Vientiane Laos for Thai Visa

[eek]

[*]8:30 After a slow 10 minutes walk at Thai consulate to apply for Visa (open 8:30-12:00).

[*]8:35 get ticket no 47. Pick application form and fill in sitting at a table in the shadow: 3 entries requested.

Hmm..you were there same day as me. I got there more than one hour before it opened..and still people in front of me. HUGE queue by the time you showed up. Im hoping that at #47 you werent one of those lovely queue jumpers!

Some real class queue jumpers around too. I think they take lessons somewhere! One beady-eyed short pudgy white haired guy turned up about 15mins before the gates open, and started to do things like yawn and blink and stand next to the drinks cart as if he were going to buy something. So not actually jumping the queue..yet. But yeh, does the pushing in thing as soon as the doors open. A few people kicked off at others trying to cut in. This morning 3 korean ladies joined their friends in front of me after id been waiting 45 minutes. Told them politely that it was not fair on people who had been waiting for a long time. Of course the "we are together" thing comes out. But ..others in the queue were not impressed either and thankfully people were not letting others get away with it as much as the day before. I dont care if it sounds anal, but the queue jumping thing really pisses me off. I would have used an agent this time to save the hassle except that i was applying for my first non-imm, so was nervous about any hiccups.

Um willi, my rant wasnt directed at you (if you werent one of them! ), just that i REALLY needed to get that rant out!

To try to keep this on topic i will say that i didnt notice any disappointed faces and no talk of red stamps. HOwever, i was in and out pretty fast though. For the tourist visa you dont need to go to the air con room on the first day to collect a receipt. You get your numbered ticket stamped instead and you hand that over when collecting the next day.

[nicolas18]

[*]8:30 After a slow 10 minutes walk at Thai consulate to apply for Visa (open 8:30-12:00).

[*]8:35 get ticket no 47. Pick application form and fill in sitting at a table in the shadow: 3 entries requested.

Hmm..you were there same day as me. I got there more than one hour before it opened..and still people in front of me. HUGE queue by the time you showed up.

Funny, I was there on Wednesday too. I had the ticket #51 (and no, no queue jumping )

[eek]

^ Apologies to all for the rant. Ive now had a good nights rest after the long bus trip back. Feeling much better ..and i just realised that my sleep deprivation caused me to muddle up my days. I ARRIVED on Wednesday, but i actually applied on Thursday morning and collected on Friday. DOH!

[teletiger]

Anyone got phone numbers for passable hotels in Vientiane? These SEA games have caught me on the hop. Will I find a room? Originally planned to go on the 8th Dec. Might have to go tomorrow now.

Many thanks in advance.

Regards.

[thaiphoon]

You may find this thread useful.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Laosany-Reco...om-t309155.html

[james.d]

Hi All,

I just downloaded the Thai application form to get double entry from their consulate in Laos, has it changed as last time i dont recall the form asking my employment details? I am currenlty not working so will this have any bearing on the application?

Finally, what time does the Friendship bridge checkpoints open please?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Regards

James.

[welovesundaysatspace]

I just came back from Vientiane with a 2-entry tourist visa. Everything worked fine. Thank you all for your help and advice here. To provide help to others I will write a detailed trip report here summing up both the information I gathered in the forum here as well as my final organization of the visa trip.

Bangkok-Vientiane Tourist Visa Trip by Bus

Preparations

If you prepare the following items you can save some time and money in Vientiane:

• Check the website of the Thai consulate in Vientiane for their opening hours and public holidays before you plan your trip. They will be closed both on Thai holidays as well as on Laos holiday, of course, which can seriously affect your planning.
  
• Download, print and fill-out the tourist visa application form from the website of the Thai consulate. Make sure you filled out the correct number of entries (either 1 or 2 entries; more will be rejected anyways).
  
• 3 photos in correct size (1 for the Laos visa-on-arrival, 2 for the Thailand tourist visa application). Make sure the photos are not too big for the Thailand tourist visa application form. In particular, make sure they do not cover the field where you fill on the number of entries you request. Maybe you have to crop your photos a little bit. Take some glue (not too much) and attach you photos to the application form.
  
