Visarun On Motrobike (srisaket-cambodia)

[galvheim]

Hi,

I just wonder if its possible to do a visarun on my motorbike. It's owned in my name and fully payed. I'm currently living in Srisaket and was planning to go to the Sang-Am checkpoint, as I did last year. But that time I only went to the immigration office and did not go on a visa-run. I have a non-immigrant "o" visa. Basicly I'm just wondering if they will allow me to drive my bike outside Thailand or allow me to enter Cambodia with it. Also I wonder if anyone know how far inside Camobdia I will find the checkpoint in Cambodia, where they will stamp my entry. I have only looked in google earth, and it didn't give me any clues. Some people say its about 60 kilometers from the border, but seems like they are guessing.

Hope some of you have experience about this, and know how this works. Its of course possible to hire a car and do it the easy way, but I thought it would be more interesting driving there myself.

Skål.

[flexxx]

Hi galvheim,

I live in srisaket and visit Chong Sang-Am often on a 90 day visa run. They will NOT allow you to enter Cambodia with your bike or car for that matter. To take a vehicle across the border you need all sorts of paperwork from the Thai dept of transport, basically a visa for your car/bike.

However you do not need to drive into Cambodia. The border crossing is only about 4kms further on from the immigration office on the same street. Drive past the immigration office and you will come to what looks like a market on the left, drive through the market and at the end is the border crossing.

Leave your bike parked there and walk. It's 50 metres to the Thai departure/arrival office, then another 50 metres to the Cambodian checkpoint.

Be prepared. When you enter Cambodia, 20 metres after the manned checkpoint there is a small visa office/hut on the left, you go there first and pay 1000 baht for a full page 30 day visa, you need a photo. When you want to leave you go to the 'official' arrivals/departure office which is opposite the visa hut and pay 200 or 300 baht (I forget) for your entry and exit stamps. Cross back into Thailand return to the arrival/departure office and get your new entry stamp for 100 baht. Total cost 1300-1400 baht.

If you question the fees or get mouthy with them you will have a very hard time, I've seen it happen to people complaining about the Cambodian 'exit fee' and the 100 baht on the Thai side, so pay up and be on your way within 15 mins total. It's very quiet there hardly any foreigners use this crossing so it's very quick and the officials on both sides are surprisingly very pleasant provided you give the same respect in return. There is a little market on the Cambodian side if you want to have a walk around, has some cheap stuff but nothing special. DON"T buy any Thai brand products eg tobacco/alcohol, it will be confiscated as fake produce. If you want to buy something make sure it's not a Thai brand name.

Have a good ride, the street up to the border is a nice windy mountain road, but extremely pot-holed and lots of loose rock on the street from the mountain side so be very careful.

Sorry I meant stay on the main road, drive past the turning for the immigration office and go straight on.

[galvheim]

Thanks a lot mate! That was quick and very thorough! I will keep your advise. I have driven this way before and from living up here you get quickly used to potholes everwhere. As you have pointed out there is really no need to take the bike inside Cambodia, and definently not worth the trouble you describe. As mantioned I have a non-immmigrant visa O, so I may not have to pay so much. But usually they have some charges for somthing. But thats ok.

Other than that, there was a guy who told me that there was some Tour-company here in Srisaket that had trips every day. And as the name, Lottery-Tours (or somthing like that), implies they are specialiced in driving Thais across the border to play casino. There was no pressure for playing they said, so if you just wanted to go take a look and then return and get your stamps done in the same time, this was a very low-cost option that he could reccommend.

Since I live in KhuKhan it is not too far away from the border too, so I will stick to the motorbike idea for the moment.

Anyway, thanks a lot again for your answer!

[flexxx]

I always see lots of Thais crossing the border there but very few foreigners and never knew why! It really is dead there, a small market each side of the border and nothing else. Stupid me! I should have known there must be a gambling den or something there lol.

Can't say I've ever heard of the tours though, never see buses there, only lots of Thais with their own transport.

I have a non O but not for marriage so I have to go out and in every 90 days. Very easy there but still have to pay the fees! I've done Mukdahan to Laos a couple of times but it's far too busy there lots of foreigners and casino tours and you have to wait for buses to cross the friendship bridge. Also same deal with vehicle paper work there too.

Good luck though hope you do get a break on the fees, and watch out for those rocks! Let me know how you get on.

[astral]

I don't know about bikes, but I have taken my car into Cambodia

When you arrive at the border tell immigration that you want to take the bike.

You will need the log book with you (Tabien Lod) which must be in your name.

They will take a photocopy of the log book, then you go to the Thai customs and fill

in a form to saying you are temporarily exporting the vehicle.

You get a copy of this to help smooth the way when you come back.

You are now free to cross the border.

After clearing immigration in Cambodia you need to visit their customs office

and pay a small fee for importing the bike.

You should take great care to lock the bike as securely as possible whilst outside Thailand.

Rumour has it that bikes get stolen, but I cannot verify that.

I had no problems with my car and I took it over at least 3 times.