I see many companies run a one-day visa service by bus from BKK to the Cambodia boarder and back. I have heard some are excellent while others can sting you for tips and other hidden extras. Can anyone recommend a good service.

Many Thanks for any advice

Jack Golf is good:

Jack Golf

Sukumvit Plaza

Sukumvit Soi 12

3rd floor

02 2511946-7

015182247

Seconded www.jackgolf.com

Just do it yourself...

From the the Northern bus terminal get on a bus to Sa Kaeo/Aranya Phrathet (100Baht), you'll be there in 4 hours.

A tuk-tuk to the border (50Baht)

Do your walk-out/walk-in bit...Done!

Just do it yourself...

From the the Northern bus terminal get on a bus to Sa Kaeo/Aranya Phrathet (100Baht), you'll be there in 4 hours.

A  tuk-tuk to the border  (50Baht)

Do your walk-out/walk-in bit...Done!

Plus of course the cost of the Cambo visa and the cost of getting to and from the bus terminal in Bangkok and not forgetting the "kickback" you/ll be asked for because you aint staying in Cambodia........i couldnt be arsed to be honest when you can go with a VIP bus for 2000 baht or mini-bus for a little extra. Just my opinion.

Before you go to the border, apply for a Cambodian visa at the embassy (near Lumpini park, the road towards Pratu nam). Pay in US dollars, you will get it for 20 $. That's only 800 baht. Otherwise (if you pay in baht) it is 1000 ฿ and there is nothing to save because you can get it for 1000 at the border. The last time I did this I could get my passport the same day I applied. I applied before noon, and I could pick it up at 5 PM (they are open in the morning but also one hour between 5 and 6 PM).

If you don't bother doing it at the embassy: put a 1000 baht note in the passport, at the border, before they have the chance to tell you the visa fee. Otherwise, it can be 1100 baht or as high as 1200 baht.

Place a 100 baht note in your passport AFTER you have done the visa matters. That's enough. And by doing it this way, you are showing them that you KNOW all this stuff and hopefully you will not get cheated.

Don't give them a chance to tell you the "fee", it can be as high as 300 Baht.

I cannot guarantee that it's possible to get the business done for 1000 and 100 Baht respectively, because this particular border seems to be a place where Cambodian officials are out for ripping off as many foreigners (westerners) as possible. But at Had Lek och Chong Jom there are no problems at all.

The first time I was at Aranya Prathet (Poipet) I was asked for 1200 Baht for the visa, 300 Baht "service fee", 100 Baht for the "friendly" guy who borrowed me a pen and otherwise was pestering me and lastly 200 Baht because I had an almost full passport. This is a amazing story, and it goes like this:

They didn't want to stamp on the last page (but in my old passport this is a page that is reserved for visa, nothing else) and when I pointed out that I also had a blank page in the middle of the passport they said that the ink from the stamps on the reverse page could be seen thru the paper. But everything could be settled for a small fee of 500 Baht. If it would be a stamp-like visa I could of course accepted this, but since I knew that they had stickers (it used to be just a stamp and in Laos it still is) I started to make a problem about this. Eventually, I could get it done for 200 Baht.

I just want to point out two things:

Be well prepared because they can smell a newcomer and thus be able to cheat you out of as much cash as possible.

And, if possible, choose another border.

Regards,

Mike

Mike's info is spot on

Mike's info is spot on

Thats why i suggest go with the likes of Jackgolf.........it just aint worth all the hassle of going by yourself.

Mike's info is spot on

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Thats why i suggest go with the likes of Jackgolf.........it just aint worth all the hassle of going by yourself.

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I have done seven visa runs with Jackgolf and the only problem is that it's so boring !

Mike's info is spot on

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Thats why i suggest go with the likes of Jackgolf.........it just aint worth all the hassle of going by yourself.

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The purpose of my submission was to inform everybody how to do it, and especially if you can spare some time to get the visa at the embassy there is money to save. A bus or train ticket to Aranya Prathet is not that expensive.

I also went by an organised tour in the beginning but I then realized that I would like to do it myself. There were several reasons, not just that it's a lot cheaper if you do it the right way. But this is of course the main reason.

Just a few lines to thank everyone very much for their input. What a fantastic forum. How else could a newcomer get such a complete picture. Cheers!

Scuba, don't forget to give us a report on your visarun.

Here.