• Get 31 USD (30 USD for the Laos visa-on-arrival and 1 USD entry fee to stamp into Laos) from a Bangkok. It will probably give you a better exchange rate than at the border.
  
• Currently (until Jan 2010) the Thailand tourist visa in Vientiane is free of charge. Actually it is 1,000 THB fee per entry you request. If you have to pay a fee then better prepare the Baht before. It will give you a better exchange rate than changing Kip into Baht in Vientiane.
  
• You might consider booking a hotel in advance. Actually there should not be a problem going to Vientiane without having a room booked. Even during the SEA games in Vientiane when many hotels where full I got a room for 800 THB. Making a reservation in advance can save you some time and stress, however, and you can deal with your hotel that they pick you up from the border which would save you some money.
  
• Download a small map from Google Maps for example with your hotel and the Thai consulate marked. Not absolutely necessary, but it can help you in some situations (I rented a motorbike and lost my way so I was glad to have that little piece of paper to ask some Laos women for the way).
  

Transportation

You have different options to go to Vientiane from Bangkok. If you want to lose as less time as possible you have to consider the schedule of your transportation, the opening hours of the Laos border (6.00-22.00; currently 24 hrs due to the SEA games) and the opening hours of the Thai consulate (8.00-12.00 for visa application; considering a long queue you should arrive not later than 10.00 however). After figuring out and comparing all available ways I decided to go by a VIP bus leaving from Morchit station. Due to personal restrictions I wanted to minimize both travelling time as well as costs and found that the bus tour was the optimal way to achieve that:

Total time: 68 hours

(leaving Bangkok-Morchit Wed, 7.00 until Sat, 3.00)

Total cost: 1.500 THB

(transportation only; excluding accommodation, visa fees, sightseeing, food, etc.)

• By taxi: You can take a taxi from Bangkok to Nong Khai at the border. The taxi can bring you directly to the friendship bridge where you actually cross the border. Then you would proceed like if coming with bus or train. Going with taxi is convenient and faster than the bus or train, yet not fast like the plane and very expensive. A taxi would be about 7,000 THB. Even if you share it with fellow travelers or get a better bargain other options are still cheaper.
  
• By plane: Going by plane probably it the most comfortable, fastest and most time saving way to get to Vientiane although you are still dependent on the airline schedule which might result in not reducing your total travelling time at all. Furthermore, the plane usually is more expensive than the other options, even if you find a lowcost offer at AirAsia or NokAir for example.
  • Direct flight to Vientiane: You can take a direct flight from Suvarnabhumi International airport to Vientiane in Laos. Probably the most comfortable and fastest way to get there, but also the most expensive. The airport in Vientiane is quite central so a tuk-tuk would not cost you much to get to the Thai consulate or your hotel (30,000 KIP).
    
  • Via Udon Thani: You can take an airplane from Don Muang domestic airport in Bangkok to Udon Thani. From Udon Thani you can then take a private taxi (about 500 THB) or bus (about 30 THB) to Nong Khai at the border. From Nong Khai you would proceed like if coming with bus or train: Take a tuk-tuk to the friendship bridge (100 THB). Stamp out of Thailand and take the shuttle bus (20 THB) over the bridge. Apply for a visa-on-arrival for Laos (30 USD) and stamp into Laos (1 USD entry fee). Take a tuk-tuk (80,000-90,000 KIP if you don't share it) or the local bus to the city centre. A domestic flight with a lowcost airline like NokAir to Udon Thani can be cheaper than a direct flight to Vientiane while you still save a big amount of time (about 550 of 700 km).
    

  [*] By train: Going by train is not expensive and rather convenient, yet the trains in Thailand are slow and often delayed. The easiest (and cheapest) way to book a train ticket is to do it directly at Hualumphong train station in Bangkok. Especially for the sleeping trains you should book it some days in advance.

