Vientiane Laos for Thai Visa

[Shuddee]

Just as an update not on laos but Pennang!

Taken from another thread

"<br />Don't go to Penang, closest consulate from Koh Phangan.<br />They require flight ticket to your home country.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

this is not true anymore, i was there for non-B with other people that were there for tourist visa, exept the application form, copy of passeport and pictures nothing else was required for tourist visa, i saw them back two days later with their visa.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...p;#entry1965475

so this is a first in a while, pennang might be ok again, but then again early days yet see what happens!

chris

This is good news. My gf called Immigration in Bankgok and they confirmed that you can run consecutive tourist visas back to back. So much for the other thread I referenced. I'll toss that one off as static rumor.

[sniffdog]

Penang allows you two back to back Tourist visas, then you get a red stamp in your passport telling you, in kind words, not to come back again.

[Maestro]

With very rare exceptions, eg blacklisted person, a foreigner arriving in Thailand with a tourist visa will not be denied entry by the immigration officer, regardless whether the visa is back-to-back or not. However, the immigration office cannot give you reliable information as to whether a Thai consulate will issue back-to-back tourist visas to you. Only the consulate where you plan to apply for your visa can give you this information.

--

Maestro

[funfun]

The border at Nong Khai opens at 6 am and closes at 10 pm. so no worries making it into Laos from that 5.25 pm flight (unless of course it has 4 hours delay )

That makes a big difference, means i can have an extra night on the beer laos, wake up to the mekong river sunrise, and still be early at consulate!

cheers all!

chris

[IrishP]

Stupid question time - am I right in assuming that when I want to leave the kingdom and return on my 2nd TV ( I got 2 on my last trip to Laos), I can do it at a land border? As in I can do the 1 day trip to, say, the Malaysian border, get stamped out, turn around, get stamped in, etc?

Just wanted to clarify that i don't have to use it coming into the country by air...

Cheers m'dears

[lopburi3]

Yes you can do a turn around anywhere but you do have to enter/exit another country.

[bhoydy]

Hi,

Here's my tuppence worth. went for a tourist visa in Vientiane 3 months ago, leaving Chiang Mai by bus in the evening. Arrived at the Thai consulate at about 10.30 and was happy to see about 8 people in line in front of me and i got checked through within about 10 minutes. This time, last week, i arrived about 10.45 to see the gates shutting on about 20 people and a further 60 odd still in line. It was busy the same the next day when i went, and the following day on pick up. There was a holiday last week and that may have added to the congestion but all in all i would say Laos has been picked up on now as the easy place to go and therefore is feeling the pressure. I would say if you want a visa go early, it's up to you when because either way if you go before it opens you have to wait until it opens, and if you go when it opens you have to wait for the queue in front of you.

Good luck

[waveydavey]

Hi,

Here's my tuppence worth. went for a tourist visa in Vientiane 3 months ago, leaving Chiang Mai by bus in the evening. Arrived at the Thai consulate at about 10.30 and was happy to see about 8 people in line in front of me and i got checked through within about 10 minutes. This time, last week, i arrived about 10.45 to see the gates shutting on about 20 people and a further 60 odd still in line. It was busy the same the next day when i went, and the following day on pick up. There was a holiday last week and that may have added to the congestion but all in all i would say Laos has been picked up on now as the easy place to go and therefore is feeling the pressure. I would say if you want a visa go early, it's up to you when because either way if you go before it opens you have to wait until it opens, and if you go when it opens you have to wait for the queue in front of you.

Good luck

Thanks for that Bhoydy. Which day of the week did you apply?

[photojourn]

I'm heading across to Vientiane next week but I don't see what the advantage is in a 2X entry TV at Bt 2,000 + Bt 1,900 for a 30 day extension (which will give your less than 30 days) compared to a 1X entry TV at Bt 1,000.

Given that you need to make a border run between the first 60 days and the expiration of the visa period you are still going to end up paying $35 for a visa into Laos just so you can turn around and come back and use the extra entry.

Perhaps I'm missing something here but if you are not planning to leave Thailand in the first 90-days then there isn't any monetary saving at all. In fact it works out more expensive. All you save is having to go to the Thai consulate in Laos on the 58/59th day and applying again as you still need to pay for the Laos entry visa.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong please.

I should ad that I'm leaving from Chiang Mai but irrespective of where you are, you still need to cross a border after 80+ days so you still need to pay the transport and border crossing fee and the extra 25+ days costs Bt 1,900 compared to Bt 1,000 for a new 60 day visa.

