Cambodia Visa Run

[boarbaboon]

Hi Everyone

I have used this forum often to get advice on different topics and found it a great help and i just thought id give something back in form of a short guide to getting a visa from the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh. This is the only place i have ever obtained a visa and have found it very stress free and relaxed.

First you will have to get to Phnom Penh, there are two routes possible to take from Thailand one being through the south which i only have traveled from Phnom Penh to Bangkok and found although it is more scenic it is much more expensive and not much quicker due to the hills etc, but it may be different from BKK.

The second route is the more used Aran-Poipet crossing. This border crossing has vastly improved over the last few years due to completion of the roads and the free shuttle bus which takes you to the only bus station in town. Buses from BKK Mo Chit  Station start at 3:30am (private only) public start at 6:30am and take between three to four hours to the border. I woukld sugest taking the private buses as although more expensive they are quicker and take you direct to the border. If you take a public bus it will drop you well before the border and you will have to continbue with a tuk-tuk (80baht). Please be aware that thase tuk tuks will take you to a travel agency before the border, where well spoken cambodians will try everything to sell you a khmer visa for double the price, i suggest to stay in the tuk tuk and telll the driver to take you to the border. WARNING! Do not let a tout get in tuk-tuk with you. The tuk tuk should then take you to a second travel agency just before the border in which case ignore the touts again and contiune to the border walking. 

Get through thai immigration and continue over the small bridge ignore more touts again trying to sell more visas and arrive at the Cambodian immigration post, here you will be able to purchase your visa tourist $20 and business $25. Immigration here may ask for 100baht extra for a 'processing' fee, and its up to you to pay it or not. Collect your passport, cross the road and carry on past the casinos to the Cambodia border. You may be met and helped with luggage by workers from the capitol tours or soyra bus companies from the cambodian side, distinguished by yellow or blue shirt smart shoes and trousers and a id badge, these are the good guys and will guide you to the free shuttle bus and the bus station where you can get a bus or share taxi to Phnom Penh also, siem reap, battambang etc. Again ignore the taxi touts as they will tell everything to get you in their over priced taxi. Buses to Phnom Penh cost around $22 and Siem Reap $12, like stated before roads have varstly improved and to siem reap takes 3-4 hours and phnom penh 6-7 hours.

Once in phnom penh i would advise you call this guy a ring his name is Sita and he is phnom penh born and bred and unlike some tuk-tuk drivers obliviously knows the place very well. He is very honest and also has alot of contacts and will sort almost anything for you weather you want to spend a little or alot its up to you. Also unlike alot of tuk-tuk drivers he will always try and get you the best deal on  almost everything. You can contact him on +855 (0)92397765. Once you have found a hotel with him ($10-$150 per night) tell him you need to get a thai visa in which case he will organize a agent to come and collect your passport, two passport photos (if you havent got these Sita will take you to have them done $2) give you a form to fill in and relive you of around $15-$20 for the service plus the visa fee which i think is currently still free. This service usually will take to the next day usually late afternoon in which time you may ask Sita to take you round the sights or just relax. The next day if you like Sita will collect your passport with your visa from the agent`and if you want will buy tickets back to bangkok $12-$25 for the next morning. Pay Sita ($10-$30 up to you) stay the last night and take the bus in the morning for Bangkok or you could make more of a holiday out of it.

So in summary:

Trip Length: 3-5 days 

Total Avg Cost: 4500-5000 Baht 

Difficulty Rating: 4/10

Hope this of help to anyone

Regards

[thailife69]

Hi,

Sounds like a great deal for sita. You just spent half a journey avoiding travel and visa agents.

Landing in PP you walk straight into the arm of an agent. Why? sounds like poor advice to me.

Might be best in the classified section.

if money is not an issue. so much easier to find a travel agent in BKK. Travel to border from BKK in VIP Bus comfort. Guided through immigration on all sides with an express walk through service. Stay in Poi Pet 2 nights in comfortable hotel while waiting for your passport to return.

Total trip 3 days , 2 nights, seven meals included. VIP service from Travel Agent. All for slightly more than but with far less pain.

Difficutly rating 1 out of 10

Edited May 16, 2010 by thailife69

[roskruge]

boarbaboon You said the Cambodian tourist visa was $20. I have for the last 4 years being paying 1,000.00 Baht that is about US$32.00. I have found the 100 fee is only if you are returning to Thailand straight away (on a visa run), but for the last year that seems to have stopped. But you can if you wish pay extra at the visa post and they will stamp you in and out of Cambodia in one hit saves the wasting time at the in and out que.

