Cambodia Immigration

[MsFigure]

We need to make a trip to the border to get our non-imm O/ED visas stamped at the 90 day mark and wonder if anyone knows if the immigration points at Aranya Prathet/Poipet are open on saturdays.

As we're driving there from Pattaya, is Poipet the closest point to us, or is there another checkpoint we can go to?

Edited December 28, 2007 by MsFigure

[lopburi3]

Checkpoints are open seven days a week. Don't know about closest location.

[retiredusn]

We need to make a trip to the border to get our non-imm O/ED visas stamped at the 90 day mark and wonder if anyone knows if the immigration points at Aranya Prathet/Poipet are open on saturdays.

As we're driving there from Pattaya, is Poipet the closest point to us, or is there another checkpoint we can go to?

Another border crossing is ban laem out of Chanthaburi

[visarunner]

The border of Aranyaprathet /Poi Pet is open every day.

Easy drive from Pattaya.

A lot of people.

[astral]

Drive south to Chantaburi and take the turning to Had Lek.

Much less traffic than the road to Aranyaprathet, and a quieter crossing point.

Open 7 days a week.

[MsFigure]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Well we did our run yesterday and I have to say that it was an unbelievably easy and quick compared to everything I had read/heard about before hand. I was definitely prepared for alot of hassles and A LONG DAY but it was nothing like expected. I can only assume it was the luck we had in picking the right guy who offers to help tourists/visa runners at Poipet, as from what I've heard these guys are notorious scammers and rip-offs. The guys who swarm towards you to "help" is crazy, and I'm not too sure how we ended up with the guy we did but he actually made the whole process "FUN and EASY". Anyone who wants his number to help them on a run at Poitpet, send me a PM as I have his name and number if anyone wants to have him help on their next visa run.

We left home (pattaya) at 6.30am and arrived at the border 8.05am. Traffic actually wasn't too bad either. Our guy showed us to the car park, and then took us to fill in Cambodian Visa Applications, Cambodian & Thai arrival/departure cards. Normally we would have had to fill in a visa app. form, but I had already downloaded & completed the Cambodian Visa application with required visa photo for my daughter and myself (hubby is fine until end of March) so we handed those over with 1200 baht x 2 (we know it's supposed to be 1000 baht or US$20, but with the promise of being fast tracked we didn't mind the extra $$), so by the time I finished filling in the arrival/departure forms for both countries are passports had been returned with our brand new Cambodian Visas.

With our forms filled and and our Cambodian visas in hand, he led us to thai immigration to be stamped out. The wait was about 10 minutes waiting in line, and then it was a short walk to enter CAMBODIA. Now instead of walking all the way through and waiting in some huge line to enter Cambodia, we stopped at a office (just in front of the Cambodian Welcome Gate/Arch) to have our passports stamped IN and OUT straightaway. For this "express service" we paid 300 baht instead of the usual 200 baht for processing. After about 5/10 minutes wait we got our Passports back, and it was time to re-enter Thailand again. We were out of immigration and back into Thailand with our 3 month stamps at about 10.20am. Because we were grateful for this guys help in making a potential nightmare into a breeze, and he hadnt tried to rip us off nor even ask for payment for his help, we gave him 500 baht for his trouble.

After our "visa run" we even enjoyed wandering around at the big market on the Thai side before we left for our drive back home which took 2 hours (again traffic was good).

[edwardandtubs]

For this "express service" we paid 300 baht instead of the usual 200 baht for processing.

I didn't know there was a "usual 200 baht for processing"? Is that what your friendly, helpful tout told you?

[MsFigure]

For this "express service" we paid 300 baht instead of the usual 200 baht for processing.

I didn't know there was a "usual 200 baht for processing"? Is that what your friendly, helpful tout told you?

Well that's what we had been told by some people, but regardless 300 baht is nothing if it meant that my daughter and I didn't have to wait in a line, and our visa's stamped IN and OUT without even having to go through the Cambodian Immigration