Frienship Bridge

[Colabamumbai]

Is the border open Sundays between Thailand and Laos? Is it any faster if you already have Laotian visa?

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Yes to both Qs, especially so if you already have a Lao visa, and a load of non-Thai tourists shows up just before you get to Lao Immigration to request the Visa On Arrival form and the Arrival/Departure card. Be sure to take a photo for the visa, too.

Mac

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Yes to both Qs, especially so if you already have a Lao visa, and a load of non-Thai tourists shows up just before you get to Lao Immigration to request the Visa On Arrival form and the Arrival/Departure card. Be sure to take a photo for the visa, too.

Mac

Ah, should balance my comment above with the time it takes to get a Lao visa in Khon Kaen or Bangkok. I usually don't bother and have only been skunked once on the Lao side, this after about 12 visits in the last three years.

Mac

[Colabamumbai]

Yes to both Qs, especially so if you already have a Lao visa, and a load of non-Thai tourists shows up just before you get to Lao Immigration to request the Visa On Arrival form and the Arrival/Departure card. Be sure to take a photo for the visa, too.

Mac

Ah, should balance my comment above with the time it takes to get a Lao visa in Khon Kaen or Bangkok. I usually don't bother and have only been skunked once on the Lao side, this after about 12 visits in the last three years.

Mac

Thanks Mac I have the application and the photos I will just do it at the border , as per your suggestion. I don't need a Thai visa in Laos as have one year visa.

[tropo]

Went across on Tuesday. It took about 10 minutes to get my Laos visa. At the very worst I've had to wait about 40 minutes.

Edited June 11, 2010 by tropo

[Colabamumbai]

Went across on Tuesday. It took about 10 minutes to get my Laos visa. At the very worst I've had to wait about 40 minutes.

Thanks again it has been 35 years since I went to Laos and there was no Friendship Bridge. The Pathet Lao were in charge and you did not know if the armed 14 year olds' were going to shoot you when you walked passed them.

[RubbaJohnny]

Is it practical to arrive Udon thani Airport at 1630 from Phuket and get a minibus to Nong Khai and reach Laos same night.

If not where is better to overnight N Khia or U Thani.I am in no hurry and budget not important

My friend will meet me on the Lao side of Frienship Bridge as despite passable Thai have never dealt with

local officials.

Prefer arrive evening so he does not have to miss work to meet me AM

Is there a last time to arrive with no visa please?

Edited June 11, 2010 by RubbaJohnny

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Yes to both Qs, especially so if you already have a Lao visa, and a load of non-Thai tourists shows up just before you get to Lao Immigration to request the Visa On Arrival form and the Arrival/Departure card. Be sure to take a photo for the visa, too.

Mac

Ah, should balance my comment above with the time it takes to get a Lao visa in Khon Kaen or Bangkok. I usually don't bother and have only been skunked once on the Lao side, this after about 12 visits in the last three years.

Mac

Thanks Mac I have the application and the photos I will just do it at the border , as per your suggestion. I don't need a Thai visa in Laos as have one year visa.

"have a one year visa," Thai, I presume. A "visa" or an "extension of a Non-O visa?" If the latter, hope you have a re-entry permit.

Mac

[Colabamumbai]

Yes to both Qs, especially so if you already have a Lao visa, and a load of non-Thai tourists shows up just before you get to Lao Immigration to request the Visa On Arrival form and the Arrival/Departure card. Be sure to take a photo for the visa, too.

Mac

Ah, should balance my comment above with the time it takes to get a Lao visa in Khon Kaen or Bangkok. I usually don't bother and have only been skunked once on the Lao side, this after about 12 visits in the last three years.

Mac

Thanks Mac I have the application and the photos I will just do it at the border , as per your suggestion. I don't need a Thai visa in Laos as have one year visa.

"have a one year visa," Thai, I presume. A "visa" or an "extension of a Non-O visa?" If the latter, hope you have a re-entry permit.

Mac

It is an Ed visa, do I need a re-entry permit from the Thai Embassy in Vientiene?

[lopburi3]

A re-entry permit is only issued by Immigration inside Thailand and only keeps your current permitted to stay time alive.

I suspect you have a multi entry ED visa and each entry gets you a 90 day permitted to stay? If that is the case just cross into Laos and return for a new 90 day entry.

[NADTATIDA1]

Is it practical to arrive Udon thani Airport at 1630 from Phuket and get a minibus to Nong Khai and reach Laos same night.