  • o Direct trains to Nong Khai: There are currently 3 trains from Bangkok to Nong Khai. While all of them arrive in the early morning the next day, only two of them are sleeping trains where you can spend the night in a bed. These two trains, however, will most probably arrive in Nong Khai too late to make it to the Thai consulate on time if you want to minimize you total travelling time so you would have to stay one more night in Vientiane (or Nong Khai, respectively).
    • No 77 (Bangkok-Hulamphong 18.30): The first train leaves Bangkok in the early evening (498 THB, 2^nd class seat with AC). The scheduled arrival is 05.05 in Nong Khai. Considering an estimated delay of 1 hour you will still have enough time to get to the friendship bridge (tuk-tuk 80 THB), stamp out of Thailand, take the shuttle bus over the bridge (20 THB), apply for a visa-on-arrival for Laos (30 USD), stamp into Laos (1 USD entry fee) and take a tuk-tuk (80,000-90,000 KIP if you do not share it) to the Thai consulate. The local bus from the friendship bridge is a lot cheaper than a tuk-tuk, of course, but needs 1.5 hours to get to the bus station in Vientiane from where you would have to get a tuk-tuk to the Thai consulate again. As the opening hours for visa applications are 8.00-12.00 and considering a queue of at least 100 people waiting there it could be too late to submit your visa application within the same day. So if you want to make sure that your visa application will be processed within the same day the train is an option only if you hurry up at the border and take a tuk-tuk or taxi instead of the local bus. The train no 77, however, is not a sleeping train. Even though you are travelling the night you will not have a bed to sleep but only an ordinary seat.
      
    • No 133 (Bangkok-Hualumphong 18.40) or No 69 (Bangkok-Hualumphong 20.00): The second train and third train leave Bangkok a little later but are sleeping trains (2^nd class bed 488-778 THB, 1^st class bed 1,317 THB) and takes 2.5 hours more to reach Nong Khai. Scheduled arrival is 07.35 and 08.25 in the morning. Considering an estimated time of 1 hour delay and the time you need to get to the friendship bridge (tuk-tuk 80 THB), stamp out of Thailand, take the shuttle bus over the bridge (20 THB), apply for a visa-on-arrival for Laos (30 USD), stamp into Laos (1 USD entry fee) and take a tuk-tuk (80,000-90,000 KIP if you do not share it) or local bus to the Thai consulate this way will definitely be too late to reach the consulate on time (opening hours for visa applications are 8.00-12.00 and there will be a queue of people waiting). It is only an option if you do not need to minimize the total travelling time but do not mind to stay a day more in Vientiane (or Nong Khai). Then, however, it is a better option than the first train because you have a bed to sleep.
      

    [*] Via Udon Thani (No 75, Bangkok-Hualumphong 08.20): The train to Udon Thani is the only way to travel to Nong Khai at day time (498 THB, 2^nd class seat with AC). You will reach Udon Thani at 18.10 scheduled time in the evening. From Udon Thani you can take a bus (30 THB) or taxi (about 500 THB) to Nong Khai. As the opening hours of the border are 6.00-22.00 you would have enough time to either cross the border in the evening or early morning so that you can get to the Thai consulate on time the next day. In Nong Khai, get to the friendship bridge (tuk-tuk 100 THB from the bus station or let your taxi bring you there directly), stamp out of Thailand, take the shuttle bus over the bridge (20 THB), apply for a visa-on-arrival for Laos (30 USD), stamp into Laos (1 USD entry fee) and take a tuk-tuk (80,000-90,000 KIP if you do not share it) to your hotel (if crossing the border in the evening) or the Thai consulate directly (if crossing the border in the early morning).

  [*] By bus: There are dozens of different busses and companies operating to Nong Khai. Most of them leave from the North-Eastern bus station Morchit. The best fit between cost and convenience is to take a VIP bus which is faster than a normal bus and will give you a little bit more space. Take Chantour and the earliest bus leaving Morchit 7.00 for 450 THB. Call them in advance (026187418) and make a reservation for the A1 seat. You will then sit on a single seat in the first row having the most space. You will reach the bus station in Nong Khai around 16.30. From there, get to the friendship bridge (tuk-tuk 100 THB), stamp out of Thailand, take the shuttle bus over the bridge (20 THB), apply for a visa-on-arrival for Laos (30 USD), stamp into Laos (1 USD entry fee) and take a tuk-tuk (80,000-90,000 KIP if you do not share it) to your hotel.

