Thai Passport To Laos

[neverburi]

General question,do thai's need a passport to travel into laos by air.

Regards NB

[Thanyaburi Mac]

General question,do thai's need a passport to travel into laos by air.

Regards NB

I'd reckon "yes" as there's no convenient Thai "border point" for a Thai to get the normal 3-day "border pass."  Flying directly into Wattay Airport only hit Lao immigration.

However an optional routing could be to fly to Udorn (Nok Air preferred as I like the way the paint their planes!) and take the shuttle on up to the bridge area at Nong Khai, obtain a Thai border pass there, and head on across.  Cheaper flight, too.

Mac

[neverburi]

General question,do thai's need a passport to travel into laos by air.

Regards NB

Thanks,correct me if i am wrong,can a Thai travel overland and enter laos on THAI ID CARD.

NB

[Thanyaburi Mac]

General question,do thai's need a passport to travel into laos by air.

Regards NB

Thanks,correct me if i am wrong,can a Thai travel overland and enter laos on THAI ID CARD.

NB

Well, no, and yes.

Not on the Thai ID card alone, but yes with a Border Pass obtainable from the Thai authorities on the Thai side before crossing.

If going to Nong Khai can get it at the privately run booths right near the van boarding area and parking lot.  One or two photos required, takes 30-60 minutes.  Reckon any travel agent there could handle it for a small fee, baht 150-200.

My wife used to do this but much easier with a passport.

Mac

[thetravellingcat]

Just to re-itterate a Thai would need a passport to fly directly into Lao. As mentioned by thanyaburimac you can fly to Udon and get the bus to to the boarder, obtain a 3-day pass which would allow a Thai into Lao for the aforementioned 3-days. I caught the air con VIP bus from Khao San with my Thai travelling friend where the bus demographic was 80% farang and 20% Thai. For the inverse head to the bus terminals like Mo Chit. Recommend going VIP as they help you with the paperwork along the way if you choose to go by road.

[keitha]

We have just returned from Laos. We applied for visa's on arrival at Vientiane. My Thai lady friend required a passport (not an ID card) The cost for her 30 days was 200 Bht. Likewise, I arrived with an Australian passport, and my 30 days cost me 1500 Bht. I had to apply at the "visa on arrival" window at Immigration on the Laos side of the Friendship bridge. I had my visa pasted onto a page in my passport, and stamped. My Thai lady friend just simply had her passport stamped. Exactly the same scenerio, when we went to Cambodia together. Many Thai nationals live around the Nong Khai area, who have relatives living in Laos, and I have heard that they can enter for a two or three day visit, using their ID card, and a small fee, but I'm not 100% sure on this one. The info on the www should be easy to find. Try the Laos immigration web site.

Regards Keith