At the public bus station in Aranyapathet (about 8km from border) there is a regular "samlor' a truck of pickup to the border (10 or 15 Baht), it is made up of locals. When I got on I ask if it was going to Cambodia and they all repeated "Cambodia" I did not mean literally but they did.

We all got of the truck on the Cambodia side of the border. I then had the awkward task of getting to the Thai side of the border to go through Thai departures. Ideal if you want to leave Thailand illegally but I did not want to.

I also would not recommend the use of "touts" in Phnom Penh. I would take the trouble to find the Thai Embassy myself.

[jdean]

You do not need an agent to get your visa in PP as the embassy is within easy walking distance of most hotels (unlike Penang). You just get there in the morning, take a number from the guard booth on the right side of the entrance, wait in air con comfort until your number is called and then return in the afternoon of the 2nd day. Simple!

[boarbaboon]

Hi Everyone 

I dont mean to promote the use of touts nor have i said you need to use them, i just wanted to give my guide to crossing the border and getting a thai visa. I have read a few posts in the past of people wanting advice on the border crossing and obtaining a thai visa, but have actually read few posts giving much updated detail. The reason i have to mention my tuk-tuk driver is of course because he is in the business of tourism and sight seeing and like any good business i feel he deserves a mention. I have used him for many years not only for tourist purposes but also business purposes and it was only last year due to the change in the 30 day visa free entry that i was forced to get a visa, thus him contacting the agent.  You can after all go to the embassy yourself no problem but i found it a great ease after traveling most the day from siem reap just to give my passport in the evening and chill out the next day instead of having to waste time on the embassy.

This is what i have experienced and want to inform others of, please dont shoot me!

thailife 69: admittedly your way is easier but out of interest how much would that cost from BKK? 

[thaiphoon]

thailife 69: admittedly your way is easier but out of interest how much would that cost from BKK? 

One of the visa run companies is advertising at 5,800 baht from Bkk including hotel/meals.

[Colabamumbai]

When you say "private bus" from MoChit. Where do you find these private buses. I want to go and stay in Cambodia for a few days. I do not need a visa to get back into Thailand. I will have the Cambodian visa.

[tropo]

I've already posted this on another thread or 2, but there's one company in Pattaya which does it (double entry tourist visas) for 3,500, everything included. It's only one night in a Poipet hotel.

[visarunner]

I've already posted this on another thread or 2, but there's one company in Pattaya which does it (double entry tourist visas) for 3,500, everything included. It's only one night in a Poipet hotel.

May be for Filipinos . Farangs have to pay more due to Visa and other fees.

Companies from Bangkok offer this trip for between THB 4,900.- to THB 6,500.- for Farangs and for about THB 2,500.- for Filipinos.

[tropo]

I've already posted this on another thread or 2, but there's one company in Pattaya which does it (double entry tourist visas) for 3,500, everything included. It's only one night in a Poipet hotel.

May be for Filipinos . Farangs have to pay more due to Visa and other fees.

Companies from Bangkok offer this trip for between THB 4,900.- to THB 6,500.- for Farangs and for about THB 2,500.- for Filipinos.

Farang only have to add 1000 baht for their Cambodian visa. These figures you present don't make any sense. There's no way a Bangkok company does this service for Filipinos for 2,500 and there's also no way they would charge Farang 2,400 extra for a Cambodian visa. There are no other fee differences between Filipino and Farang.

I'm not making these figures up as I have friends who have done this visa run twice this year (In Jan and May)

[NgoSawat]

Hey guys, I need to do another tourist visa run soon. Would like to try Cambodia as I've only gone to Laos previously for tourist visas. I'd like to go with a service that takes me from Bangkok to the border, stay one night and return the following day with a double entry TV. Can anyone please supply links and/or phone numbers to agents? Is a double entry possible using an agent?

[Colabamumbai]

Hey guys, I need to do another tourist visa run soon. Would like to try Cambodia as I've only gone to Laos previously for tourist visas. I'd like to go with a service that takes me from Bangkok to the border, stay one night and return the following day with a double entry TV. Can anyone please supply links and/or phone numbers to agents? Is a double entry possible using an agent?

Google Jackgolf the phone number will be there. They are on Sukumvit near Asoke they can answer your questions and provide transportation, and golf as well if you would like that. Buses leave daily at 5a.m. except Mondays.

[NgoSawat]

Thanks, tried to call them but no answer. According to website they only do single entry.

[Colabamumbai]

Call this place, the do runs to Laos where you should be able to get double entry P.B. tours 02 713 2498 or 089 024 5255 2 Australian friends went with their service and recommended it to me.