Accommodation

Looking on the map (new location of the Thai consulate is marked with a black square, Bourichane Rd) the Thai consulate first looks a little bit far away from the riverside and other major tourist areas where the most hotels and guest houses are. It is not that far so actually you can stay anywhere you want to without being worried about travelling too long to the Thai consulate. Vientiane isn't that big. If you want to stay near the Thai consulate you should book a room in Bouchadakham Hotel (700 THB), Soradith Hotel or Laongdao Hotel (800 THB; Tel (856-21) 990 386, Mobile (856-20) 5517 562); all are in walking distance to the Thai consulate and a tuk-tuk ride to the riverside will be about 20,000 Kip. If you stay at the riverside somewhere between Presidential Palace and Don Chan Palace you will have to take a tuk-tuk to the consulate for 20,000-30,000 Kip.

Recommended tour and visa process

You need two days for the visa process: At the first day you submit the visa application and your passport. Then at the next day you can pick up your passport with the new visa inside. Keep in mind the opening hours: 8.00-12.00 for visa applications, 13.00-18.00 for passport pickup. Depending on how you want to travel to Vientiane you will furthermore need some time to get there. I decided to go by VIP bus:

1. Make the following preparations as mentioned above:
   1. 
      
   2. Download, print and fill-out the tourist visa application form from the website of the Thai consulate. Make sure you filled out the correct number of entries (either 1 or 2 entries; more will be rejected anyways).
      
   3. 3 photos in correct size (1 for the Laos visa-on-arrival, 2 for the Thailand tourist visa application). Make sure the photos are not too big for the Thailand tourist visa application form. In particular, make sure they do not cover the field where you fill on the number of entries you request. Maybe you have to crop your photos a little bit. Take some glue (not too much) and attach you photos to the application form.
      
   4. Get 31 USD (30 USD for the Laos visa-on-arrival and 1 USD entry fee to stamp into Laos) from a Bangkok. It will probably give you a better exchange rate than at the border.
      
   5. Currently (until Jan 2010) the Thailand tourist visa in Vientiane is free of charge. Actually it is 1,000 THB fee per entry you request. If you have to pay a fee then better prepare the Baht before. It will give you a better exchange rate than changing Kip into Baht in Vientiane.
      
   6. You might consider booking a hotel in advance. Actually there should not be a problem going to Vientiane without having a room booked. Even during the SEA games in Vientiane when many hotels where full I got a room for 800 THB. Making a reservation in advance can save you some time and stress, however, and you can deal with your hotel that they pick you up from the border which would save you some money.
      
   7. Download a small map from Google Maps for example with your hotel and the Thai consulate marked. Not absolutely necessary, but it can help you in some situations (I rented a motorbike and lost my way so I was glad to have that little piece of paper to ask some Laos women for the way).
      

[*]Call Chan-Tour (02-6187418) and book a seat for the 7.00 VIP bus from Morchit station to Nong Khai. Make a reservation for the A1 seat. Furthermore, book a seat for the 19.30 bus from Nong Khai to Bangkok for three days later. Again, make a reservation for the A1 seat.

[*]Go to Morchit station at 6.00 to confirm your reservation. Buy some snacks and get the 7.00 bus you booked.

[*] You will arrive in Nong Khai around 16.30. Get a tuk-tuk from the bus station to the friendship bridge for 100 THB or just one seat for 30 THB.

[*] At the friendship bridge, stamp out of Thailand. Get the shuttle bus for 20 THB over the bridge to the Laos side.

[*] Apply for a visa-on-arrival for Laos. Submit the filled-out form, a passport photo, your passport and 30 USD.

[*] When your visa is processed stamp into Laos. Pay 1 USD entry fee.

