Laos visa run

[issan2]

I just did a visa run from Issan to Vientiane, Laos and I thought I should

write it up. Perhaps it will help some of the people here.

We drove from Suwannaphum (south of Roi Et in Issan) to Nong Khai on

Sunday. Took from 8:00 am to 14:30 at Laos brder - friendship bridge.

We used an agency there that carged

2000b  to process a farange

300b  to process a thai

800b  two nights in a guest house

visa on entry to Laos is 30 USD, these people filled in all the forms andjusted

guided us through. Even gave us the paperwork to get back. They also arrange a

tax for us to get into Vienianne. 300b aircon - very nice.

It is necessary to stay for two nights and three days to get a visa. The agencies

are on the right just before the border crossing. For a fee they will also take

passport photos.

We made sure that we took across thai money as the lao's accept it every where

and is easy to cange into Kip.

We walked two minutes from the agency to thai immigration, crossed the freindship

bridge at 15:30. Agency paid for bus but if you did it it would be 10b per person.

You can also alk across but why bother ?

We stayed in the Sisavad guest House 3, 161/16 Sisavad Road, tel 223575-6. It was

bsic but very clean. The room had air con and even had hbo and star movies. The

hotel manager actually told us as we were leaving that he has a swimming pool at

his other hoel that we could use.

5000 Gip = 20 baht so getting change in gip is a wad of notes like 75000. Taxi's

cost between 10000 - 20000 gip. The wife speaks lao so she did a bit of haggling.

visa

----

We went to the Thai consular office for 7:00 am monday morning. Got int the queue.

The office opens 08:30 - 12:00, 13:00 - 16:30. Applications in the morning, pick up

in the afternoon of the next day. The tax driver from the hotel gave the wife a load

of advice as follows.

Tourist visa 300b, non imm visa 500b. Normally pick up the next day but you can

offer to pay 800-1500 baht and give same day visa. There are toutes outside who

will do the whole thing for 2000 baht. Foget it , this is just for people who cant

write english. Get a application form off og them for 5 baht.

Make sure that you have two passport photos and photocopies of your pasport and

Lao Visa stamp. Also photot copies of any supporting docs. The copy shop is next

door and its just 2000 gip.

I was asked for nothing but my marriage cert. Thai and my passport. That got me a

3 month single entry non imm. o visa. Get into the queue as soon as posible. When

the embassy opens you get a number and the lower numbers go first.

The office is on Lan Chang, sorry any speling mistakes.

food

----

We found quite a few good western restaurants at nam pu ( say put without the t).

Try the skandinavian bakery or the italian across the road. Also another cheap

restaurant there with a two story layout, dont know the name but good food.

Breakfast for two costs about 200 baht. I just fancies decent bread having stayed

in a village for a month.

sight seeing

------------

For 300b we took a took took tour of the city, tat luang, pat tu chi, wat phrakoe

and wat see muang. Pretty good and the driver provided us with loads of info on

what we were seeing. He also took us shpping and advised my wife on some of the

best stalls.

She decided that she was going to stop by he river mid tour and eat which was a

liberty I thought so I bought him a meal.

visa pick up

-------------

The hotel arranged the visa pick up and trip to the border for 250 baht. He actually

walked into the embassy with me sitting in an air conitioned bus and picked up

my passport for me. It seems that who ever holds the passport receipt that we

received the day before gets the passport. So be careful people !! Picked up at

13:00 the next day as we werent in a hurry. Didnt try to bribe the consulate

staff

The rest is history, we came back by bus on Tuesday. The free bus on the Thai side

just takes you to a took took stand. From there go to Nong Khai. From there a non air

con bus to Udon Thani. Had to stay a night because there was no transport available.

Stayed in the Charoen Hotel, 549 Phosri Road, (042) 246121-4. Nice hotel, 800b a night

but no breakfast. Next day took an air con bus to roi et, and two taxis home.

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I hope that helps someone. Ill be doing it again in three months ...

[shabthai]

Hi

Thanks alot , I will fly to Laos next 3 days , I think this info will help me as well.

