Exempt Visa Run To Where? Don't Wanna Buy Air Ticket

[Mangkud]

Hello there,

thought I could sort this out by reading existing posts, but after reading other posts I am confused.

I am a 30 year old german. I have a 60 days Toursit Visa from Penang and extended it for 30 days. Extension is over soon and I have to leave Thailand. Before the Tourist Visa, I had an exempt visa from Aranyaprathet/Cambodia border. And before that I had another Tourist Visa with extension.

Now I would like to get another exempt visa stamp. Is that possible and according to the 90 days rule? Where are places, where they don't want to see onward flight tickets? I thought of going to Nong Khai. In Aranyaprathet last time I had to buy an onward air ticket and only then could leave the country to get the 30 days exempt visa stamp.

Thank you dear ThaiVisa.com community!

[lopburi3]

To date we have not had reports of that requirement being strictly enforced at any other land border. But it is a requirement so anyone could be asked at any time.

[marginline]

What about taking a trip to the other Cambodian checkpoint located at Ban Laem (aka Pong Nam Ron)? Can anyone advise Mangkud the names of current visa run operators that provide the ubiquitous ฿200 bus ticket option please?

[LindsayBKK]

Jack Golf 7am Bus

[Ray1167]

Border at Pong Nam Ron have been known to ask for onward flight tickets from those just wanting 30 day stamps

[Jimjim]

Buy a cheap Air Asia ticket for 500 baht if you're really worried.

[marginline]

Buy a cheap Air Asia ticket for 500 baht if you're really worried.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think that option is available any more...since the ฿700 exit tax was included in the price of every outbound international air ticket.

[farangsay]

What I've done recently is buy a train ticket to Butterworth and then afterwards get it refunded - nett cost 200b.

Mind you I haven't really tested it yet as I went through Ranong and they didn't ask to see anything.

Mind you I just knew if I didn't have the ticket , or 10,000b in my pocket , they would have.

[Big A]

Just back from a border run to Ranong. Extremely friendly and helpful immigrant staff (actually stood chatting to one official for 20 minutes outside). A good bet.

A wai, a smile and a good natured joke works wonders down there.

[cali4995]

You really have to give credit where it is due. The Myanmar border checkpoints

are certainly looking more promising. It's a flat 500 baht fee, no corruption money,

they take your photo with a webcam and they don't ask for onward tickets. And I

have to say, the one time I went to Mae-sot the Burmese immigration guys were

really nice. Cambodia is unpleasant, Laos is expensive, if you don't mind travelling

a little farther, it can be a much more enjoyable experience.

Tak Checkpoint

Amphoe Mae Sot, Changwat Tak 0-5556-3000, 0-5556-3002-4

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Mae Sai Checkpoint

Amphoe Mae Sai, Changwat Chiang Rai 57130 0-5373-1008

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Ranong Checkpoint

Amphoe Muang, Changwat Ranong 85000 0-7782-1216

[Yawho]

Jack Golf 7am Bus

tried to use their service last week, the bus didn't turn up.

[TAWP]

Uh...they don't go every day to both destinations. If you where alone at the location you where either late or on a non-traveling day. (Always book in advance, they might wait a few minutes extra if you are late then...)

[siam2007]

You really have to give credit where it is due. The Myanmar border checkpoints

are certainly looking more promising. It's a flat 500 baht fee, no corruption money,

they take your photo with a webcam and they don't ask for onward tickets. And I

have to say, the one time I went to Mae-sot the Burmese immigration guys were

really nice. Cambodia is unpleasant, Laos is expensive, if you don't mind travelling

a little farther, it can be a much more enjoyable experience.

they even take those pictures at land-border-checkpoints now ?

I thought still some of them are not computerized.

I heard Ban Laem is not computerized yet, and when I was in Nongkhai in Jan. 2006, I didnt see any computer as well, they just stamped me out and, after 4 days, stamped me IN again.

though, I had a non-immi-multiple Visa that time.....

what about Nakhon Panom or Satun - ferry to langkawi and Kuala Perlis. are they computerized now ?

from what I heard from others and from my own experience, the officers at non-computerized borders are much more relaxed and its mostly hassle-free.....

[cali4995]

Siam2007, neighboring countries routinely require passport sized photographs

as part of their visa-on-arrival application. Burma just makes their own with a

web-cam so it's not necessary to supply them. It's interesting what you say

about the computers, I've also noticed that even when there is a PC terminal

on the immigration officer's desk at these checkpoints, often he won't use it.

Simply tearing off the arrival/departure card and I guess sometime later the

data processing is performed to update the system.

[Mangkud]

Thanks for the advice!

I came back yesterday from Aranyaprathet. I booked a flight (and didn't pay yet) to Singapore and printed out the emailed itinerary. Immigration staff was fine with this.

Just as an anecdote: I met an Englishman on the bus, who overstayed several days. He expected to pay a lot, but talking to the immigration officer he was able to wiggle out of it and didn't pay anything! I guess speaking Thai helped him a lot. I sat with him at the "Pay-the-fine desk" for almost 30 min and we had a nice conversation with the officer. We then had several beers on the Cambodian site, resisted all the "Bam Bam" offers and finally returned to Thailand.

I reckon next time I will give Myanmar border run a try. How long is a bus trip to there?

[tayto]

You really have to give credit where it is due. The Myanmar border checkpoints

are certainly looking more promising. It's a flat 500 baht fee, no corruption money,

they take your photo with a webcam and they don't ask for onward tickets. And I

have to say, the one time I went to Mae-sot the Burmese immigration guys were

really nice. Cambodia is unpleasant, Laos is expensive, if you don't mind travelling

a little farther, it can be a much more enjoyable experience.

Tak Checkpoint

Amphoe Mae Sot, Changwat Tak 0-5556-3000, 0-5556-3002-4

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mae Sai Checkpoint

Amphoe Mae Sai, Changwat Chiang Rai 57130 0-5373-1008

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ranong Checkpoint

Amphoe Muang, Changwat Ranong 85000 0-7782-1216

It's actually $10 so about 150 baht coruption money.