[*] Get a tuk-tuk for 80,000-100,000 Kip to your hotel. Have some dinner, enjoy Vientiane, go to bed early.

[*] At the next day, the consulate opens 8.00 in the morning. Make sure you go to the new location of the consulate (aka consular section) but not the Thai embassy or old location (new location is marked with a black square on the map, Bourichane Rd). I recommend arriving there somewhat between 7.30 and 9.00. The earlier you arrive the less you have to wait in the queue but arriving too earlier means waiting for the consulate to open. If you arrive too late you risk that you cannot submit your visa application within that day. I recommend to not arriving later than 10.00. Stand in the queue and wait for the consulate to open. When it opens pick a number for the queue either from the machine or from the consulate staff. Get a seat, read a book and wait until your number comes and submit your application at the counter: Filled-out application form, two passport photos on it, your passport, copy of your passport and the last visas. The guy at the counter will stamp your queue number. Keep the queue number until the next day! As the tourist visa currently is free of charge you are done for the first day. Otherwise, go to the next building (left side) and pay the fee (1,000 THB per entry requested). Depending on how many are there for applying for a visa the whole process will take you 1.5-2 hours.

[*] Enjoy Vientiane. Rent a motorbike and do some sightseeing. Have a Beerlao at the Mekhong and a french baguette and fruit shake at the House of Fruitshakes.

[*] At the next day, the consulate opens 13.00 for picking up your passport. The passport pickup process will be a little bit faster than the application process; however, do not arrive too late, otherwise you might not get your passport back that day. Wait for the consulate to open, pick a queue number and wait in the left building where the cashiers are. When your number comes just go to the counter and get your passport and you are done.

[*] Grab some food and get a tuk-tuk to the friendship bridge for 80,000-100,000 Kip.

[*] Spend your last money in the duty-free shop, stamp out of Thailand and get the shuttle bus for 20 THB to the Thai side.

[*] Stamp into Thailand and get a tuk-tuk or taxi seat for 30 THB or a whole tuk-tuk or taxi for 100 THB to the bus station.

[*] Confirm your reservation at the Chan-Tour office (it is at the bus station) and wait until the bus leaves.

[*] Take the bus to Bangkok. You will arrive in Bangkok-Morchit around 3.00 in the early morning.

Edited December 7, 2009 by welovesundaysatspace

[welovesundaysatspace]

I just downloaded the Thai application form to get double entry from their consulate in Laos, has it changed as last time i dont recall the form asking my employment details? I am currenlty not working so will this have any bearing on the application?

I think they do not care about that. Just write your last occupation, or "Student" or "unemployed" or whatever.

Finally, what time does the Friendship bridge checkpoints open please?

Due to the SEA games they are open 24hrs at the moment. Actual time is 6.00-22.00.

[welovesundaysatspace]

I have a question now, too: When I went to Laos for the tourist visa, my 3-months ED visa expired. Do I have to go to the immigration now for the 90-days report to report my current address or is it the new stamp (from the tourist visa I got in Vientiane) plus 90 days?

[lopburi3]

Always new arrival day plus 89 (day of arrival is day one).

[zakk9]

Does anybody know how long time it takes from Udon Airport to the consulate, including border crossing? Can I get to the consulate on time if I arrive with a morning flight?

[lazygourmet]

Does anybody know how long time it takes from Udon Airport to the consulate, including border crossing? Can I get to the consulate on time if I arrive with a morning flight?

Yes you can... I did it two month ago with the 6.00am with Nok Air.

Direct minivan connection to the border.

If they are a lot of people at the border, make sure do donate a few hundred bahts to have your passport on the top.

You should be at the consulate around 9.30am

[tropo]

Anyone got phone numbers for passable hotels in Vientiane? These SEA games have caught me on the hop. Will I find a room? Originally planned to go on the 8th Dec. Might have to go tomorrow now.

Many thanks in advance.

Regards.

For anyone going to Vientiane next week, it doesn't seem like there is a major problem with hotels being full. I just made a reservation at my favourite hotel for one night next week today and the cheaper rooms were still available, and this hotel is on the waterfront.

