Obligatory 90 day exit with non-imm 'o'

[tutsiwarrior]

This subject may be on another thread...administrator to advise. I have a non-immigrant 'O' visa that requires exit from Thailand every 90 days. What is the cheapest, less hassled way to do this? There are bus journeys to Cambodia (ugh)...train journeys to Malaysia (ugh) and air journeys to Laos and Singapore. Can anyone discuss the relative merits of one arrangement over another?...ie., how much cheaper is the bus fare to Cambodia with accomodation than a one day turn around in Singapore?

Remember, no Thai consular staff involved...just a stamp in the old passport from immigration officials. Any arrangements in Thailand other than depositing 1 million baht in the bank? My present visa is good for a year.

Best regards

[lopburi3]

You only need 250k in a Thai bank account to obtain support extensions on a yearly basis (understand you are married to a Thai).  Understand this amount is due to increase to 400k but not sure when of if it will affect those already in the system.  If you have retirement/investment income or a work permit this should be easy to obtain (wife willing).

Singapore plane trip is easy and cheap for a flight turnaround but probably the closest border is your cheapest bet, but allow for the visa fees for anyplace but Malaysia/Singapore.

[ExpatsClub]

If I understand you right, you just need to leave Thailand, enter another country, leave another country,and immediately after, re-enter Thailand? (I assume no Thai-Embassy visit necessary)

In that case, Cambodia, is the easiest and cheapest choice:

You have here two choices:

1. Take a "package tour" cost B 2,200, including a lunch at a Poipet Casino. Popiet is the border town in Cambodia, the Thai side is Aranyaphathet. Time frame:about 10 hours - and they take care of all your documents while lunching.

2. "Do-it-yourself" - Cost about 1,500 / 1,600 Baht - Broken down as follows:

Bus fare Bangkok-Arayaprathet about: 170-180 Baht (air-con)

Tuk-tuk to border, Baht 40, Motorcycle Baht 30, Subaru (local bus)? never tried, probably 8-10 Baht.

Thai Immigration, no fees to be paid (of course)

Visa to Cambodia you can get at the small box with dark windows, just after the small border bridge, right side. Cambodia visa Baht 1,000. Be aware of the guy sitting next to the box, he will try to make you pay Baht 100/200 for the application form. It's free of course from inside the box.

Fill out the form, remember 1 picture (sometimes they don't care about the picture?)

After receiving the visa (which is a full-1-page sticker), go to the Cambodian Immigration. (also on the right side).Put discretely a 100 Baht INSIDE your passport, give passport to the officer.

Then proceed to Cambodia Departure (which is on the opposite side), get your departure stamp, go to Thai Immigration, get your entry stamp to Thailand.

Go back to Bangkok, same way as you came.

I haven't done this trip for maybe 6 months, but I think not much has changed since then. Maybe confirm from other side, or use the "package" - if you don't worry much about the price difference.

Joern

[ExpatsClub]

Malaysia "visa" trip - border

I will also tell you about a bus trip to Pedang Besar. I go there every month, so here is the travel schedule and break down in costs:

Departure from The Southern Bus Terminal, around 17:00 - arrival in Hat Yai, around 05:00 a.m. Bus ticket price Baht 565. In Hat Yai you will be sorrunded by hundreds of taxi drivers, touts and motorcycle boys who will take you to the border and back for 500 Baht...IGNORE THEM, don't say a word, shake your head.

Wait for the green local bus 1761 (I think- maybe 1671?)) Hat Yai-Pedang Besar, Price Baht 25. The distance is 55 km, takes an hour an half.

Get off at Thai Immigration, the bus conductor will tell you, they know the reasons foreigners come to this place.

Stamp out of Thailand, no fee, then...

1. walk to Malaysian border side, about 1 km, 10 minutes walk or 2. take a motorcycle, 20 Baht. 3. Stamp in of Malysia, no payments, walk over to Departure (2 minutes walk), stamp out of Malaysia. 4. take motorcycle back (if you don't want to walk), again 20 Baht... Maybe you can negotiate motor cycle boy totally 30 Baht, try it, but don't pay more than the 40 Baht.