If not where is better to overnight N Khia or U Thani.I am in no hurry and budget not important

My friend will meet me on the Lao side of Frienship Bridge as despite passable Thai have never dealt with

local officials.

Prefer arrive evening so he does not have to miss work to meet me AM

Is there a last time to arrive with no visa please?

Open til 10pm so no problem for you to reach the border at all in a taxi or mini bus from the airport,i would get there for 9pm to be safe.

Edited June 11, 2010 by NADTATIDA1

[Colabamumbai]

A re-entry permit is only issued by Immigration inside Thailand and only keeps your current permitted to stay time alive.

I suspect you have a multi entry ED visa and each entry gets you a 90 day permitted to stay? If that is the case just cross into Laos and return for a new 90 day entry.

I think that you are correct.

[My Friend Same]

Tropo correct, those visas at the border are super fast, especially at night and on a sunday. Tropo, why you go to Laos this time? I thought all your visa stuff was sorted with you and wife or just holidaying?

[tropo]

Tropo correct, those visas at the border are super fast, especially at night and on a sunday. Tropo, why you go to Laos this time? I thought all your visa stuff was sorted with you and wife or just holidaying?

I went with my wife to score a non-Immigrant O visa for her. Picked it up on Wednesday and got the one year extension on Thursday, so it's happy days now. No more visa runs and next extension not until July 25, 2011.

[tropo]

Is it practical to arrive Udon thani Airport at 1630 from Phuket and get a minibus to Nong Khai and reach Laos same night.

If not where is better to overnight N Khia or U Thani.I am in no hurry and budget not important

My friend will meet me on the Lao side of Frienship Bridge as despite passable Thai have never dealt with

local officials.

Prefer arrive evening so he does not have to miss work to meet me AM

Is there a last time to arrive with no visa please?

Absolutely no trouble at all to go all the way to Vientiane. I've done the 16:30 arrival a number of times myself. If you take the airport limousine service (minivan) for 200 baht you'll be at the border at 17:30. You'll be through to the other side with Laos visa in hand before 18:30. Vientiane by 19:00.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

has anyone arrived airport at 18:30 at udon thani(UTH) and made it thru okay?

Is that cutting it too close to the 22:00 crossing close?

is the above 2 hours for transit and Laos visa issuance a reasonable length of time to budget?

[NADTATIDA1]

has anyone arrived airport at 18:30 at udon thani(UTH) and made it thru okay?

Is that cutting it too close to the 22:00 crossing close?

is the above 2 hours for transit and Laos visa issuance a reasonable length of time to budget?

As long as you get a taxi or mini bus you should be fine,the latest i would arrive at the Nong Khai side would be 9pm and you should easily do it before then.You will most probably arrive at the border around 7.30pm -8pm at the latest, 30 minutes from exiting Thailand and having your Laos visa in hand i think 8-30pm -9pm you will be done,it is a quiet time entering Laos at the time your doing and also a good time,so easy no worries at all!

[tropo]

has anyone arrived airport at 18:30 at udon thani(UTH) and made it thru okay?

Is that cutting it too close to the 22:00 crossing close?

is the above 2 hours for transit and Laos visa issuance a reasonable length of time to budget?

It takes on average 2 1/2 hours from Udon to hotel in the morning when it's busy. I'm sure you can do that in 2 hours when you arrive late and it's quiet. You may even manage 1 1/2 hours.

[My Friend Same]

Congrats Tropo, I've been reading about your battles to stay here with her for years now it seems. You're set now. I take it you decided not to gamble with getting the Non-O in Cambo and went to your well known Laos instead or perhaps the Laos trip was even cheaper. I'm headed to Cambo soon but not for a visa run, just a 3 month activation and a wonderful night in PP. LOL

[tropo]

Congrats Tropo, I've been reading about your battles to stay here with her for years now it seems. You're set now. I take it you decided not to gamble with getting the Non-O in Cambo and went to your well known Laos instead or perhaps the Laos trip was even cheaper. I'm headed to Cambo soon but not for a visa run, just a 3 month activation and a wonderful night in PP. LOL

Thanks. It's been a long battle and costing around 60,000 a year for the both of us.

For the non-O I compared the costs of going to KL, Singapore, Penang, Phnom Penh and Vientiane. Only Vientiane and KL could be done in a one night stayover due to flight schedules. I was booking only 8 days in advance as I was waiting on my wife's new passport and didn't know exactly when it was going to arrive and her stamp was due to run out on June 10. With such short notice the KL flights were too expensive. Still, it cost about 14K not including the visa.

Edited June 12, 2010 by tropo