[tropo]

Does anybody know how long time it takes from Udon Airport to the consulate, including border crossing? Can I get to the consulate on time if I arrive with a morning flight?

Yes you can... I did it two month ago with the 6.00am with Nok Air.

Direct minivan connection to the border.

If they are a lot of people at the border, make sure do donate a few hundred bahts to have your passport on the top.

You should be at the consulate around 9.30am

How exactly do you go about bribing them for a fast VOA?

[tropo]

[*]Via Udon Thani: You can take an airplane from Don Muang domestic airport in Bangkok to Udon Thani. From Udon Thani you can then take a private taxi (about 500 THB) or bus (about 30 THB) to Nong Khai at the border. From Nong Khai you would proceed like if coming with bus or train: Take a tuk-tuk to the friendship bridge (100 THB).

I'd like straighten out this section of your "how to" book.

You have 2 choices:

1. Fly with Thai AirAsia from Suvarnabhumi to Udon Thani. The early flight leaves at 7:25 am and arrives in Udon Thani at 8:25 am.

2. Fly with Nok Air from Don Muang Airport to Udon Thani. The early flight leaves at 6:00 am and arrives in Udon Thani at 7:00 am.

When you arrive at Udon Thani airport, as soon as you exit the baggage claim area you will see an office where you can purchase 200 baht tickets in a minivan (they call it a limousine service) directly to the Friendship Bridge. This will take about 45 mintues.

With either of these flights you should be able to make it on time to the Thai Consulate to lodge your visa application and thereby complete your visa run with only one night in Vientiane. I take the early Nok Air flight to guaratee I'll be there on time.

[husskydog]

Can you pay extra and get your tourist visax2 on the day and how much...thanks

[welovesundaysatspace]

Can you pay extra and get your tourist visax2 on the day and how much...thanks

I cannot confirm that; but at least some guy of my hotel offered me a visa express service within one day. On the one hand, I am always careful when it comes to such offers; on the other hand, I know how things work here and that a little tea money can achieve a lot. So I guess it is possible, you will just have to find the right person. I also heard that in front of the consulate you can buy low queue numbers for a fee of 300 THB if you don't like waiting.

[lapamita]

yes can same day,,but the last one said 5000 and you must come before 10 am.....they offer this in front of consulate just ask

[starcatcher]

yes can same day,,but the last one said 5000 and you must come before 10 am.....they offer this in front of consulate just ask

This express service offers the Thai embassy itself. But I forgot about the costs, I think it was 1.000 or 2.000 Baht.

Tourist Visa

I just came back from Vientiane. I had 2 double entry tourist visas before and got another double entry tourist visa without any red stamp. A Thai business man (visa services and tourist services) told us, foreigners (Farangs) can apply up to 7 times for the tourist visa (with the 7th application you'll get the red stamp). I didn't ask if single, double or triple entry matters. It's also not a confirmed statement. But as far as i have seen nobody's visa appl. was rejected that day. And all people I know which got the red stamp, also have 7 or more tourist visas.

Like always everything worked smooth. Only much more people applied this time (I guess because of high season, Christmas and all the holidays these days. It took me 52 hours including driving nearly 1.400 km (with own car) to Vientiane and back home.

[sunnymarky]

can someone confirm correct or not correct.

I can use Thai baht to get my laos visa at friendship bridge entry?

It is 30 days on arrival for tourist visa?( can I download the visa form anywhere?)

The border office on entry into Laos is open 08.00-12.00?

[lazygourmet]

Does anybody know how long time it takes from Udon Airport to the consulate, including border crossing? Can I get to the consulate on time if I arrive with a morning flight?

Yes you can... I did it two month ago with the 6.00am with Nok Air.

Direct minivan connection to the border.

If they are a lot of people at the border, make sure do donate a few hundred bahts to have your passport on the top.

You should be at the consulate around 9.30am

How exactly do you go about bribing them for a fast VOA?

Mr. Phone (my agent & driver) did it for me!