Thanks

[nev]

last time i went to vientiane i had to pay 30us for a visa to lao, now if i am going for a 60 day extendable tourist visa do i still have to pay for a visa to lao? last time i just entered back in to thailand on a voa as i was flying back to australia in 15 days.

[lopburi3]

If you go to Laos and require a visa to enter the country yes. You must enter the other country before you obtain your new entry into Thailand.

[bangkokgas]

I'm heading across to Vientiane next week but I don't see what the advantage is in a 2X entry TV at Bt 2,000 + Bt 1,900 for a 30 day extension (which will give your less than 30 days) compared to a 1X entry TV at Bt 1,000.

Given that you need to make a border run between the first 60 days and the expiration of the visa period you are still going to end up paying $35 for a visa into Laos just so you can turn around and come back and use the extra entry.

Perhaps I'm missing something here but if you are not planning to leave Thailand in the first 90-days then there isn't any monetary saving at all. In fact it works out more expensive. All you save is having to go to the Thai consulate in Laos on the 58/59th day and applying again as you still need to pay for the Laos entry visa.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong please.

I should ad that I'm leaving from Chiang Mai but irrespective of where you are, you still need to cross a border after 80+ days so you still need to pay the transport and border crossing fee and the extra 25+ days costs Bt 1,900 compared to Bt 1,000 for a new 60 day visa.

Thanks

Don't get your point. It has got to be cheaper making only one trip for a x2 visa even with extension fees. You would have to go get another 60 (90) day visa with a single entry and conservatavely, those trips to laos cost 8,000-10,000 baht a pop. Forgive me if I am missing something.

[tropo]

I'm heading across to Vientiane next week but I don't see what the advantage is in a 2X entry TV at Bt 2,000 + Bt 1,900 for a 30 day extension (which will give your less than 30 days) compared to a 1X entry TV at Bt 1,000.

Given that you need to make a border run between the first 60 days and the expiration of the visa period you are still going to end up paying $35 for a visa into Laos just so you can turn around and come back and use the extra entry.

Perhaps I'm missing something here but if you are not planning to leave Thailand in the first 90-days then there isn't any monetary saving at all. In fact it works out more expensive. All you save is having to go to the Thai consulate in Laos on the 58/59th day and applying again as you still need to pay for the Laos entry visa.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong please.

I should ad that I'm leaving from Chiang Mai but irrespective of where you are, you still need to cross a border after 80+ days so you still need to pay the transport and border crossing fee and the extra 25+ days costs Bt 1,900 compared to Bt 1,000 for a new 60 day visa.

Thanks

Don't get your point. It has got to be cheaper making only one trip for a x2 visa even with extension fees. You would have to go get another 60 (90) day visa with a single entry and conservatavely, those trips to laos cost 8,000-10,000 baht a pop. Forgive me if I am missing something.

I must be missing something too. One border run to activate the 2nd entry sets me back 1,700 baht. Add to this one extension at 1,900 baht and 1,000 baht extra for the double entry TV and I'm paying a total of 4,600 baht for an extra 90 days. Almost half the price of getting another single entry TV, and a lot less bother.

[photojourn]

Yes, yes. It's the third travel trip where the benefits come in and I guess it depends how much you are paying for travel. But for the purpose of the exercise if you exclude travel costs because they are dependent on where someone is located and just look at the visa costs then it's actually more expensive to get the 2 x entry TV.

Then you need to factor in the on-ground transport costs in Laos and how often you want to travel.

I also guess it depends how permanent anyone is, ie, whether they have work that they know will continue past 90-days.

To obtain a 2 x entry TV you need a Laos Visa $35

A 2 x entry TV costs Bt 2,000 ($62)

A 30-day extension costs Bt 1,900 ($59)

Total (excluding travel) for a bit less than 90-days = $156

To activate the second entry you need to enter Laos $35 and you get another 60 days

To get the extra less than 30-day extension you then pay another Bt 1,900 ($59)

Total for the second 90-days (excluding travel) $94

Cost for a bit less than 180 days (excluding travel costs) is $70 plus Bt 5,800 ($181) or a total cost (excluding any travel) of $250

For a single entry visa the cost of the Laos visa ($35) plus Bt 1,000 ($31) for 60 days (Total: $66)

Multiplied by 3 for a full 180 days = $105 plus Bt 3,000 ($93)

Total cost (excluding any travel) is $ 198

To activate the second entry you still incur the travel costs. If the travel costs aren't that high then it's about break-even buy the time you take the on-ground costs in Laos into consideration.