Enter Thailand, no payments. leave Immigration area, go to opposite side of the road, take again the green (or sometimes red) bus back, 25 Baht again.

At the Immigration, IGNORE the touts who want to take you to Hat Yai for 250-300 Baht by taxi.

Return to Bangkok 17:00 Baht 535 (yeah, a little cheaper to go back, depending on the standard of buses)

Joern

[keestha]

One option nobody mentioned, is going to Ranong and crossing over to Myanmar (Burma) from there. You do not need a visa for Burma for this.You could fly to Ranong or take the bus from the Southern Busterminal. True if you are living in Bangkok this would be time consuming (cannot go and come back in one day), but so would be going down to the Malaysian border and back.

Once in Ranong there are two options to choose from: go to the Andaman Club which is a casino island owned by a Thai guy but inside Burma so that you get the necessary exit and entry stamps (they have their own pier from where the boats leave), or take a longtailboat from Ranong harbour to the Burmese mainland just across, at the Burmese side they will stamp you in and out for I believe US$5 or 200 Baht and you can go right back to Thailand where they will stamp you in again. Have a nice visa run!

[prostarter]

ExpatsClub,I too just got a non-o as well and have never made a visa run before.I think i understand how it's done but i'm not sure who you have to contact to arrange such a package tour.Ca n you advise please.Also,if i may, you stated 10 hours time frame.Would that be from the time of departure to the time of return from ,say Bangkok?Sorry if my questions are a alittle offbeat but i want to do this with as little problem as possible,asi said i've never done this before.Also I believe i read from another thread i can leave Thailand a couple weeks before the visa expires and get an extra 90 days.Please confirm.Many Thanks!

[prostarter]

ExpatsClub,I too just got a non-o as well and have never made a visa run before.I think i understand how it's done but i'm not sure who you have to contact to arrange such a package tour.Ca n you advise please.Also,if i may, you stated 10 hours time frame.Would that be from the time of departure to the time of return from ,say Bangkok?Sorry if my questions are a alittle offbeat but i want to do this with as little problem as possible,asi said i've never done this before.Also I believe i read from another thread i can leave Thailand a couple weeks before the visa expires and get an extra 90 days.Please confirm.Many Thanks!

[samuisam]

There are travel agencies which will take your passport to the border to have it stamped, although I don't know about the legality of this.  Usually it seems they ask about 60-80% the cost of the trip.

[cold]

I agree with the Ranong run, it's also a very interesting trip crossing into Burma, and you can also go shopping, cheap, cheap cheap, cigarettes, alcohol, cigars.  You are also allowed to stay in Burma for the day for no extra money. I have been doing this run from Samui, and I still have not managed to do it in one day.  

Enjoy the trips,

Cold

[ExpatsClub]

Cambodia trip.

Go early from Morchit 2 (the new bus station), f.ex.between 7 AM to 9 AM. The bus trips takes usually 4 - 5 hours.

Just rougly: 7am-9am bus trip starts

Trip Aranyaprathet-Border (8 km) about 10 minutes

Visa procedure 1 hour ( it can be 2 hours if you come on certain times of the day)

So depending on your luck, trip 10 hours, but could take up to 12 some days (traffic jam Bangkok, many tourist on the border, day of the week)

Arrival back in Bangkok 5-9 PM.

Travel agency: A freind used this one last week: 0-2251-1946-7, 0-1581-1619, Sukhumvit Road (forgot Soi No.)

Website: www.jackgolf.com

Another poster recommended to use a visa agent to send your passport to the border. THIS IS ILLEGAL, and could give you problems later on. Last week the Immigration cracked down and took hold of several hundreds of passports from visa agents (at the Immigration Border Points), and all the visa agent have now disappeared... and the passport holders must now THEMSELVES go to Immigration and clear up this mess, NOT a very funny thing to do.

So ALWAYS do you own visa runs, this is the Thai law. Don't ever try to bypass Immigration laws in any ways. Don't ever break the Thai immigration law, if you intend to stay here in the future.

Joern

ExpatsClub

[lopburi3]

i read from another thread i can leave Thailand a couple weeks before the visa expires and get an extra 90 days.Please confirm.

