Hello all, I love coming on this site and reading others peoples things and news and sometimes commenting on them but now i have a few questions and i hope to get some answers since my visa is about to expire in about 2 weeks

1st, Latly i have been hearing of these so called red stamps in laos, are these just rumors and if not, what does it mean, does it mean i would not be allowed to enter laos again if i had one, or any other country for that matter (Unless i used a agent as ive been told)?

2nd, i read on this site that the free visas are going to continue through 2010, does this mean they are not ending in march or did i read that wrong?

thank you for your assistance

Since September last year there have been many reports of the Thai consulate at Vientiane putting red stamps in people’s passport (but still issuing visa this time round) where the consular staff consider the applicant is not a genuine tourist, having previously been issued with several back to back tourist visas. There have also been some reports of some nationals being declined a visa, but believe these were South East Asians. Reports also indicate using an agent made no difference at all. Further information can be found in this thread. We are still a couple of months away from the visas issued with red stamps expiring, so it is difficult to say what will happen at that time.

You do not say what your own visa situation is, so is hard to advise further. The previous MFA promotion on the free issue of single entry tourist visas was due to expire on 4th March 2010, but has recently been extended to the end of the year. More information here.

There is a report on visa from Phnom Penh after getting the red stamp in Vientiane.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Vientiane-Re...Pe-t330077.html