[tropo]

Yes, yes. It's the third travel trip where the benefits come in and I guess it depends how much you are paying for travel. But for the purpose of the exercise if you exclude travel costs because they are dependent on where someone is located and just look at the visa costs then it's actually more expensive to get the 2 x entry TV.

Then you need to factor in the on-ground transport costs in Laos and how often you want to travel.

I also guess it depends how permanent anyone is, ie, whether they have work that they know will continue past 90-days.

To obtain a 2 x entry TV you need a Laos Visa $35

A 2 x entry TV costs Bt 2,000 ($62)

A 30-day extension costs Bt 1,900 ($59)

Total (excluding travel) for a bit less than 90-days = $156

To activate the second entry you need to enter Laos $35 and you get another 60 days

To get the extra less than 30-day extension you then pay another Bt 1,900 ($59)

Total for the second 90-days (excluding travel) $94

Cost for a bit less than 180 days (excluding travel costs) is $70 plus Bt 5,800 ($181) or a total cost (excluding any travel) of $250

For a single entry visa the cost of the Laos visa ($35) plus Bt 1,000 ($31) for 60 days (Total: $66)

Multiplied by 3 for a full 180 days = $105 plus Bt 3,000 ($93)

Total cost (excluding any travel) is $ 198

To activate the second entry you still incur the travel costs. If the travel costs aren't that high then it's about break-even buy the time you take the on-ground costs in Laos into consideration.

If you want people to read and understand your calculations, it would pay to simplify them somewhat.

Here's some factors you failed to consider.

1. Not everyone needs to pay for a Laos visa. ASEAN nationals get in free. A lot of visa runners to Laos are Filipino.

2. Travel to Vientiane is very time consuming and costly for most people who live quite far from there.

3. It requires at least a one night (usually 2 nights) stay in Laos to get the visa. A lot of us are going to want to stay in 1000 baht plus hotels. Not all of us want to stay in backpacker type accommodation to save money.

4. Getting the visa requires a lot of effort - queuing up at a very busy consulate for possibly many hours. Returning the next day. Even the return trip through the immigration check points can take hours depending on how busy it is on the day. All in all it's a hard 2 day's work.

5. Laos visas vary in price. I pay $30 as an Australian and $31 after hours. If a person doesn't have dollars the cost is far higher.

6. Getting single TV's when doubles are available fills up the pages of a passport far more quickly and also draws more attention to the fact that a person maybe living (too long) in Thailand on TV's.

Having double the number of TV's in a person's passport could present more of a problem when applying again in the future. With a double entry TV a person could get away with one TV every 9 months if they do 3 x 30 day entries in between them.

Having said that, I save a lot of money and bother by paying an extra 1000 baht for a double entry. I won't bore everyone with precise calculations but the savings for me are considerable.

PS. Where do you get an exchange rate of 32.26 baht for a $US?

[photojourn]

Yes, yes. It's the third travel trip where the benefits come in and I guess it depends how much you are paying for travel. But for the purpose of the exercise if you exclude travel costs because they are dependent on where someone is located and just look at the visa costs then it's actually more expensive to get the 2 x entry TV.

Then you need to factor in the on-ground transport costs in Laos and how often you want to travel.

I also guess it depends how permanent anyone is, ie, whether they have work that they know will continue past 90-days.

To obtain a 2 x entry TV you need a Laos Visa $35

A 2 x entry TV costs Bt 2,000 ($62)

A 30-day extension costs Bt 1,900 ($59)

Total (excluding travel) for a bit less than 90-days = $156

To activate the second entry you need to enter Laos $35 and you get another 60 days

To get the extra less than 30-day extension you then pay another Bt 1,900 ($59)

Total for the second 90-days (excluding travel) $94

Cost for a bit less than 180 days (excluding travel costs) is $70 plus Bt 5,800 ($181) or a total cost (excluding any travel) of $250

For a single entry visa the cost of the Laos visa ($35) plus Bt 1,000 ($31) for 60 days (Total: $66)

Multiplied by 3 for a full 180 days = $105 plus Bt 3,000 ($93)

Total cost (excluding any travel) is $ 198

To activate the second entry you still incur the travel costs. If the travel costs aren't that high then it's about break-even buy the time you take the on-ground costs in Laos into consideration.

If you want people to read and understand your calculations, it would pay to simplify them somewhat.

Here's some factors you failed to consider.

1. Not everyone needs to pay for a Laos visa. ASEAN nationals get in free. A lot of visa runners to Laos are Filipino.

2. Travel to Vientiane is very time consuming and costly for most people who live quite far from there.

3. It requires at least a one night (usually 2 nights) stay in Laos to get the visa. A lot of us are going to want to stay in 1000 baht plus hotels. Not all of us want to stay in backpacker type accommodation to save money.

