Laos Visa Run Completed

[samadhi]

Play-by-play of my recent Vientiane visa run by Samadhi.

PRELUDE: Lao Visa in Bangkok

Note: Getting your Lao Visa ahead of time can save time at the Laos border and also enables you to take a direct international bus from Thailand to Laos if you so choose. The visa cost is the same. Lao Embassy Bangkok, 502/1-3 Soi SahaKanPramun, Racha Uthit Road, Wangthonglang, Bangkok. Tel: 02-539-6667, 6668. Web: www.bkklaoembassy.com. Hours: M-F 8:00-12:00/13:00-16:00. Note: closed on Lao and Thai holidays.

Getting there: MRT to Thailand Cultural Center station. Taxi to Lao Embassy: ฿60.

At the Lao Embassy: don't wait outside. Tell the guard you have a visa application and go inside. You may have to knock on the window to hand in your documents.

Required documents for Lao Tourist Visa (30-day, non-extendable):

* Visa Application (you can download from the website or pick up at window.)

* 1 passport-sized photo [web site says 2]

* Passport (6-months minimum remaining)

* ฿1400 (USA) + ฿200 1-hour express service [recommended] Note: If you don't pay for express service you must pick up passport next business day.

THAI CONSULAR OFFICE, VIENTIANE, LAOS

Unit 15, Bourichane Road, Ban Phosinaun, Muang Si Sattanak, Vientiane. Web: vientiane.thaiembassy.org. Hours: M-F 8:30-12:00/13:00-15:00. Note: closed on Lao and Thai holidays. Visas are processed at the Thai Consulate on Bourichane Road, not the Royal Thai Embassy on Phovihane Avenue. Applications are accepted only in the morning from 8:30-12:00. Passports are picked up the FOLLOWING AFTERNOON from 13:00-15:00. I observed many vain attempts but there is no way around the overnight waiting period.

BANGKOK to UDONTHANI

Air Asia 7:10 AM flight from Suvarnabhumi Int'l Airport (economy round-trip ticket ฿3,250. inclusive.) Notes: slower travel options include bus (8 hrs.) and train (11 hrs.) Direct service from Bangkok to Vientiane is hard to find. Since my goal was to get to the Thai Consular Office before 12:00 I took the fastest option through Udonthani.

UDONTHANI to NONGKHAI

From Udonthani Int'l Airport your best option is the Airport Limousine Service available in the lobby (crowded air-con van ฿200). Vans depart after every flight. Travel time: apx. 45 min. ther options: Thailand-Lao PDR International Bus Service departs from Udonthani Bus Station (0700, 0930, 1500) direct to Vientiane (plus border stops) ฿80. Note: to use the International bus you must have your Lao Visa in advance as the bus will not wait for you to obtain an on-arrival visa at the border!

@ NONGKHAI

Disembark at the Thai border in Nongkhai to have your passport stamped by Thai Immigration. Note: the majority of Thais are filling out their Arrival/Departure Cards now. My departure card is in my passport. But this an opportune time to grab a blank Thai Arrival/Departure card for the return trip across the Thai border!

ACROSS THE FRIENDSHIP BRIDGE

The International Bus service will take you across. Otherwise, pay ฿15 for the shuttle bus across the Mekong River.

LAOS IMMIGRATION

If you don't already have a Lao Visa, wait in line at the "Visa On Arrival" window (฿1400.) If you already have a visa, fill out a Laos Arrival Card and proceed to Lao Immigration. Notes: I couldn't find the arrival card (you have to cut in line and ask at the window) so I paid a tout ฿20 to fill one out. I estimate I saved at least 30 minutes by obtaining my Lao Visa ahead of time.

LAOS BORDER TO VIENTIANE

The International Bus picks you up again after passing through Thai Immigration. Otherwise, you must arrange transport into Vientiane. A taxi driver offered to take me directly to the Thai Embassy (Consulate) for ฿300. It was now 0930 and I had to get there before noon so I accepted.

@ THAI CONSULATE, VIENTIANE

Outside the consular building touts offer to hand in your application for you so you don't have to wait in line for around ฿3000. They will also make copies, take photos, etc. for negotiable fees. It was only 1030 so I chose to wait. However, it was Monday and the crowd was huge so I accepted his offer for a lower queue ticket for ฿300. Walk in the gate and proceed towards the outdoor application window. First take a queue number from the ticket machine! Complete the application form and turn in the paperwork at the window when your number is called. You do not pay at this same window, save your queue ticket because you will need the same number to pay the fee in the indoor office. Notes: by the time I arrived over 400 tickets were issued but the ticket I paid the tout for was #240. The current number being called was #152. I waited about an hour for my number to be called. It was never actually called; the LED display skipped ahead to #270 so I immediately got in line in front of the window and they took my application. I requested a single entry (60-day) Tourist Visa. It appeared that double-entry (120-day) visas were obtainable. But then again, I have no prior multiple-entry visas in my passport.

Required documents for Thai Tourist Visa (60-day, extendable):

* Visa Application form

* 2 passport-sized photos

* Copies of all filled passport pages

* Passport (6 months remaining validity)

[note: proof of funds and travel were not requested]

APPLICATION FEE

฿1000 per entry for Tourist Visa (US citizen). Go inside the office, take a seat, and wait for your number to be called (same queue ticket you used to turn in your application). Pay attention, as numbers are not called sequentially. And don't bother trying cutting in line because they won't know the amount until your paperwork arrives. After paying the non-refundable fee, SAVE YOUR RECEIPT because you need it to get your passport back the next day.

