Laos No More Visa

[gerry77]

At Vientianne consalate they tell me that for tourist visa must show some money now in a Thai bank accout. Or a ticket out of the country ( Thailand ) . If you no have the money in accout they refuse the visa and give 30 day stamp. But keep the applicaton fees. Beware !!

Edited July 15, 2008 by gerry77

[Lite Beer]

At Vientianne consalate they tell me that for tourist visa must show some money now in a Thai bank accout. Or a ticket out of the country ( Thailand ) . If you no have the money in accout they refuse the visa and give 30 day stamp. But keep the applicaton fees. Beware !!

Ridiculous. Why would a Tourist have a Thai Bank Account?

[sjaak327]

They legally cannot hold a Thai bank account in the first place

[britmaveric]

For a VISA now apparently!!

Not hard to get a bank account but suppose one for hoop to jump through.

[Mario2008]

He said or a ticket out of the country. Seems they want to ensure their regular costumers have enough money to live on.

[bangkokgas]

Rubbish!! Isolated case perhaps - "here is my platinum Amex card" always works at Vientiane. Whilst this case may have some merit, or actualkly be true, you'd be dumb to think this is the norm. Laos is good to go.! Five of five Japanese foreinds came back today with 2-entry t.v.'s. Who is the o.p. trying to scare>?

[irisgodd3ss]

He's scaring me, I'm off to Vientiane next week! Can anyone else substantiate this? Thanks!

[fozzy58uk]

If this were true, there would have been a lot of screaming on here from people being knocked back. As I understand it you do not need a bank account but you should be able to provide proof of adequate funds if asked. I believe the figure is 20,000 baht. This is not new and only appears to be asked for if someone appears down and out or is being a pillock. The bank account question often rears its head. As we know it is possible to get a bank account as a tourist but technically it isn't, you have to find a bank and an official who will turn a blind eye to the "rule" that a tourist cannot open a bank account. Therefore insisting that a tourist has a bank account is not on. I believe the immo officials are just asking for proof of funds as they know many of us do indeed have bank accounts.

[PREM-R]

At Vientianne consalate they tell me that for tourist visa must show some money now in a Thai bank accout. Or a ticket out of the country ( Thailand ) . If you no have the money in accout they refuse the visa and give 30 day stamp. But keep the applicaton fees. Beware !!

Sorry Gerry but what you state does not add up, the consulate can only issue a visa, they do not issue 30 day stamps, that is the responsibility of the immigration officer at the border.

[Maestro]

...you should be able to provide proof of adequate funds if asked. I believe the figure is 20,000 baht...

That’s right. Proof of funds and an onward ticket have always been on the list of official requirements on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but consulates use their discretion whether and how to implement individual requirements.

--

Maestro

[bjhabal]

I am not sure if he means Vientiane or other Consulate in somewhere else, as in Vientiane it is the Embassy and not Consulate, unless he means the Consulate section in the Embassy. Anyway, I have just returned from Vientiane this morning with a couple of friends after obtaining 2 entries tourist visa without any problem. I will right some more details in the Vientiane update section in this page, read it if you are interested.

Bishop