Border Run To Cambodia

[Khun Jean]

This was a reply to the topic "Sars scam". Some people asked me to put it in a seperate thread as it seems to help people to get their visa extended without the corruption bullsh1t.

My brother in law has a car so for me traveling to the border is easy. We make it into a family shopping trip. Most people tell me they go by bus, and take a tuk tuk for the last few kilometers.

There are all inclusieve trips from "Jack golf". But i guess they use a little money to get things done smoother. Not my thing. I like to do it myself, and keep complete control what happens to my passport.

When you go out of thailand get your "exit" stamp, walk to the border and to your right you see a building with a big sign "VISA". Go there fill in your form, give a passport size picture, pay the 1000 baht. Wait until you get your visa. Say "no thank you" to all the people who want to help you. Tell them you been here many times and you know what to do. The more confident you say this the quicker they go find an easier target. ( I have nothing against people who want to help you. They know how things work. Tell them you rather pay them a little extra instead of the "jerks" err. i mean oficials, they will be very happy and make it more smoother for you without paying for scams.)

Go to the next building also on the right for your entry stamp for cambodia. This is a real official and he is just as corrupt. He will ask how long you will stay. Answer "Don't know yet. Maybe 1 or 2 days". If he asks for 100 baht, tell him "but that is for if i stay only one day, i already told you i want to stay longer." That sentence is already to long for him to understand so he will stop asking for the 100 baht.

At this point you are a little bit vulnerable, show confidence, geez you are right, he is the criminal! If he still insists, happened to me twice, they are acting tough too you know, do your best impression of Clint Eastwood and take no bullshit. Until now that worked. If your not an easy target they will move to the next.

He will put a small paper in your passport, this is your departure card, and gives you an entry stamp.

Now here is the little trick to signal the other site that you already paid your "contribution".

He will staple this departure card in your pasport when he did NOT get the 100 baht or whatever the price was. You will get hit with the same question when you depart.

Simple solution. Take out the staple.

So now you have your entry stamp for Cambodia. If you are hungry go to one of the casino's and grab a free lunch. Gamble a little if you are so inclined. Wait a little bit before going back.

Next go to the building to get your exit stamp for cambodia,

Then walk your way back to the Thai border and get your new entry stamp.

I was never ever asked for money by a Thai official, but if it happens remember "Clint Eastwood".

Jean

Edited April 6, 2005 by Khun Jean

[COBBER]

Excellant post Jean.

If i could just add for those who have not read the sars scam post.

At the entry to Cambodia point i have allways put on the form that i am staying for 3 days and put down as address in Cambodia a hotel in Siam Reap and have never been asked for graft money at the entry point.

[joinme2leave]

excellent indeed. though, too late for me THIS TIME as having paid parts of that unnecessary "extra fees". I will DEFINITELY remember your words and advisory for any future action. Thanks.

[kuwaittemp]

And another periodic scam......................

Any type of "health check". To counter this, I carry an old (definitely outdated) yellow immunization record (if I lose it, I don't care). Noone has figured out exactly what to do with it or how to read it.............. so I haven't had to pay

[Tippaporn]

This was a reply to the topic "Sars scam". Some people asked me to put it in a seperate thread as it seems to help people to get their visa extended without the corruption bullsh1t.

My brother in law has a car so for me traveling to the border is easy. We make it into a family shopping trip. Most people tell me they go by bus, and take a tuk tuk for the last few kilometers.

There are all inclusieve trips from "Jack golf". But i guess they use a little money to get things done smoother. Not my thing. I like to do it myself, and keep complete control what happens to my passport.

When you go out of thailand get your "exit" stamp, walk to the border and to your right you see a building with a big sign "VISA". Go there fill in your form, give a passport size picture, pay the 1000 baht. Wait until you get your visa. Say "no thank you" to all the people who want to help you. Tell them you been here many times and you know what to do. The more confident you say this the quicker they go find an easier target. ( I have nothing against people who want to help you. They know how things work. Tell them you rather pay them a little extra instead of the "jerks" err. i mean oficials,  they will be very happy and make it more smoother for you without paying for scams.)

