Good News From Poipet Visa Run

[SoiGirlHunter]

Well did a visa run to Poipet a few days ago, hired a car to take me. Right at the same time i was severely sick with a stomach flu, felt like vomiting the whole way there,

what a miserable ride. i get there and felt so bad i just grabbed one of the evil scum touts to do the paperwork and run me thru the gauntlet, i was still on the edge of vomiting.

So i get thru exiting thailand and scumbag tout want the usual police bribe to stamp in and out but wants 600 baht, i said f u i know the bribe is 400 baht, so he agrees

and he tells me to sit at the usual bribing offices. Well he comes out nervous as heck and says you have to talk police, so i walk inside to see a police officer taking a

a photo of my passport and asks me to sit down. i am thinking oh here we go another scam. He asked me how much did you pay for cam visa, i said 1000 baht and

i give police usually 400 baht for police to stamp me in and out quickly. He said sternly "so you bribing police?". my heart sinks and i say no this is normal. He says sternly "i never want see you pay police again, if police ask you for bribe again you tell them you want to talk to Tourist police. Or come to my office (last office on right hand

side). Then he calls in the tout, and tells me to leave. He starts yelling at the tout and i quickly got on my way. the scumbag tout eventually catches up to me still demanding the 400 baht bribe, i said no big police tell me not pay. he keeps hounding me as i am moving thru the system getting back into thailand. i keep repeating

police say no. Finally he starts getting realy angry and i am now just laughing at him. I walked off into thailand without paying,

so if they try to bribe you there ask for the tourist or go to that last office on the right.

[chrisinbangkok]

nice one, lets hope he keeps it up, next time keep your head down tho:)

[inthepink]

Are you talking about paying the Cambodian officials to stamp you out on the same day or Thai officials? The most I ever paid the Cambodians was 100 baht and that was just to avoid a long argument but I wasn't aware they had Cambodian tourist police at the border, or have I misunderstood your post?

[welo]

Are you talking about paying the Cambodian officials to stamp you out on the same day or Thai officials? The most I ever paid the Cambodians was 100 baht and that was just to avoid a long argument but I wasn't aware they had Cambodian tourist police at the border, or have I misunderstood your post?

I never heard of any bribing in Poipet with Thai Immigration - I assume OP talks about Cambodian officers.

100 THB is the tea money they sometimes collect when you want to return the very same day that you arrive in Cambodia (border run). I was never asked and have never paid this 'fee'.

You could always tell them that you go to the Casino area I guess - they will hardly trouble Casino customers.

300-400 THB is the 'fee' for not having to queue at the Cambodian immigration exit and entry counters. I guess this makes sense when there is a long queue and/or for holders of a Non-O retirement visa

1000THB for the Cambodian visa includes quite a hefty tea-money, the offical visa costs are USD 20, which would be about 650 Baht.

So which bribe did the officer complain about?

[thomo]

Why did you pay 1000b and not US$20?

[SoiGirlHunter]

Why did you pay 1000b and not US$20?

Well i was pretty sick and tout insisted on the 1000 baht and i just wanted it over quick

The nice tourist police officer, i am pretty sure he said (his english was not good) i could go to his

office and he would personally stamp me in and out.

[welo]

That is a nice offer indeed!

However, if they want to get things done correctly at the border I am not so sure this is the right way to do it, bypassing the official immigration procedure

Maybe I am cynical, but I still wonder whether he maybe just wants to get his share of the visa bribe money. I remember months ago when they started construction work on the new building and put up the containers on the right hand side just after the stone arc (coming from Thailand), they lured me into one of the 'offices' there to give me the 1000 THB visa. It might as well have been the Tourist Police office, but I'm not 100% sure.

But thanks for the report.

When talking about the Cambodian visa I always like to point out the possibility of getting an evisa when still 'at home'. You need an internet connection, a digital photo of yours, a credit card and a printer and there you go to http://www.mfaic.gov.kh/evisa/. Have done it many times now (and so have others on this forum), the billing process is done by a company in Singapore. This time the visa has been issued within minutes, before it used to take maybe 4-5 hours. Best to apply 2-3 days before embarking on your visa run. Costs are 20 USD plus 5 USD fee - you take a printout of the evisa and go straight to the Cambodian immigration, no need to deal with the visa-on-arrival guys.

welo

[BruceMangosteen]

In PoiPet, when you enter Thailand, you walk through the check and customs on the left side.

Then you walk perhaps 20 meters, and turn right on a bridge to the market and TukTuk's. On the left is a white building.

Are you required to stop again and subject yourself to another search there?

I talked with one guy who went there without cause because of a "sign" or something and had a bad result. Searched etc..

Is that stop or wave along part of the process? Thank You.

[welo]

I think yes, that's the actual customs check for persons, the one before the turn is for vehicles - at least that's my interpretation.

I always thought it is official because

1. you have signs that point the way for ladies and gents - scams usually don't have any permanent installments, but I might be wrong

2. every time I passed the border in Poipet there were officers sitting there, even though they hardly ever check westerners. I've been checked maybe 1 out of 10 times.

welo

[ozzieovaseas]

Correct me if wrong but i think the Op is talking about the younger guys that accost you as soon as you get off the bus (or car in his case) on the Thai side of the border??.

They will follow you through the whole time trying to scam you into paying them 600 baht to arrange easy passage through thai immigration and cambodia..but funny they quickly dissapear when in range of the Thai immigration point though...thats the first sign!

They have fake uniforms and fake id's and have nothing to do with police or immigration of either countries...They are just bullsh!tters.

