Lao borders (some at least) now requiring overnight stay?

[Jack1988]

it's not unlimited at the Chiang Khong border, immigration over there still only allow 2 border run per year. Even the border run website are saying like that. Some folks are saying that i give false info lol. Pattaya57 where are you?

[Jack1988]

the van companies even upped the prices, before it was 1800thb while now is 2500/2600. It's only about money here, as i always say. It's all a money scheme

So i think it has more sense to just fly to vietnam and visit a new country for a week and then come back to thailand from the airport

[Andycoops]

It's technically the same when using a Cambodian crossing, specifically Chom Chong you pay a fee to bounce on the same day if you don't stay overnight.

[Tod Daniels]

We're seeing the border bounce companies up in Chiang Mai change their pricing 😕 

I said earlier these companies are really nothing but taxi services 😮 because they don't interact with the border officers or facilitate you getting out and in, just run you there and back .

[jacey]

every border is a boss of themselves just like every immigration office, they do what they please, this 60 days scheme is the perfect to rack in the money

[Tomtomtom69]

19 hours ago, racket said:

This should be against international law in my opinion. No one should be forced to stay in a country for 1-2 days against their will. 

 

Hopefully Myanmar opens their border soon.

 

Myanmar should keep its borders closed to self-entitled farang who are only there to abuse Thailand's rules.

 

Since the 3 Pagodas Pass border has been closed to farang for the past 17 years, chances are Mae Sai and Mae Sot could be the same...

 

Of course, people like you will still be moaning about Mae Sai being closed in 17 years from now...

 

I don't get it....what are all these people on visa-free stays doing in Thailand all day long? What is it that prevents them from spending even a night or two in a neighboring country?

 

Must be related to heavy drinking and girls as I can't see any other legit reason.

 

Legitimate tourists don't have that much time. Those who are working online will have a DTV or LTR visa if they're wealthy. Those who are not working online but working in Thailand will have a non O married to a Thai or non B plus work permit or smart visa or some other long term visa. Retirees will have a retirement visa.

[Tomtomtom69]

On 8/25/2024 at 2:59 AM, Rob Browder said:

If they are not working here illegally, and spending their money here, they should be welcomed. 

 

Note that most of the ones who ARE working illegally are from neighboring countries, and don't have these problems.  There was never a "2x per-year" rule for them.

 

I'm waiting to find out there is an agent-fix coming for that entry-point - a way to force the shuttle-vans to charge more for the extra-fee, then pass along the loot, like is done now with the vans to Cambodia.

 

Another entitled farang.

 

Let me ask you this, say you're a foreigner (even a westerner) who's a non-citizen attempting to live in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or even Europe on a tourist visa, how would immigration react?

 

Would they buy your story of "don't worry, I don't work here" or "please welcome me and my money!" 

 

If not, why should Thailand be any different? 

[BakedPanda]

I notice that the long running Chiang Mai border run service also mentions this on the website now, it says you have to stay 2 nights in Laos.

 

I doubt this came from the Laos side, this must be from the Thai border to try and surpress the amount of people going there as the Laos side in fact always offered you to say 'visa run' and then not needing to fill out any paperwork + being stamped in and out at once on the application desk.

[BakedPanda]

1 hour ago, Tod Daniels said:

We're seeing the border bounce companies up in Chiang Mai change their pricing 😕 

I said earlier these companies are really nothing but taxi services 😮 because they don't interact with the border officers or facilitate you getting out and in, just run you there and back .

It's barely more than it was before the change and still a better deal to use the minivans in terms of their time efficiency. Also it easily would cost 1K just to get a grab from Chiang Rai, and from the border side otherwise, your options would be very limited aka needing to take a public bus to CR first. That alone is likely 2 hours gone already, that's over half way with the run services minivan to CM.

[racket]

I have visited this border a very long time ago. At that time, it cost 2,000 baht for a visa on arrival in Laos. For a border-bounce, Laos would stamp you in and out simultaneously, and then you'd wait for the bus back to the Thai border.

