Thai Citizen Need Visa For Laos?

[Dancali]

I'm getting my Laos visa for our trip next week. But what about for my Thai gf? Does she need a visa to cross as well? She has a passport. What should we expect at the border for her?

Thanks for any help.

[MadFrankie]

if shes got a passport im fairly sure they will just stamp it @ the boarder for her, no plomplem.. Seem to remember reading somewhere that thais without a visa/passport could get a 3 day pass @ the boarder aswell so in any case ya wont have any probs

[DaiMai]

I do nto know the case for Laos, but for Cambodia, if you present a passport then you must have a visa.

Better to keep the passport hidden and just use the Thai id card to get a border pass.

[Pink Mist]

I'm getting my Laos visa for our trip next week. But what about for my Thai gf? Does she need a visa to cross as well? She has a passport. What should we expect at the border for her?

Thanks for any help.

how long does she want to stay there?

[Dancali]

We plan on only being there for about 3 days max. We just called the Laos Embassy in Bangkok and they said she needs a visa but I guess we could just get it at the border?

And she'll be better off without the passport? Just getting the paper with her id card?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

We plan on only being there for about 3 days max. We just called the Laos Embassy in Bangkok and they said she needs a visa but I guess we could just get it at the border?

And she'll be better off without the passport? Just getting the paper with her id card?

Mightn't it be just a bit easier to just get her a visa ? It'd be a lot less grief.

[Dancali]

It's not that easy getting a visa, especially considering we're leaving in a week. We'd have to make a trip back to Khao San to drop off her passport and come pick it up again. I understand it's not that hard for her to get what's required once we get to the border.

We definitely wanted to get mine even if it meant going to Khao San since we couldn't take any chances of not getting a visa at the border since my 3 month stamp is running out soon.

[NedKelly]

Surely she can get a visa at the border like other people. US$25 and a photo isn't it ?

[thaiflyer1]

I went up to Laos via Nong Khai with the Thai G/F .........we stayed 3 days, she just used her I.D even though she had her passport on her.....i got my visa just before the friendship bridge (there are several agencies there that will obtain the visa for you) .The agency we used charged my G/F 200 baht to obtain her 3 day border pass..........cant remember how much they charged to obtain my visa (1500 baht?) process took 20 mins. Ive just double checked her passport definately no stamps for the crossing in it. This was 3 years ago, so dont know if anything has changed.

[Totster]

I was talking to my GF the other day about this... she made some inquiries and then told me that she does not need a passport or visa, she can go to Laos just using her ID card, when we get to the border she has to buy a ticket ( that's what she called it ) and can stay for a few days.

totster

[samran]

3 day border pass available to thai's upon showing ID card. Only good for travel in the Vientiene prefecture.

for travel futher afield, or for longer...need to have passport and pay the US$20 for visa on arrival, which is valid for 15 days.

[Jaime]

Went across to Burma at Mae Sot last year with my wife and umpteen members of her family. None of them actually had Thai passports and merely used their ID card to get a free border crossing day-pass. Apparently the same for Laos acording to my wife (or was when she crossed some years ago for a wedding).

[Dancali]

I just got back from Laos with my girlfriend so I thought I'd update this thread.

My gf's father's mia noy picked us up in Udon Thani and took us to a little tourist shop right before the Friendship Bridge. We arrived a bit late and the guy said the normal Thai pass for 180 baht or so wasn't available at this time and she had to buy a visa for 1000+ like a normal traveller. Luckily, the mia noy had lots of experience with the Laos border and wouldn't take this and eventually the guy still did the cheap 3 day Vientienne pass for her.

We were able to get in without any problems.

I just thought I'd post some interesting observations I had while there.

-Laos is developing. Last time I was there was about a year ago. There are now some brightly lit professional mini-mart type stores. There's a pretty nice computer store. There's a lot more nice cars around. There was something of a mall on the drive to Vientienne. There's a big modern bowling alley down the road from Vientienne. There's a big lavish hotel called the "Laos Plaza" which has rooms from $100 to $400. Some of this stuff might have been there before and I didn't notice it but it's clear there are changes going on.

[lambous]

I am going to Vientiene next week with a Thai Friend. We will arrive Thursday evening and leave Sunday afternoon. Will the 3 day border pass cover this time or will Thursday count as one whole day? If he overstays one day what are the expected consequences? He has a passport, is it better if he does not show it?

[Khutan]

My wife travells almost everywhere with me.

On her current passport she has been to Cambodia 6 times, At both Poi-Pet and also Chom Chon, never needed a visa, and we both travelled to Ankor on one trip.

Laos, she didn't get a visa either, not restricted or anything, just another stamp.

Me being a falang, I get to pay for every visa every time and all the other fees.

[george]

Since this thread started, Thais with passport will get 30 days on arrival without need for a border pass.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Thai's get a 30 day permit on arrival in Laos nowdays, and Laotians get the same privilege in Thailand. ( since Dec 2004 )