Visa Needed For Going To No-man-land Poipet?

[Firefan]

Hi! Was considering a trip to Poipet to visit the casinos in no-mans-land (but really; Cambodia) for 1-2 days.

I understand that Thais do not need to get visa to Cambodia in order to go gambling in the Poipet casinos, but have on the other hand heard of visa-runners needing to cross into Cambodia/get visa before beling allowed into Thailand again (I presume to re-start their 30/90 days of course, but have heard of others having trouble getting the Cambodian visa (for whatever reason) and while still having days left allowed in Thailand, not being allowed back in...stuck in no-mans-land! ).

I am not doing this trip for visa purposes as on a (Thai) non-em B w. yearly extensions.

Just read article in Bangkok Trader where a foreigner stated that we do not need a Cambodia visa as we do not cross into Cambodia/emmigration check-point, but would like a few more comments from people in the know here!

Cheers!

[conimex]

Hi! Was considering a trip to Poipet to visit the casinos in no-mans-land (but really; Cambodia) for 1-2 days.

I understand that Thais do not need to get visa to Cambodia in order to go gambling in the Poipet casinos, but have on the other hand heard of visa-runners needing to cross into Cambodia/get visa before beling allowed into Thailand again (I presume to re-start their 30/90 days of course, but have heard of others having trouble getting the Cambodian visa (for whatever reason) and while still having days left allowed in Thailand, not being allowed back in...stuck in no-mans-land! ).

I am not doing this trip for visa purposes as on a (Thai) non-em B w. yearly extensions.

Just read article in Bangkok Trader where a foreigner stated that we do not need a Cambodia visa as we do not cross into Cambodia/emmigration check-point, but would like a few more comments from people in the know here!

Cheers!

I had the same thoughts, but had to take a Cambodian visa, I went out on a re-entry permit !

[Firefan]

So no choice but to get the Cambodian visa then? Is it needed to simply GET to the casinos, or is it a requirement from the Thai emmigration in order to be let back in (that one has entered Cambodia/having the visa/the in/out stamp from Cambodia)?

The author of the article in Bangkok Trader (April 09) Jamie Cox (and his friend Phil - obviously foreigners) writes:

"and one of the best things about going to Poipet is that you never actually have to enter Cambodia no matter how many touts or tuk tuk drivers tell you otherwise. All of the casinos are conveniently located in a sort of "no-mans-land" in between the Thai and Cambodian immigration points, so you can save that 1000 Baht you brought for your visa and play a few hands of baccaret instead."

I called Jack Golf visaruns - talekd to a girl there who claims that one must have a cambodian visa to get to the casinos.....

Still confused....

Cheers!

[Maestro]

You can get to the casinos without a Cambodian visa, but Thai immigration wants to see the Cambodian entry and exit stamps in your passport before let back into Thailand, and to get the Cambodian entry stamp you need to get a visa first. Perhaps the casino will do that for you, I don't know. Worth asking them though.

--

Maestro

[Firefan]

Hi Maestro,

Thanks for the input! The Bangkok Trader article have the author and his friend staying overnight in the no-mans-land part of Poipet having fun, and then simply crossing back over to Thailand the morning after with no Cambodian visa. Article did not mention getting any stamps/visa at casino but good idea to check as am sure the casinos have SUPER connections with emmigration on both sides .

Makes me wonder whether the Thai visa one is on makes a difference; I.e. maybe if one is on 1 year extensions, w. re-entry permit (marriage/work/investment Etc.) they do not require the Cambodian exit stamp (and thereby; visa), while trourist visas, multiple entry O/B Etc. have diff. requirement....

Cheers!

[SmartFarang]

I lived and worked in one of the Poi Pet casinos. Maestro is mostly correct. You could fail to obtain a Cambodian visa, and fail to get stamped into Cambodia. You could get away with it, but it is more likely that someone will spot the lack of visa and stamp and it will cost you appreciably more than 1000 THB to fix it.