4. Getting the visa requires a lot of effort - queuing up at a very busy consulate for possibly many hours. Returning the next day. Even the return trip through the immigration check points can take hours depending on how busy it is on the day. All in all it's a hard 2 day's work.

5. Laos visas vary in price. I pay $30 as an Australian and $31 after hours. If a person doesn't have dollars the cost is far higher.

6. Getting single TV's when doubles are available fills up the pages of a passport far more quickly and also draws more attention to the fact that a person maybe living (too long) in Thailand on TV's.

Having double the number of TV's in a person's passport could present more of a problem when applying again in the future. With a double entry TV a person could get away with one TV every 9 months if they do 3 x 30 day entries in between them.

Having said that, I save a lot of money and bother by paying an extra 1000 baht for a double entry. I won't bore everyone with precise calculations but the savings for me are considerable.

PS. Where do you get an exchange rate of 32.26 baht for a $US?

Thanks. Some very valid points to consider. Like I said it excluded travel costs and obviosly the time and cost of that depends on each persons location but factored in the cost of Laos visas.

The exchange rate came from a desktop widget that updates constantly.

Number of TVs in a passport is an obvious issue I had overlooked.

Thanks for the information. Greatly appreciated.

[tropo]

The exchange rate came from a desktop widget that updates constantly.

Maybe it's heading in the right direction. Yesterday I got 31.15.

Edited May 9, 2008 by tropo

[photojourn]

I'm heading over to Laos tomorrow. I've downloaded the form from the Thai Embassy Laos website.

Can someone tell me if I need one form or two?

And what to put in the section "name, address and telephone number of local guarantor" and guarantor and address in Thailand" ?

Thanks. I'll post a report when I get back

[waveydavey]

I'm heading over to Laos tomorrow. I've downloaded the form from the Thai Embassy Laos website.

Can someone tell me if I need one form or two?

And what to put in the section "name, address and telephone number of local guarantor" and guarantor and address in Thailand" ?

Thanks. I'll post a report when I get back

Hi Photojourn, you only need one copy of the form. I left the local guarantor section blank and put my Thai girlfriends details in the Thai section but I dont think you'll have a problem if you leave that blank as well. The guy on the desk will check your form when you hand it in and let you know if it's ok.

I'm in Vientiane at the moment. I went to the consulate at 11am yesterday and there wasn't a single person waiting to hand in their application. Had to wait a while to pay my fee but I was in and out again inside 30 minutes.

[photojourn]

Thanks for that. Hopefully it will be the same tomorrow. Nice fast in and out will suit me fine.

[tropo]

I'm in Vientiane at the moment. I went to the consulate at 11am yesterday and there wasn't a single person waiting to hand in their application. Had to wait a while to pay my fee but I was in and out again inside 30 minutes.

Did you pay for a double entry tourist visa?

[waveydavey]

I'm in Vientiane at the moment. I went to the consulate at 11am yesterday and there wasn't a single person waiting to hand in their application. Had to wait a while to pay my fee but I was in and out again inside 30 minutes.

Did you pay for a double entry tourist visa?

Yes. It was my second double from Vientiane, also previously had 2 single entries from there.

[funfun]

I'm in Vientiane at the moment. I went to the consulate at 11am yesterday and there wasn't a single person waiting to hand in their application. Had to wait a while to pay my fee but I was in and out again inside 30 minutes.

Did you pay for a double entry tourist visa?

Yes. It was my second double from Vientiane, also previously had 2 single entries from there.

well waveydavey are you back to collect at 1pm ish? if so listen for anyone getting refused or any gossip mate!

cheers chris

[waveydavey]

I'm in Vientiane at the moment. I went to the consulate at 11am yesterday and there wasn't a single person waiting to hand in their application. Had to wait a while to pay my fee but I was in and out again inside 30 minutes.

Did you pay for a double entry tourist visa?

Yes. It was my second double from Vientiane, also previously had 2 single entries from there.

well waveydavey are you back to collect at 1pm ish? if so listen for anyone getting refused or any gossip mate!

cheers chris

I collected it at 1.30 yesterday. Got the double ok. Again it was like a ghost town. Maybe I've got bad BO and everybody knew I was coming so they hid!

[photojourn]

I'm just back from Vientiane and no problems with the double entry (my first).

Funny thing while passing through Thai immigration to leave though and something that served as a good reminder. The person in the booth looked at my passport and then directed me "you go inside the office." This was the overstay office.

