Lao In Thailand, Do They Have A Special Deal With Visas?

[Jingthing]

Just curious about Lao in Thailand. Here in Pattaya, there seem to be many Lao people and they seem to fit in much better than Cambodians and Burmese (who tend to be either legal or illegal low wage laborers). I realize Lao and Thailand (especially Isaan) share a common culture and the language is very similar. Of course Pattaya is Isaan by the sea. So I am wondering about the visa situation for Laos. When they cross by land without a visa, do they get 15 days the same as westerners? Or are most of the younger Laos I am noticing here illegally here? Is there less of an interest in "cracking down" on Laos because of the cultural harmony between Laos and Thais? Another thing I have noticed, more like NOT noticed, obviously Lao people at the immigration office. I am really curious how the Lao people deal with their visas here.

Edited December 22, 2009 by Jingthing

[OM3N]

The ASEAN nations (Thailand and Laos included) have agreements that make the visa regulations a lot more lenient ( You don't have to pay to get in).

[tropo]

The ASEAN nations (Thailand and Laos included) have agreements that make the visa regulations a lot more lenient ( You don't have to pay to get in).

Visa regulations are not easier for ASEAN citizens. Getting a valid visa is probably more difficult in many cases. Thailand has a full time job keeping out illegal citizens of neighboring countries.

[samran]

Lao people get 30 days on arrival everytime they enter with a passport. They also get to use border passes to pop over for 3 days.

Lao, Burmese and Cambodian workers are all eligible to be hired under the migrant labour scheme. Essentially, they can do anything from menial to clerical work under this scheme....so long as a Thai employer hires them. Under this scheme they get a valid work permit, access to social security and health etc. They then are issued with an ID card of sorts confirming their status here.

Just been through the process myself in registering our Burmese maid. All very straightfoward and painless and much easier than going the conventional work permit route. Would be the same for Laos nationals. You can search my previous OP posts on this matter

[rfukata]

I live in Ubon (near 2 Laotian borders) and I have noticed the presence of Laotians here. Off course, just across the Mekong lies

Lao and if there were no borders, one could just walk or swim across.

Concerning their documentation, I hear from the grapevine locally that many of the Lao migrants either come through on a 'border pass' and don't return and there is also a rogue human transporter who brings in the Laotian by either land or river crossings illegally.

Many Laotians do not have in possession a passport, if they did, I believe the 30 day rule will apply.

[Jingthing]

Yes I wasn't talking about Lao tourists but Lao people who appear to live here at least semi-permanently. It makes sense to me that they can get legal working papers. Because of the cultural and language similarity it is probably much easier for them to blend in than for Cambodians and Burmese. I still suspect that Lao people who are here illegally are not the enforcement priority for Thai immigration that other groups are, including westerners.

[Pattaya46]

Here in Pattaya, there seem to be many Lao people and they seem to fit in much better than Cambodians and Burmese.

Hi Jingthing,

I think it's an interesting question.

I do agree with you that there are now many Lao people in/around Pattaya, living here.

I even see that there are many Lao ladies working now in bars and gogos.

I recently talk with one from Vientiane and when I tried to ask how she could work in Pattaya

(Visa, WP, ...) she seems to not understand what I was talking about...

To come Pattaya she only "asked for a paper at Lao side of the border"

and she is here working in Pattaya for about 6 months...

She is a nice lady. I hope she will not have problem there with immigration or police

but I do suppose many Lao people there are not in a legal situation.

[samran]

Yes I wasn't talking about Lao tourists but Lao people who appear to live here at least semi-permanently. It makes sense to me that they can get legal working papers. Because of the cultural and language similarity it is probably much easier for them to blend in than for Cambodians and Burmese. I still suspect that Lao people who are here illegally are not the enforcement priority for Thai immigration that other groups are, including westerners.

I doubt that westerners are anywhere near the top of the list, though I am sure some would like to think they are.

The ones who are are likely to be top of the pops are the Burmese and the Cambodians. I suspect Laoations are too, but they probably blend in a bit more. I've heard many, many stories of Burmese being pulled off local busses, stopped on the street etc and having their papers checked, or locked up until the sponsor can arrive with the papers.

One man I spoke to told of how in the factory areas, the only migrants who go outside their compound after work are the ones with legitimate papers....this same man, a factory owner himself, told of how his workers were basically rounded up and him being forced to pay 'fines' to have them released. He was in line next to me getting the paperwork for all his migrant workers in order, given that for him, having illegal migrant workers was too expensive in terms of fines.

No decent income streams in locking up the odd farang. Burmese on the other hand, cash cows.

[pjclark1]

There are many Hill tribe, Lao and Burmese people around in Thailand.

Many appear to be non-persons without ID from any country.

The police checkpoints around the country are looking to catch these people and ship them out.

I have asked several what happens if they get caught, if they don't have enough money for a bribe they are shipped out.

My Thai gf tells me she can get a reward for reporting such people to immigration.

("I share the reward with my brother in immigration" she says)

[Jingthing]

You are right. I was talking about ethnic Lao not Lao minorities.

[phuketrichard]

The ASEAN nations (Thailand and Laos included) have agreements that make the visa regulations a lot more lenient ( You don't have to pay to get in).

Totally untrue for Cambodians. They need a tourist visa same as everyone, ( its free till the 10 of march for eveyone) they do NOT get 15 days on land crossing but they can visit the border area with a pass.

They also CANNOT fly in and get 30 days either.

There are more untruths on this forum than in the thai senate