from one of the few countries that don't need a visa for Laos. Which one?

[Jack1988]

46 minutes ago, Pattaya57 said:

So you must be from one of the few countries that don't need a visa for Laos. Which one?

UK. Maybe because I use a visa run agency. I don't know but I can confirm I have never been asked to fill a Lao visa form and take a passport photo 

[Pattaya57]

18 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

UK. Maybe because I use a visa run agency. I don't know but I can confirm I have never been asked to fill a Lao visa form and take a passport photo 

So your previous post saying no need was pointless as it's only because you paid an agent to fill in the form for you, OP is not using an agent

 

As for passport photo I had to provide a Pic to the agent who attached it to the visa form they filled out so you likely would have done the same

 

[DrJack54]

19 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

UK. Maybe because I use a visa run agency.

Your posts are not clear/incorrect 

"The Laotian Government requires British passport holders to have a visa for entry into Laos" 

 

[Cameroni]

You can pay in Baht, no need for US dollars. Make sure you bring Thai baht change for any bus fares.

[Jack1988]

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

Your posts are not clear/incorrect 

"The Laotian Government requires British passport holders to have a visa for entry into Laos" 

 

I just give my passport to the Lao officer plus money and he stamp a Lao visa on my passport. No form and passport photo 

[DrJack54]

2 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

I just give my passport to the Lao officer plus money and he stamp a Lao visa on my passport. No form and passport photo 

In other words you obtained a visa for Laos using an agent.

 

[Rob Browder]

35 minutes ago, Pattaya57 said:

So your previous post saying no need was pointless as it's only because you paid an agent to fill in the form for you, OP is not using an agent

 

As for passport photo I had to provide a Pic to the agent who attached it to the visa form they filled out so you likely would have done the same

 

Lao immigration will take a pic of your passport photo and use that on their form for a fee - or has done this in the past - probably what his "agent" arranged, in addition to filing out the form for him. 

[Jack1988]

21 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

In other words you obtained a visa for Laos using an agent.

 

Yep I can confirm that. It's more convenient and easier to use an agency that takes care of everything. I paid 1800thb for the transportation (go and back)plus money for the Lao visa. I don't like to do all the steps by myself, it's a bit stressful and I wouldn't save money anyway 

[anotherfarangishere]

39 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

You can pay in Baht, no need for US dollars. Make sure you bring Thai baht change for any bus fares.

Bad advice: paying in US dollars is less expensive.

[Pattaya57]

32 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

Yep I can confirm that. It's more convenient and easier to use an agency that takes care of everything. I paid 1800thb for the transportation (go and back)plus money for the Lao visa. I don't like to do all the steps by myself, it's a bit stressful and I wouldn't save money anyway 

 

So from where did you leave from to Nong Khai and back for 1800 baht? How much did you pay your agent for the Laos Visa?

 

 

[Cameroni]

35 minutes ago, anotherfarangishere said:

Bad advice: paying in US dollars is less expensive.

 

Not if your account is in Euro, genius. Not everyone's American.

[Rob Browder]

16 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

Not if your account is in Euro, genius. Not everyone's American.

I used to buy dollars from the money-exchanges before my Lao visa runs.