Gil

[alykev8892]

I think I should add my two cents' worth of advice since I have done 5 consecutive visa runs to Vientiane since Dec 2001. I always went with my Thai girl friend by bus to Nong Khai arriving around 7 am or so and we took a tuk tuk (50 baht) to a travel agency near the immigration checkpoint. She has always paid 100 baht for a border pass at the agency so if the one gentleman paid 300 baht for the same thing, I suggest you shop around. And paying 2000 baht to the travel agency to process a Laos visa for yourself is completely unnecessary unless you want to throw your money away. Just wait for your Thai companion to get her border pass and you both go to the immigration checkpoint, clear Thai immigration, cross the river, and then at the Laos checkpoint, get an application form at the designated window and fill it out for the Laos visa yourself. You save the 2000 baht the travel agency will charge for this and the form is very similar to the Thai visa application you fill out at the Thai consulate. I would not be surprised if tuk tuk drivers get kick-backs every time they take an unsuspecting farang to a travel agency to cough up 2000 baht for a Laos visa service.  If you pay in baht at the Laos checkpoint for the Laos visa, the cost is 1,500 baht .... better deal if you have US dollars but I haven't seen a "greenback" in a long time.  Taxi to Vientiane? Bargain for 200 baht ... no more. I have always paid 200 baht for a taxi, perhaps ready to fall apart but with aircon, to the Thai consulate in Vientiane. If you can get to the consulate before 10 am perhaps, you can get your application turned in before the doors close at 12 noon. I was turned back only 1 time and had to apply the next morning, thereby staying 2 nights. Guest house? I have stayed at the Saylom Guest House for about 300 baht per night with aircon and hot water, clean but no TV in room, and there is a decent place to eat next door and it is within walking distance from the Thai consulate.  I think using the people outside the consulate to process your visa application is causing some heartburn for some foreigners who stand in line by themselves for long hours only to see these "agents" buck the lines. My girl friend and I take turns in line because my back can get sore after awhile. The next day, I check out of the guest house before 12 noon, eat, hit the internet cafe,  and return about 1:30 pm to get my visa. On my last two trips to Vientiane, one particular driver has gotten my receipt from me and picked up my visa for me. I did a good turn for him one time and he remembered. His tuk tuk broke down half way back to the bridge and we had to change to another tuk tuk and pay again but I insisted on paying him also because he still had his expenses. By the way, pay 200 baht for a taxi or 100 baht for a tuk tuk which is slower. For any Americans, the US Embassy is also in walking distance should you need more pages added to your passport. "Happy trails" to you!

[stopper]

For those of you interested in flying to Laos:

Lao Airlines is offering promotional fares on the new Airbus A320 including the Bangkok-Vientiane route, for Bt3,500 return, including taxes.

For details, contact Lao Airlines at (02) 236 9822 or (02) 237 8044 in Bangkok or (053) 223401 in Chiang Mai.

(The Nation Jul 19, 2003)

[LPCustom69]

Thanks for the pricing info. Should be a fairly easy run from Udon Thani. Is there a bus from Udon Thani to Nong Khai, and what is the price? Thanks.

:cool:

[wilson steer]

alykev  spot on mate, these people going to Laos always get ripped off, fixing fee is a con. I always do the same as you, plus I take loads of passport photos. Taxi 200 baht for sure.

Quick tip, the tuk tuk drivers to and from the bridge from the visa place are becoming nasty individuals, take an older man, not some young bastard who demands 100/150 at the friendship bridge.

These nasty Laos men Tuk Tuk drivers hang around the passport place looking for daft falangs.

[alykev8892]

Bus from Udon to Nong Khai? I took the fan bus for 21 baht each, 42 baht with gf. The station is on the road going north out of Udon to Nong Khai and is on the left side going north and just inside the "ring" road. If you know Tesco in Udon, Tesco is just down the road from that station. It really doesd not look like a station at all .... just a market where buses pull in.

About the 2000 fee mentioned before to process Laos visa, I am sure that would also include the actual cost of the visa. So by doing the Laos visa yourself you will still save 500 baht (2000 fee for service - 1500 Laos visa). Think I may try Manila this time for my visa run.