 

But in this case, if someone was rejected by Thai immigration officers, they would need to return to the Laos immigration office and pay another 2,000 baht, resulting in a total of 4,000 baht for a new visa on arrival. I'm curious whether the Thai immigration officers informed the travelers of this before they exited Thailand, or if they were caught off guard by Laos immigration, who might have refused to stamp them out unless they stayed in Laos for two days before exiting.

[john donson]

IO having a bad day, interpreting his own version of the law...the joke continues...

[Dengued]

I crossed back yesterday through Chiang Khong after the 2 required nights in Laos.   Thai immigration were  advising people when leaving Thailand that if it's their second border bounce of the year, they'll need to have an outbound plane ticket too. 

Re-entry involved an informal interview and photocopying of documents, before being allowed to proceed to passport control to get 60 day visa exempt stamp..  

Travelers who tried in Chiang Saen were told, they'd also need to show 10K bht

[Chivas]

On 8/24/2024 at 4:18 PM, herfiehandbag said:

One might consider that people doing "border bounces" every 60 days are not really tourists?

 

In a nutshell yes

[moana]

On 8/24/2024 at 7:03 AM, Tod Daniels said:

We got quite a few reports yesterday of people up in Chiang Rai trying to bounce out/back at the Chiang Khong/Huay Xai border that they have to spend the night IN Lao before they can come back.

Are all of these reports from visa-exempt bounces? Are people with valid visas being forced to spend the night too?

[Maestro]

5 hours ago, Andycoops said:

It's technically the same when using a Cambodian crossing, specifically Chom Chong you pay a fee to bounce on the same day if you don't stay overnight.

 

Is it really technically the same when using a Cambodian crossing?

 

Isn't it Cambodia that says you must stay in Cambodia at least one day?

[Maestro]

Removed an off-topic post (crossing to Malaysia)

[Tomtomtom69]

6 minutes ago, Maestro said:

 

Is it really technically the same when using a Cambodian crossing?

 

Isn't it Cambodia that says you must stay in Cambodia at least one day?

 

According to a recent news article in the Khmer Times, PM Hun Manet recently abolished the one night stay requirement (which was never a requirement for business visa holders or those entering and leaving the same day via Phnom Penh airport).

 

However, I wouldn't be surprised if the Thai side starts to insist on border runners spending at least a night outside of the country at the Cambodian borders.

[Jack1988]

I think is a good idea to just fly to another Asian country, Vietnam, Cambodia... Visit for a week and then come back to Thailand. This border crossing like that doesn't has any sense 

[Jack1988]

1 hour ago, Dengued said:

I crossed back yesterday through Chiang Khong after the 2 required nights in Laos.   Thai immigration were  advising people when leaving Thailand that if it's their second border bounce of the year, they'll need to have an outbound plane ticket too. 

Re-entry involved an informal interview and photocopying of documents, before being allowed to proceed to passport control to get 60 day visa exempt stamp..  

Travelers who tried in Chiang Saen were told, they'd also need to show 10K bht

It's the 10k but and the  informal interview only from the second border run?

[wisemonkey]

2 hours ago, Dengued said:

I crossed back yesterday through Chiang Khong after the 2 required nights in Laos.   Thai immigration were  advising people when leaving Thailand that if it's their second border bounce of the year, they'll need to have an outbound plane ticket too. 

Re-entry involved an informal interview and photocopying of documents, before being allowed to proceed to passport control to get 60 day visa exempt stamp..  

Travelers who tried in Chiang Saen were told, they'd also need to show 10K bht

 

My god this is brutal, went from a good thing with this new rule to totally ruining it.

 

The Mae Sai border was the best, quick to get to from Chiang Mai, only 500 THB fee visa fee to Burma, could pick up bottles of alcohol for 35% of the price back in Thailand for the premium end brands, then back my late afternoon.

 

This new rule with the Chiang Khong - Huay Xai border requiting two over night stays just ruins it, , so now that border run chews up 3 days and costs around 5500 THB (Visa run agents 2500, Visa 2000, and cheap accoomodation 1000), may as well just do a flight to Malaysia and can come back the same day for less money. 

