1st Time Inthailand, 1st Required Visa Run Coming Up

[AquaticTherapist]

I'm over 50 but not retired, have stapled into my passport a Visa paid for 4 months at Denver CO consulate. It can be extended for 2 more (6 total) but every 2 months I must cross the border. I'll have been here 2 months on January24th so assume I must leave that day. Due to dental work I can not leave the day before but must head for some border and cross it via bus, train, or plane (I don't have a car).

I must be back in Chiang Mai by the 29th(unless I change next dental appmt) and would love to use this visa run to explore Laos.

1.DOes someone know a good route to take and how and where is most interesting, beautiful, cultural,... inexpensive guest houses to stay along route, or if there might be a very small group to join with?

2. Will it cost me something to cross out of Thailand into Burma or Laos? What do you do about currency of other country?

3. Will there be an additional charge when I come back in, even though I paid for a 4 month visa already?

4. I have no facility for Thai or any other south east asian lannguage. Due to my ignorance, if you think I'd be better with an altogether different plan - I'm open to suggestions. Anything important vis-a-vie planning or trip itself that I should be considering and haven't thought about?

5. Anyone else have to do a visa run that would like to join me and travel together. Again I am in Chiang Mai at this time.

[Lite Beer]

I'm over 50 but not retired, have stapled into my passport a Visa paid for 4 months at Denver CO consulate. It can be extended for 2 more (6 total) but every 2 months I must cross the border. I'll have been here 2 months on January24th so assume I must leave that day. Due to dental work I can not leave the day before but must head for some border and cross it via bus, train, or plane (I don't have a car).

I must be back in Chiang Mai by the 29th(unless I change next dental appmt) and would love to use this visa run to explore Laos.

1.DOes someone know a good route to take and how and where is most interesting, beautiful, cultural,... inexpensive guest houses to stay along route, or if there might be a very small group to join with?

2. Will it cost me something to cross out of Thailand into Burma or Laos? What do you do about currency of other country?

3. Will there be an additional charge when I come back in, even though I paid for a 4 month visa already?

4. I have no facility for Thai or any other south east asian lannguage. Due to my ignorance, if you think I'd be better with an altogether different plan - I'm open to suggestions. Anything important vis-a-vie planning or trip itself that I should be considering and haven't thought about?

5. Anyone else have to do a visa run that would like to join me and travel together. Again I am in Chiang Mai at this time.

When your first 2 months are up you can extend for a further 30 days at Immigration in Thailand. Cost 1,900 Baht.

Edited January 13, 2008 by Lite Beer

[lopburi3]

First of all please look at your visa and advise what it says. Tourist visa? Number of entries? Must be used before?

It would appear you probably have a two entry tourist visa and that provides a 60 day stay but then you must extend at immigration to obtain another 30 days if you want to stay almost six months - you also have to make last entry before the use by date on the visa. If you only use the 60 day entries you have now used one and on your return, prior to use before date, you will get the second entry valid for 60 days and if you want you can extend that for 1,900 baht at immigration for another 30 days.

1. Others can advise on this.

2. Yes - for Burma a set fee and for Laos a visa charge.

3. We don't know what you have - there is no such thing as a four month visa.

4. Most tourists do not know the language so that should not be a problem.

[Lite Beer]

Also. When you arrived last November what date did immigration stamp in your passport under Permitted to stay until ?

[Onnutrd]

I'm over 50 but not retired, have stapled into my passport a Visa paid for 4 months at Denver CO consulate. It can be extended for 2 more (6 total) but every 2 months I must cross the border. I'll have been here 2 months on January24th so assume I must leave that day. Due to dental work I can not leave the day before but must head for some border and cross it via bus, train, or plane (I don't have a car).

I must be back in Chiang Mai by the 29th(unless I change next dental appmt) and would love to use this visa run to explore Laos.

1.DOes someone know a good route to take and how and where is most interesting, beautiful, cultural,... inexpensive guest houses to stay along route, or if there might be a very small group to join with?

2. Will it cost me something to cross out of Thailand into Burma or Laos? What do you do about currency of other country?

3. Will there be an additional charge when I come back in, even though I paid for a 4 month visa already?

4. I have no facility for Thai or any other south east asian lannguage. Due to my ignorance, if you think I'd be better with an altogether different plan - I'm open to suggestions. Anything important vis-a-vie planning or trip itself that I should be considering and haven't thought about?

5. Anyone else have to do a visa run that would like to join me and travel together. Again I am in Chiang Mai at this time.

You seem quite nervous doing your first visa run. I was the same, but I found that it's actually quite easy.

From my opinion, if you wish to receive a tourist visa, then I'd suggest going to Laos because it's inexpensive for accommodation (I stayed one night = 500 Baht and had all the good stuff for a typical room, air con, tv, nice bathroom bed and great view etc..), and my train ride from BKK to Nong Khai was about 1000 Baht. You'll be leaving from Chiang Mai, I guess, so I'm sure that drive should be much cheaper whatever your transportation choice.

I paid an entrance fee as I went through Laos Immigration (can't remember the price, but budget for about 200 baht). You can use Thai money in Laos, and US currency aswell (I only used Thai as it was easier for comparison and the Lao people did'nt seem to want their own currency oddly enough).

Submitted my application for Tourist Visa and passport at Thai embassy. Then picked it up the next day at 1pm. After that, I took a tuk-tuk to the border directly and came back to Thailand.

If you go to Laos on the 24th and submit your passport and application documents at the Thai Embassy on the same day (you'll need to submit in the morning), then you can pick it up and be ready to come back to Chiang Mai on the 25th of January. So it takes just 1 day for processing for a Tourist Visa.

It's really easy, honestly. I'll be doing my next visa run on the 13 February to Laos, if you need any more info just message me.

//Edit: Off-topic. The original poster is not asking about getting a tourist visa in Laos or elsewhere in the region. From everything she said she already has a tourist visa valid for two entires, obtained in her home country.

Edited January 13, 2008 by Maestro
Added "edit"comment - Maestro

[sniffdog]

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We don't know what you have - there is no such thing as a four month visa.

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Double Entry TR? 120 days.