Whilst working there, we sometimes had employees that would return to work from a Thai visit, find a congested Immigration office on the Cambodian side due to hordes of backpackers going to Siem Riep, and decide to go for a shower, meal, or whatever and come back to take care of it later when the crowds dispersed. This is OK, as long as it is done on the day of arrival. But they would sometimes forget, and it was always a problem to fix it at a later date, requiring tea-money and bottles of whiskey.

To be stamped out of one country and not be stamped into another on the same day is plainly illegal. Any Immigration officer will look for this, and pick up on it. It is a source of revenue for them. There are also crowds of hustlers hanging around that will want to help you obtain your visa, they will spot you if you avoid the visa office. It will only take one of them to shop you to their brother in Immigration. He will get a share of your fine.

Yes, the casinos have excellent contacts. VIP customers are often taken in cars and vans without stopping at Immigration, spirited into and out of the area without officially ever being there. The casinos take care of any additional "fees" to do this. Unless you are a VIP, you will not get the same service.

NOTE: A Cambodian Tourist Visa is officially priced at US$25. This is the fee charged at Phnom Penh airport. Border crossings such as Poi Pet have overcharged for years. Obviously, 1000 THB is more than $25 at current rates. The Immigration offices keep the difference.

NOTE 2: Make sure you have a passport photo with you. If you fail to produce one, they will pull out an old camera - has not had any film in it for years - and "take care" of the problem for you on payment of a $5-$10 fee.

You can get to the casinos without a Cambodian visa, but Thai immigration wants to see the Cambodian entry and exit stamps in your passport before let back into Thailand, and to get the Cambodian entry stamp you need to get a visa first. Perhaps the casino will do that for you, I don't know. Worth asking them though.

--

Maestro

[Firefan]

Hi Smartfarang,

Thanks for the detailed input!

The article did mention that they left the morning after as soon as Thai emmigration opened, so maybe the officers were still on their first cup of coffee and overlooked the lacking Cambodian exit stamp. Guess they were just lucky then!

Cheers!

[welo]

NOTE: A Cambodian Tourist Visa is officially priced at US$25. This is the fee charged at Phnom Penh airport. Border crossings such as Poi Pet have overcharged for years. Obviously, 1000 THB is more than $25 at current rates. The Immigration offices keep the difference.

NOTE 2: Make sure you have a passport photo with you. If you fail to produce one, they will pull out an old camera - has not had any film in it for years - and "take care" of the problem for you on payment of a $5-$10 fee.

Just for the record:

Cambodian Tourist Visa is USD 20. They ask for 5$ or 200 THB fee/bribe. If you don't have dollars, they ask for 1000 THB which is even 300 THB more than 20$. You can pay anything from nothing to one of the figures mentioned here, it depends on your bargaining skills. Be confident about the price and stand your ground. If there are many tourists waiting they might first process those applications and then yours, but otherwise you will get it within 5 minutes. Only during lunch break you might wait up to 30 minutes.

If you don't bring a foto (anything will do, I once managed to apply with a black/white copy of my passport pic with stamp), you will not get away without paying, but even then 5$ or 100B should be enough - I guess they don't even bother to pose with a dead camera anymore.

Otherwise very interesting first-hand information!

welo

[astral]

There are various conflicts of practice here.

I suggest the OP talks to the Immigration at Poipet.

I have entered Myanmar, simply leaving my passport with immigration and carrying a stamped copy to allow me to return.

A few years back, I must admit.

Surely the same approach could work for the Casino??

Thai's need a passport to be allowed to leave Thailand,

but only an id card to get into Cambodia........duh

The Thai logic was that "if you do not have a passport we (immigration) cannot help you if you get in trouble".

However at the Myanmar border an id card is fine to leave Thailand.............

All kinds of inconsistencies exist.

[bjhabal]

Maesro was absolutely Right, you need a visa to Cambodia, and you can obtain one easily from either Aranyaphratet Travel Agency just before the last custom check when Entering Thailand, or better still from the Visa office just after you check out from Thailand immigration office, (About 100 meter on your right side).