 

 

[Rob Browder]

6 hours ago, Tomtomtom69 said:

Let me ask you this, say you're a foreigner (even a westerner) who's a non-citizen attempting to live in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or even Europe on a tourist visa, how would immigration react?

Oh, yes, just forget about the incentives - welfare programs, working-illegally for many times more money than they can earn where they come from.  

 

Contrast to coming to Thailand from a Western country - NO welfare to leech from, and NO incentive to compete with the illegal-workers from the neighboring countries.  We don't come here to work 6 10-hour days for less than we would earn in one.

 

Every one of us spending our money in Thailand creates Thai jobs.

[Rob Browder]

18 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

How exactly does this work? Does the border immigration official say "don't come back earlier than in two days" (Chiang Khong) or "come back tomorrow" (Chiang Saen) without putting a stamp refusing entry into the passport?

I have not heard of rejection-stamps except at Poi Pet or the airports.  At all others, reports indicate they just say "no," and you go back and get your exit stamp canceled. 

 

I had this happen once at Sadao (years ago), when I didn't know I needed to "pad" my passport with cash, to enter there - even with a visa, and a week after I had last left Thailand.

  

6 hours ago, racket said:

But in this case, if someone was rejected by Thai immigration officers, they would need to return to the Laos immigration office and pay another 2,000 baht, resulting in a total of 4,000 baht for a new visa on arrival.

Per the above - no - they just cancel your exit-stamp, thus re-instating your permitted-stay in Laos.  No extra charge.

  

6 hours ago, racket said:

I'm curious whether the Thai immigration officers informed the travelers of this before they exited Thailand, or if they were caught off guard by Laos immigration, who might have refused to stamp them out unless they stayed in Laos for two days before exiting.

The block was on the Thai side - not Laos. 

 

Thai Immigration there seem to want the same sort of "deal" the van-companies have made at their Cambodian checkpoints - where a payoff is made per-person, and varies by type, such that those with Non-O or similar must pay MORE to exit and return.

[DrJack54]

Some trolling/off topic posts removed 

[DrJack54]

Another repeat trolling post.

Continue results in warning 

[BoganBob]

6 hours ago, wisemonkey said:

 

My god this is brutal, went from a good thing with this new rule to totally ruining it.

 

The Mae Sai border was the best, quick to get to from Chiang Mai, only 500 THB fee visa fee to Burma, could pick up bottles of alcohol for 35% of the price back in Thailand for the premium end brands, then back my late afternoon.

 

This new rule with the Chiang Khong - Huay Xai border requiting two over night stays just ruins it, , so now that border run chews up 3 days and costs around 5500 THB (Visa run agents 2500, Visa 2000, and cheap accoomodation 1000), may as well just do a flight to Malaysia and can come back the same day for less money. 

 

 

 

If the Thai-Lao crossings continue to allow 2 visa exempt land border crossings per year then that would be the one remaining advantage. Flight to Kuala Lumpur is probably cheaper and definitely faster but airport immigration is crap shoot whereas land crossing from Laos was viewed as "safe" thing to keep in back pocket if you needed it. I guess the thing to keep a close eye on is if that is changing with transition to 60 days visa exempt stamp. Will land crossings become more like airports in terms of scrutiny?   

[anotherfarangishere]

Some news from Nong Khai border since this post has been opened? I'm going to Nong Khai on Friday for a visa run, I really don't want to stay in Vientiane one or two nights. I am in Bangkok, I have chosen Nong Khai because you can back to Thailand the same day, otherwise I would have probably chosen to fly to KL.

[Jack1988]

4 hours ago, BoganBob said:

Flight to Kuala Lumpur is probably cheaper 

Not really... I often check on Skyscanner and it's like more than 4k bht go and back, even if only for a few days 

[anotherfarangishere]

Sorry to insist: absolutely not very recent news for the Nong Khai border ?

[Caldera]

1 hour ago, anotherfarangishere said:

Sorry to insist: absolutely not very recent news for the Nong Khai border ?

 

It's a very busy border, so if there had been any change, you would have heard about it already. 

[Maestro]

Removed some posts and the replies to them.