One of these ba$tards follwed me last year, they wanted 600baht to go through and get the visa but when i told this guy i already had a pre arranged Cam visa, he then had the balls to change his story and say that there was a 600 baht transit fee on people who come in and out on the same day...and i could pay it to him!!!!...unbelievable how stupid these people think we are!

So,this pretty went on all day long,with various touts following me and hanging around..in the end i was sick of it and i was nearly ready to rip someone a new assh0le.

For that trip I went on a Poipet-casino linked bus to the border from the local Big c in Bangkok.

The cost was only 400 baht return and included a free meal ticket at the casino..which is a very cheap way of doing it, but i just dont think its worth the hassle of having to shoo these guys away constantly all day long..they're like a bunch of blo0dy flies buzzing about and wont leave you alone. i've never seen anything like it in the countries ive been to.

One guy even tried to take me to fake booth he claimed was an immigration point..and the guy in the booth had a fake uniform and all!!!!...and he asked for some amount of money, ive got no clue what for..I just laughed away. In the end i had to walk to the nearest international hotel and ask them where the cam immigration point was because of paranoi about the fake ones

The whole charade was nothing short of absolutley disgusting.

Well, im glad to hear about the cambodian official the op talks about.

When you say the last office on the right...do you mean the window on the right of cambodian immigration where you go to get stamped into cambodia?

I often wonder why punters dont get the online visa for cambodia? or is this a scam as well?

I got my last visa from Cam embassy in Bangkok but the guy was not gonna do sqat unless i gave him 1200 baht. as far as i know it was supposed to be 1000

Well, i have to do the trip again in a week or so and am dreading it. Does anyone know of a good visa run company to cambodia?

I dont need a new visa, just to activate my second entry of double..

Also, are the fees of cambodian visa included in the companies visa run fee?

I think a few thousand baht is worth the hassle of not having to deal with these P!#$%s again

[david555]

i do not understand why you all go by yourself , i do my border runs to Cambodia by a MINIVAN with max 9 peoples , pick us up 06 H to 630 h and leave , by 11 where at Ban Laen border , whee just leave Thailand by ourself , and from then the organizer take care for all , whee go eat casino , 30 min. later whee come back , pick passports up and enter passports in hand Thailand again , latest 2 clock afternoon back in Pattaya ...... ALL COMPLETE for 2000 Bath..... why trouble your selfs:thumbsup:

[inthepink]

From BKK, Jackgolf are the easiest I've used. 2000 baht all in, includes a buffet breakfast when you get there, while they run around and sort the stamps out. They do leave very early though, about 5am if I remember correctly and are back in Sukhumvit about 2pm. They also use a coach which I prefer to a cramped minibus and there is a toilet onboard (although you have to really want to go to use it, it's nothing to boast about).

Edited July 18, 2010 by inthepink

[welo]

I do get the online visa maybe 2 days before departure, ignore the touts (smile, "no thank you", smile, "have evisa already", smile, I ignore everything after that), and consider Poipet a rather effective border crossing.

Nothing wrong with visa run agencies, especially on your first visa/border run. I personally think Poipet is not as horrible as some people paint it if you know where to go and what to do.

welo

[BruceMangosteen]

I personally think Poipet is not as horrible as some people paint it if you know where to go and what to do.

welo

If one were to take advantage of one of those packages where you spend two nights in the Tropicana Casino Hotel, the agent running your passport to Phnom Penh to secure a tourist VISA, perhaps double entry?...

Can you still, with just a photo copy?, enter the zone beyond the casinos' and take advantage of the various restaurants and nightlight on offer? Do they actually check your passport either direction, at night? Thanks.

[welo]

I personally think Poipet is not as horrible as some people paint it if you know where to go and what to do.

welo

If one were to take advantage of one of those packages where you spend two nights in the Tropicana Casino Hotel, the agent running your passport to Phnom Penh to secure a tourist VISA, perhaps double entry?...

Can you still, with just a photo copy?, enter the zone beyond the casinos' and take advantage of the various restaurants and nightlight on offer? Do they actually check your passport either direction, at night? Thanks.

I always stay within the Casino area in 'No man's land' (not within the building, but within the area) - my agent brought me a copy of passport (main page, cambodian visa, stamp, arrival card) and said they ARE picky about it, but I guess you could go into Poipet. Not my thing though. By 'knowing where to go' I was referring to the border crossing. If you know how to get form Thai immigration to Cambodian immigration and back, you can easily ignore the touts and their 'stories'.

welo

[ozzieovaseas]

I can appreciate what other posters have alluded to..after doing the border once it is invariably easier the next time..

However, my thoughts of late considering my own habits:

A. MIN: Cam visa online, finding reliable net cafe,printer (850baht) + bus fare (400) not taking into account any unforseen cost factors and presuming you go in and out without spending anything

=1250baht

B. MAX: Cam visa from embassy BK or on arrival (1000-1200baht) + bus fare (400) + food or sundries,gambling, ect while you wait for afternoon bus (allow at least 500)

=2100baht

C. Border run bus

=2000baht all up: straight there and back,no suprises

A few lines of thought:

A: Cash to be saved

B: Not much extra to spend but still having the stress of doing everything yourself.

C: Possibly less than B, with the advantage of knowing 2000 is all you need spend, and not having to deal with scammers and other unkown hassles.

FOR MINE- A and B will always have unknown factors and having to deal with scammers and any other crap that might happen on the day..

A border tun bus at 2000 baht is worth every extra penny in knowing ALL the expenses and having no hassles...

then again maybe im just gettin old