You can make an exit/entry on a multi entry type non-immigrant visa the day before it expires and receive another 90 day stay.  If you have a single entry type this would not work (unless it was also your first entry).

[tutsiwarrior]

Not sure where Ranong is...any possibility of doing a run to Burma next to Kanchanaburi? I live in Central Thailand and this would be the most convenient arrangement.

They got Cuban cigars in Burma?

[mowlem]

Cambodia trip.

Go early from Morchit 2 (the new bus station), f.ex.between 7 AM to 9 AM. The bus trips takes usually 4 - 5 hours.

Just rougly: 7am-9am bus trip starts

The first bus is about 3.00AM, I would get there certainly no later than 5.00AM, so the bus avoids the rush hour in BKK, and not many in the queue at the border.

Also, at the border YOU ARE GOING TO GET SCREWED...ACCEPT IT.

Those blokes don't keep the money, they have to pay off people who let them hustle you etc.,

I simply make sure he earns it. I make HIM go and get the visa stamp etc.,while I sit on my posterior. He can cause you a whole lot of problems, and remember, you are depending on his mates to give you the stamp you need.

Think about it...

[keestha]

Tutsiwarrior,

Ranong is at the Andaman coast approx. 270 KM north of Phuket, just opposite the southernmost point in Burma. Going down there by bus from Bangkok would take about 10 hours.

From Sanghklaburi (three pagodas pass) in Kanchanaburi province you can cross into Burma for the day but I believe this is not an official border crossing yet, so that you dont get the stamps you need for making a visa run. You go into Burma, but officially you stay in Thailand. If the Burmese cigars are your thing though, most likely you can get them in the market village just across the Burmese border. Note when I was there in 1999 I had to pay 10 US$ to cross into Burma, they didnt accept Thai currency.

[prostarter]

Thanks guys for the info. I feel I have a  better handle on it now.

[calmernow]

Are you SURE you must leave?  The whole idea behind a Non-Immigrant "O" visa is to get back in the country, and then just before your 90 days is up, go to a Thai Immigration office and request an extension to stay in the country for an additional 365 days.  Now, this is a bit of a misnomer, to say the least, because if it's granted you will receive permission to stay in the country without leaving for one year from your date of entry into the country.  BTW, you haven't mentioned how/why you have a Non-Imm. "O" visa but, depending on the office, you very well may NOT require bank statements, etc.  If you are married, and/or the supporter of children living in Thailand and show up with them, that could do it.  You really should try this - might not have to leave at all.  Sure as #### beats the alternatives.  Good luck.

(Actually, if any one has followed this far, and has experience in this I have a question.  I hold a Non-Imm. "O" visa by virtue of Thai dependents, ie three kids with my Thai partner.  I was told I needed bank statements, etc. to get this Visa.  In the end, I simply provided my kid's three birth certificates and my smiling face.  Sensibly, and kindly, I received the Visa.  Ironically, this was in Penang which used to be bad but I've heard nothing but good things about them lately.  My questions is:  As a holder of an extension to stay in the country for one year, if I CHOOSE to leave, what's the procedure?  (I'm American, 44, and the Visa is a Multiple Entry.)  A re-entry permit? Just a border hop?  Anyone know?  Thanks.)

[lopburi3]

Are you SURE you must leave?  The whole idea behind a Non-Immigrant "O" visa is to get back in the country, and then just before your 90 days is up, go to a Thai Immigration office and request an extension to stay in the country for an additional 365 days.

It is to allow visits of up to 90 days at a time.  Nothing more or less and nothing other than marriage or birth certificate is required to obtain it.  But if you want to extend your stay to 365 days the financial requirements become a factor.  Penang has always been good in my experience and understanding.

For your multi entry visa you just come and go as you desire.  If you extend your stay (done at an immigration office inside Thailand) then you will have to obtain a re-entry permit.

[tutsiwarrior]

I am confused but I suspect that crossing into Burma may not be the best way to do the 90 day exit requirement for a non imm 'o' visa...regardless of where the crossing happens to be. (not talking about year extensions in LOS with money in the bank).

Burma being a pariah country like Cuba I thought maybe they would have good cigars...strange logic, but OK...

Me for Penang and the tandoori chicken...

all the best...