Go to the next building also on the right for your entry stamp for cambodia. This is a real official and he is just as corrupt. He will ask how long you will stay. Answer "Don't know yet. Maybe 1 or 2 days". If he asks for 100 baht, tell him "but that is for if i stay only one day, i already told you i want to stay longer." That sentence is already to long for him to understand so he will stop asking for the 100 baht.

At this point you are a little bit vulnerable, show confidence, geez you are right, he is the criminal! If he still insists, happened to me twice, they are acting tough too you know, do your best impression of Clint Eastwood and take no bullshit. Until now that worked. If your not an easy target they will move to the next.

He will put a small paper in your passport, this is your departure card, and gives you an entry stamp.

Now here is the little trick to signal the other site that you already paid your "contribution".

He will staple this departure card in your pasport when he did NOT get the 100 baht or whatever the price was. You will get hit with the same question when you depart.

Simple solution. Take out the staple.

So now you have your entry stamp for Cambodia. If you are hungry go to one of the casino's and grab a free lunch. Gamble a little if you are so inclined. Wait a little bit before going back.

Next go to the building to get your exit stamp for cambodia,

Then walk your way back to the Thai border and get your new entry stamp.

I was never ever asked for money by a Thai official, but if it happens remember "Clint Eastwood".

Jean

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good post. Since I'm making my first border run (1-year B-visa) I've just a few questions:

I'm assuming your taking about Poipet/Aranyaprathet?

How long is the drive from Bangkok (I have my own vehicle)? What's the best time of day to arrive/depart? What's the minimum amount of time that you need to stay in Cambodia? I'd like to keep this down to a single day, or a good part of the day, since I've got too much work to make a holiday of this. What are the requirements for entering Cambodia? A passport photo? I'm bringing my Thai wife. Does she require any documentation?

Thanks

[thaiflyer1]

Poi-pet approx 3 hours.

Early as possible, try to avoid lunchtime when the tour/visa run buses turn up.

You can enter and then cross over the road and exit Cambodia immediatly if you wish.......so basically just depends how long the queues are.

Entry requirements .......fee, passport photo, copies of passport (relevent pages).

Far as i know only i.d for wife.........why not just leave her Thai side to look round the market, you/ll be back in an hour or 2......believe me there aint anything Cambodian side.

[ggwyn]

Good thread, good solution!

The price for this bribe at Chantaburri Province's Pong Nam Ron - Daung border post is 200 baht.

I was very dissapointed that the Thai officials on the Pong Nam Ron side are also part of the scam. The Thai officials prime foriegners about this impending bribe by volenteering 'friendly' and 'helpfull' information that they will be charged this 'routine' 'official fee' !

Although I was wise to this scam, on this occassion I paid the bribe because I got swept up in the slip-stream of a bunch of gulliable foriegners who refused to believe that such a blatant scam could be sprung on them, as if such slick cons only happen on Eddy Murphy hollywoods. lol

The Cambodian officials will readily volenteer to omit the passport photo requirement for a 100 baht bribe.

On the possitive side they are very quick and efficient there.

I later rang the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok, 02254 6630 ext 112, Secretary to the Ambassador. They aknowledged that they get a lot of complaints on this particular scam, but, no, they dont have a procedure or mechanism to deal with it. But he offered to tell his boss!

Greg

[djlest]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

DONT PAY JACK GOLF OR ANY OTHER ORGANIED COACH TOUR EVER AGAIN!!!

I MADE THE SAME MISTAKE!

For the last year i have paid the 2000 and got the buffet dinner and forms filled out for me...yes! but for what????

What a rip off!!! i could have saved 10 000 baht in total if i know what i know now.....

DONT DO IT! DO THIS INSTEAD!!!