Mike's info is spot on

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thats why i suggest go with the likes of Jackgolf.........it just aint worth all the hassle of going by yourself.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The purpose of my submission was to inform everybody how to do it, and especially if you can spare some time to get the visa at the embassy there is money to save. A bus or train ticket to Aranya Prathet is not that expensive.

I also went by an organised tour in the beginning but I then realized that I would like to do it myself. There were several reasons, not just that it's a lot cheaper if you do it the right way. But this is of course the main reason.

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The first time I went to Poipet, I was accompanied by a friend who had been thru the process many times. Every time a Cambodian official asked for anything beyond the established fee, my friend would very calmly say, "That amount is not correct" or "That fee is not correct." He would never argue, raise his voice or make declarations such as "I'm not going to pay that!" He would just calmly repeat what he had said and if they persisted, ask to see their superior. It never failed and we never paid any "Vaccination fee", one day fee or any other kind of bogus charge. Payoff's arn't necessary, just polite refusal to be extorted.

David

Nice one Dave, I must try it.....

I did mention the word "corruption" in a slightly higher tone, last time, and they backed off pronto.

Jack Golf is good:

Jack Golf

Sukumvit Plaza

Sukumvit Soi 12

3rd floor

02 2511946-7

015182247

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But JG take you to Poipet, the most horrible, disgusting, longest waiting, slowest visa process border in Thailand, how good that would be?

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The weekend runs with Jack Golf go to Ban Laem rather than Poipet. The bus ride is longer by about 30 minutes each way, but the waiting line is only as long as the number of your fellow travellers. And there are no filthy beggars to contend with.

Let's try to remember that Iain has his own visa bus service to promote by slagging JG

Edited January 9, 200620 yr by udon

A few weeks ago I went to Poipet for the first time ever. Usually I go to Pong Nam Ron, sometimes Mae Sot and have always done the trips on a M/C.

This time I went by train from Hualampong to Aran on a Sunday. 48b. Stayed the night at the Aran Mermaid Hotel 950b.

Did the border hop late Monday morning (12th Sept,)and found that it wasn't as bad as I'd expected.

Thai immigration. About a 10 min wait.

Cambo visa application. 10 -15 min wait.

Guy at health desk. 1 min wait and just shook my head 'No' when he asked for twenty baht.

Cambo Arrival. No-one ahead of me so only 1 min stamping in process. Ignored the guys at a desk in front of the office who asked for 200b for 'quick procedure'.

Cambo Dep. 1 guy in front of me. About a 3 min wait then headed for Thai Imm.

Thai Imm. Only two immigration guys on duty and about 10 guys waiting in front of me in my queue. Around 20-30 mins total waiting time.

Got the 1330 hr, VIP bus back to Rangsit with limited stops. About 170 b (?)

A very enjoyable and more relaxing trip than usual and will be doing it this way more often in future.

Ref touts. Everytime someone approached me offering their services I just held up my hand and said sternly 'NO!' and didn't make any eye contact with them and just carried on with my business. Didn't have anyone pester me or follow me around.

[

The weekend runs with Jack Golf go to Ban Laem rather than Poipet. The bus ride is longer by about 30 minutes each way, but the waiting line is only as long as the number of your fellow travellers. And there are no filthy beggars to contend with.

Sorry to dissapoint you but there ARE beggars at Ban Leam now it seems they have discovered the new crossing like the rest of us also there are now two huge car parks so it is surely going to end up the same as piopet unfortunately

[

The weekend runs with Jack Golf go to Ban Laem rather than Poipet. The bus ride is longer by about 30 minutes each way, but the waiting line is only as long as the number of your fellow travellers. And there are no filthy beggars to contend with.

Sorry to dissapoint you but there ARE beggars at Ban Leam now it seems they have discovered the new crossing like the rest of us also there are now two huge car parks so it is surely going to end up the same as piopet unfortunately

Sorry I used your profile Monkey pants but it serves you right for using my computer and not logging out

It was me not MPants that had to do a visa run

JG get's a lot of ad , have seen all companies in operation n used myself JG,Fienday , ThaiQuickVisa n ThaiVisaService .

Can recommend all 4 ,as they use all agents at Ban Laem.

It depends of what you want .

JG n Fineday use Coach , but you are in a big group , ThaiQuickVisa departs 10.00AM with Van n Thai Visaservice use a VIP Van.

All go to Ban Laem now , also the 5.30 AM Bus of JG.

Stick to one of these 4 n you will not be disappointed .