If you tried to Pay $20 for the visa, they will insist that you pay 1000 Baht, so do not try to do that otherwise you might have to wait too long to get your visa. Just fill up the little applicaton form and insert it in your passport along with one photo and one thousand Baht bill, then hand it over to the officer out side and you will get your visa in about 30-60 second.

If the line was too long at the checking in office, and you have plenty of time, do not bother, just go to any hotel/casino and spend sometimes (watching not playing), and go back later to stamp in, then cross over and stamp out.

I have used this border hundreds of time during the past 10 years or so, some times for the visa porpuse, and others for the casino; and I had to get new passport almost yearly, because it is full of Cambodian visas (about 90% of the total pages).

Now if you are in hurry and capable of paying an extra of 300 Baht in order to avoid the hussel and the tempreture check that they mentioned in another topic here in the Thai visa, then you just have to approach one of the guys at the visa office and he will take you passport, stamp it in and out and bring it back to you in about 10 munites, all what you have to do is just sit in your chair and wait.

By the way, if you are going to comeback to Thailand on the same day, then you have to hand out another 100 Baht to the officer when you stamp in, so it's not a big deal.

Good luck- Bishop

[welo]

[...], you need a visa to Cambodia, and you can obtain one easily from either Aranyaphratet Travel Agency just before the last custom check when Entering Thailand, or better still from the Visa office just after you check out from Thailand immigration office, (About 100 meter on your right side).

You should go to the latter, the official visa on arrival office/counter. After checkout from Thailand immigration you walk another 100m along the fenced walkway on the left side of the road. You will see an office on the left side, this is NOT the visa office. Keep going until you are supposed to change to the opposite (right-handed) road side. Currently there is a small tent where they will check your temperature. You are just before the big Angkor-Wat-styled stone arc now that spans the street. You'll find the office right next to the arc on the right road side, it has a blue-roofed waiting area outside and a blue sign with white letters saying 'visa service'. The actual counter is just left to the money exchange booth (seems to be closed most of the time?) tucked away in the building.

Actually, it is easy to find, have a look at the picture. Just don't let you lure somewhere else before getting there.

I have used this border hundreds of time during the past 10 years or so, some times for the visa porpuse, and others for the casino; and I had to get new passport almost yearly, because it is full of Cambodian visas (about 90% of the total pages).

You should have used the e-visa (25 USD, 3 working days, credit card payment) which gets sent to you by email and you just print it out. It does not use one page in the passport. But maybe it was not available back then, it was introduced in April 2006.

If you tried to Pay $20 for the visa, they will insist that you pay 1000 Baht, so do not try to do that otherwise you might have to wait too long to get your visa. Just fill up the little applicaton form and insert it in your passport along with one photo and one thousand Baht bill, then hand it over to the officer out side and you will get your visa in about 30-60 second.

If you are really eager to pay more better go with the dollar option, they will ask 25 USD (currently 852 THB), this already includes the 5 USD 'express service'. There is an Cambodian ATM that deals dollars just after the stone arc on the left side of the road. But during the last year I always got my visa after 5 minutes, even if I paid less or nothing at all (the bargaining might need another 5 minutes though.)

Now if you are in hurry and capable of paying an extra of 300 Baht in order to avoid the hussel and the tempreture check that they mentioned in another topic here in the Thai visa, then you just have to approach one of the guys at the visa office and he will take you passport, stamp it in and out and bring it back to you in about 10 munites, all what you have to do is just sit in your chair and wait. By the way, if you are going to comeback to Thailand on the same day, then you have to hand out another 100 Baht to the officer when you stamp in, so it's not a big deal.

Never used that service myself, I don't mind a bit of walking and know better things to do with 300B. But this is a matter of personal choice.

Didn't have a problem going back the same day on my two border runs. I heard that sometimes they charge Thai nationals 100 Baht 'fee' when stamping in to Cambodia, but never heard of westerners being charged (double standard, not nice).

But it seems you are talking about stamping in back to Thailand on the same day? As I said, nobody ever asked money from me at the Thai immigration.

welo

Edited July 3, 2009 by welo