Last week i went to Central bangna at 6.30am

low and behold at 6.45 comes a coach just a little down from BIG C.

If you are hovering around you will see that the coach is full of rich japanese gamblers, just going to poipet for the day to spend their pocket money.

so................

get on!!!!

The nice guy will completely understand you,

Takes you directly to the border of POIPET,

give you cofee and a cream cake!

and..................................................... a BUFFET ticket for as much food as you can eat at the STAR VEGAS CASINO! or ??? Depending on which bus you get!!!! Another casino freebee lunch....

im sure you can just wander into any casino really and exploit the lunch!

all for 100 baht!!! yes its true!!! absolutely!!! try it an see for yourself!!!

so.................

after that you have 5 procedures to do yourself at the border...and trust me! its easy!!

1. Walk into poipet ( bearing left) to check out / stamp out of thailand.

2. Cross over the road and dodge the hecklers and you will see a VISA office. Go there and fill the form out, then give 2 passport pics and 1000 baht to the guy through the hole in the window. you will get your passport back in 5-10 mins.

3. Staying on the right hand side now, go and check into cambodia. its a 5 minute walk down. you will be given another form, and its a good idea to put on the form that you intend to stay cambodia for 5 days and state that you will stay in the tropicanna hotel/casino or anywhere you care! just incase they try and insist that 1 day stays cost more.... i read a the post above saying take out the staple attaching your departure card....might be worth trying!

i didnt need to however! perhaps i look like Clint eastwood!

4. Okay....now!! the choice is yours, depending on where your meal voucher got you. if you got a bus taking you to TROPICANA casino go fill that empty stomache! but if it was STAR VEGAS. well better check back out of cambodia first...cos its on the way back on the thai side....and a 10 min walk back otherwise!

so, walk across the street and you will see the exit booth, check out of cambodia / get stamped out!

then if youve eaten and are ready to go!

5. Walk back the way you came, bearing now to your left hand side, and passing all the limbless beggers. show your passport to the guy sitting at the table, and make sure he gives you a form... this form you fill out whilst you are walking towards the last gate house...here you will be stamped back into thailand!!!

PS....its a lots easier than it sounds.... i did it first time round with no problems, except i forgot to get stamped out of cambodia so had to walk back...

A word of advice.....BRING A PEN!!!!

OKAY>>>>>>> so what now?????

well by now its 10.30 0r 11.30am

yes....the bus only takes 3 hours from central bangna, did i forget to mention that??? and if you were quick to eat, you will wanna go home now!!!

So, go back to where the bus dropped you! you will see lots of tour coaches waiting to go back to bangkok....######!! you will probably see JACK GOLF there too... just spread that word to them, that they are getting ripped off!!! and that will be your good deed for the day!!!

then ask a few coach drivers 'where are they going?' just tell a driver you will pay him 100 baht to go back...and they nearly always oblige....

so......................TOTAL COST 1200 BAHT including BUFFET LUNCH!

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD, and put these money grabbing, farang exploiting Jack golf types out of business....,

the differnce between waiting 10 mins for your visa really aint worth 800 baht extra, and i got home earler anyway...so, go figure!!!

im sure that if BANGNA central is too far for some of you folk. there will certainly be alternative Japanese Casino runs from other sukumvit areas.

so...put your ears to the ground, or ask a Philipino, they always in the know on how to do farang things cheaply

I HOPE THIS SAVES A LOT OF EXPATS MONEY IN THE LONG-RUN...

AND IF NOT IN THE LONG_RUN>>>I JUST PAID YOUR BAR FINE!!!

so...enjoy!!!

[thaiflyer1]

I later rang the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok, 02254 6630 ext 112, Secretary to the Ambassador. They aknowledged that they get a lot of complaints on this particular scam, but, no, they dont have a procedure or mechanism to deal with it. But he offered to tell his boss!

ggwyn your a sad sad person thats all i can say.

[udon]

djlest Idiot.