I looked at my passport and the arrival stamp and the gonzo at the airport had just stamped it with the standard 30 day stay period used for visa exempt entries despite the fact I held a non-immigrant B that was valid for a three month stay.

Must admit that I had never really taken much notice of the entry stamp before that. Only looked at the arrival date and counted the days.

Inside the office the officer behind the desk acknowledged that my previous visa was valid for three months and for a three month stay and also acknowledged that the airport staff had made a mistake.

After making lots of photocopies and putting lots of new rubber stamps in my passport and amending the old date it was fixed. No hassles, no problems at all. Very efficient and courteous.

Now I check to make sure they put the right details in my arrival stamps

I did notice that Thai Immigration have a sheet that cross references arrival date with 30, 60 and 90 day periods. Even a single day overstay will be picked up. A Fiipina girl ahead of me was fined Bt 1,000 for a two day overstay,

Just for the benefit of anyone making the trip for the first time:

I left from Chiang Mai and got to Udon Thani where there was a connecting bus to Nong Khai (about Bt 30)

Met up with some other people doing the same thing and we got off the bus at the road junction where the bus turns to head into Nong Khai and the sign points to the Friendship bridge in the opposite direction. We grabbed a tuk-tuk from their for Bt 50 for the three of us.

Bus across the bridge was Bt 15 from the ticket counter after passing through Thai Immigration (eventually)

Despite the delay at the Thai side I met up with my travel buddies in the line waiting to go through border control on the Laos side. While they cued I paid my $30, filled out the visa applications (1 photo) and then joined up with them again.

Don't forget to pay your Bt 10 border fee after passing through Laos border control.

We got a mini van to take us from Laos immigration to the Thai consulate. Small cue waiting to submit documents but a large one waiting to pay. The driver waited and then took us down by the river where we got a hotel. Cost for the mini van was Bt 200 each if two people and Bt 150 each for the three of us.

The Orchid Guest House has clean if some-what basic rooms. A/c rooms with a private bathroom for Bt 600 and fan rooms with a shared bathroom for Bt 350. Bathrooms clean and all the rooms have cable TV.

Nice Vietnamese restaurant called Coffee Restaurant upstairs on top of the Music House Pub along the riverfront road serves a reasonable steak and great Vietnamese coffee. Little bit hard to find because they are upstairs and just have their menu on a stand at the bottom of the stairs. Their neon sign has a display that looks like it's from a fast-food restaurant. Excellent food though. I think the steak was 25,000 kip and the coffee 12,000 kip.

Little bakery down the side street just after the mini-market and next to the ARB agent called Café Croissant d'Or serves great baguettes, a good American breakfast (25,000 kip) and has a great range of made on the premises cakes and pastries. Also good coffee (12,000 kip). Also some very pretty staff

The same driver was on-time the next day and we went back at 12.30 pm Friday and the joined the predictably long cue of people waiting to collect their visas. As previously mentioned in this thread it's probably better to go to collect at 1.30 after the initial rush.

Back to the bridge and through Laos immigration.

Picked up another mini van there and five of us paid Bt 200 to be taken to Udon Thani. Through Thai Immigration with no great delay and a waltz through Thai customs and drug control check points where the dogs were asleep and the agents chatting amongst themselves and back into the van.

The country's first train line will be tested at the end of this month and they expect it to be operating in June for passenger services. It's 3.5km long and been paid for by the Thai Government with 70 per cent of the cost in the form of a loan to the Laos Government and 30 as a gift.

The implication is that once passenger services start you'll be able to catch a train over the bridge to Thanalaoeng station.

Hope this helps anyone doing the trip for the first time.

If not for pressing matters at home I would have stayed in Vientiane longer. Reminds me a lot of what Ha Noi was like 10 years ago. Good French baguettes, pastries, and dairy product. Laid back and relaxed with a nice breeze blowing through the city. And thankfully no Mc Donalds, KFC or similar abominable fast-food outlets. Lets hope it stays that way.

[jeza]

may have missed this somewher in the thread...but how much is the visa?

[jeza]

sorry, just read the last post of the forum...$30 for a 1 month visa then.

[photojourn]

Which visa? Visa cost to enter Laos depends on nationality. Two month single entry tourist visa costs Bt 1,000. A double entry two month visa for Thailand costs Bt 2,000.

[geedels]

Does anyone know what time the bridge closes, what time the last bus back from Vientiane is to Nong Khai and if there is alternative transport over the bridge if you miss the last bus - which I heard was quite early?

[DijuriDo]

So wait, if you get a TV x 2 you have a visa good for 60 days and then you have to make a border run to use the next 60 days?