And you know him

[james.d]

Hi all,

Going to Loas tomorrow for double entry visa,, anyone know if they are free as i just read that detailed report on here saying its 1,000B per entry?

Aditionally how much is the going rate for transport from Nong Khai station to the friendship bridge and then from the bridge to the Thai consulate?

Thanks in advance,

James.

[james.d]

Hi All,

Just back from Laos with a double entry and didnt hear of anyone getting that red stamp.

Was at the Consulate at about 9.50am and got queue number 532, the highest number i saw 618, i was out of there at 12.10ish and as i was leaving they seemed just to let anyone with any number queue at the window.

Stayed at Souphapone hotel 750 THB, as only the real budget ones were full. Beers in the Hare & Hound british pub opposite ran by John (top bloke).

Picked up passport at 2pm the next day and was only 1 couple sitting in the receiving visa room.

Back through to Nong Khai by 4pm ish and train was fine aswell.

Just incase some are not aware, as im married to a Thai, i did last time get 60 days extension to the last of my previous double entries. If you present all the documents this is possible.

Regards,

James.

[tropo]

A Thai business man (visa services and tourist services) told us, foreigners (Farangs) can apply up to 7 times for the tourist visa (with the 7th application you'll get the red stamp). I didn't ask if single, double or triple entry matters. It's also not a confirmed statement. But as far as i have seen nobody's visa appl. was rejected that day. And all people I know which got the red stamp, also have 7 or more tourist visas.

Believing this type of hearsay can get people into trouble. It got me into a lot of trouble back in October when my Filipino gf was refused a tourist visa. I wasted a trip to Vientiane along with all the other problems that go along with not having a visa.

It varies with the nationality of the passport holder and probably on the mood of the officer on the day.

I just received a red stamp with 5 previous tourist visas in passport. As mentioned above, in October my Filipino gf was refused a visa with 6 tourist visas in her passport. I've heard of other Asians being refused too.

Bottom line: Don't make assumptions about who will and who will not get a tourist visa or red stamp.

(Important note: I have asked some agents about this and they don't know anything for sure either. They will possibly act like they know because they are in the business of collecting fees for their services and it's no skin off their noses if you don't get you a visa or do get you a red warning stamp)

Edited December 18, 2009 by tropo

[tropo]

Does anybody know how long time it takes from Udon Airport to the consulate, including border crossing? Can I get to the consulate on time if I arrive with a morning flight?

Yes you can... I did it two month ago with the 6.00am with Nok Air.

Direct minivan connection to the border.

If they are a lot of people at the border, make sure do donate a few hundred bahts to have your passport on the top.

You should be at the consulate around 9.30am

How exactly do you go about bribing them for a fast VOA?

Mr. Phone (my agent & driver) did it for me!

And you know him

I've used him twice now and he never mentioned a word about helping me with my Laos VOA eventhough on both occasions I phoned him before I had put in my application.

If he can help with this, he's certainly not forthcoming about it. He never entered the checkpoint area at all and waited for me outside where the taxis wait.

[rroland]

I saw sometime before the TV in Vientiane was free of charge until March 2010.

Now, on the welovesundaysats post above I read: 4 - Currently (until Jan 2010) the Thailand tourist visa in Vientiane is free of charge.

Can someone tell exactly the final free of charge date?

Many thanks

[thaiphoon]

4th March 2010 is the end date of the current MFA promotion.

[devaram]

I will be traveling with an elderly person and both of will apply for TV. Is there any reason why she could not stay in her hotel room while I take both of our passports and signed applications to the consulate? (and pick up as well)

Edited December 28, 2009 by devaram

[Cobrabiker]

Hi, I am going to vientiane next week, I need a reliable and honest motorcycle guy to bring me from the border to vientiane and around, can someone recommend me, and how much is it to use his service for 1 day?

[lamphun]

Does anybody know the opening closing times of immigration at the friendship bridge ?

I'll be arriving in Nong Khai from Udon Thni after 7pm so wonder if it's worth continuing on to Vientiene.