@ VIENTIANE

I disdain touts so walk past them to the main street and grab a motorcycle taxi into the city center (less than 1K). Or go ahead and negotiate a tuk-tuk for about ฿30-40. Beware overcharging taxi drivers who will take you to an overpriced hotel. I booked my room ahead of time on www.agoda.com. COULD NOT FIND A BEER LAO DARK IN ANY BAR! Had to settle for ABC Stout. Finally found a bottle in a wine shop. Note: checking into a hotel will go smoother if you have a copy of your passport handy!

@ THAI CONSULATE, NEXT DAY

A line forms outside the gate an hour before they open in the afternoon. Touts will pick up your passport for you for ฿200. I declined and sipped a Beer Lao (light) at the cafe across the street until the gate opened at 13:00. Important: once you pass the gate immediately go to the same ticket machine and get a queue number! Then proceed inside (where you paid) and wait for your number to be called to pick up your passport. Notes: step over the backpackers sitting on the floor and enjoy a seat. I arrived when the gates opened and got #149. Waited one hour, indoors, sitting in fairly cool aircon.

VIENTIANE TO UDONTHANI

The touts annoyed me so much I threatened to walk to the city center bus terminal (less than 1K) but accepted a tuk-tuk for ฿30. Since I was spending the night in Udonthani I was in no hurry. International Bus Service from Vientiane to Udonthani leaves from the cental bus terminal 6 times daily (0800, 1030, 1130, 1400, 1600, 1800) cost ฿90. Avoiding touts: priceless. Notes: busses to Nongkhai cost ฿50 and depart 30 mins. earlier. Taking the International bus was easy since I had my new Thai visa. The same bus took me to the border, dropped me off at Lao Immigration, where I paid the ฿40 departure fee, picked me back up and across the Friendship Bridge. Then I was dropped off at Thai Immigration. I filled in my rrival/Departure Card, had my new 60-day visa stamped, and got back on the bus (smiling at the taxi touts all the way The International Bus terminates at Udonthani central bus station, one block away from the Centura Hotel and Shopping Mall. I enjoyed a night in Udonthani and flew back the next day (but I easily could have made the evening flight.)

CONCLUSION

If I had to do anything differently, I'd take the International Bus from Udonthani to Vientiane, enjoy the evening, and go to the Thai Counsulate the following day (Tuesdays are less crowded anyway). For the price of two nights in Laos I can relax and avoid the rush of having to depend on touts and hustlers. Some enjoy haggling, I don't. IMHO you're gonna pay one way or another, the only question is whom. I can pay a tout to rush through my application or relax with a Beer Lao and wait myself. I can pay a taxi to race me to the border and back or take a bus and pay to relax in a nice hotel.

[Maestro]

Thank you for your detailed report, samadhi. I have added a link to it in the topic "Latest Reports Of Getting A Visa In The Region"

[BlueSmurf]

Nice one dude! I have done the trip before once and treated it as a holiday..Tip for everyone if you have time spend 3 days there..Goid food to be had and the evening bars are fun! Great to go back in time there in the bars that is as they still do the jive and sixties dancing...No rush order of the day...But I must say now I can get my extension of visa based on being an old bugger it does make life less of a rush or should I say I have time for the odd rush now and again!

[aneliane]

Reporting from my visa run to Vientiane yesterday:

- Double Entry : Got a bouble entry tourist visa no problem, applied on 19/05/11 morning paid 2000 bahts and picked up 20/05/11 afternoon, so Vientiane still gives them out.

- LAO VISA : Paid 30 Dollars or 912 Bahts (that you don't forget to change before leaving home) for my Lao Visa and not 1500 Bahts like said here. So if you pay in dollars you save nearly 600 Bahts.

- Had a brand new passport and contrary to what I have read here, you do have to transfer your previous visa to you new passport with the immigration office.

You cannot just hand two passports, as soon as you cross a border they make the transfer of the existing visa to the new passport and from then on, you only use your new passport.

They said it could not have been done in Bangkok Immigration Bureau In Chaeng Wattanna (trying to save time and reach the Embassy before noon) and has to be done by the immigration office at the border you are trying to cross.

In Nongkhai the immigration office is about 1km from the border, tuk-tuk will take you there and wait for you to take you back to the border for an extortionate 250 bahts or you can walk...

It costs nothing except "photocopies" 10 Bahts or 20 depending on the officer's mood, I paid 10 my friend 20, but they do take an awfully long time to check the form (sharing make-up tips, taking personal phone calls ...) as if they knew you're trying to make it to the Thai embassy before noon. So I was late and had to stay an extra day in Vientiane.

- Regarding Overstay fees : I have read here that reminding the officer that one of the day overstay (this week the 17th of may) was actually a Bank Holiday in Thailand and I therefore could not have renewed my visa the day before I left, would get me one day less to pay.

This is not true in Nongkhai May 2011: The officer told me I should have left the country before the bank holiday, (even if I had not had my passport since it was being renewed - that was not his problem), So I had to pay for the public holiday too.

[lopburi3]

The visa is not transferred and if you had a valid visa you would have to present both passports on return to use the visa. What was transferred was your current permitted to stay and the number of the visa that allowed that stay/previous passport number. And yes, you need to allow extra time for that and it seems that exit point, having a full service office nearby, sends you there rather than holding up other persons in queue to exit.

Overstay is always overstay. An air departure the first day would not be charged. Holidays have nothing to do with overstay - only if you obtain an extension of stay inside Thailand on first workday after a holiday would it not be charged. You were trying to exit the country so it would not effect you and any overstay would be charged.

[aneliane]

The visa is not transferred and if you had a valid visa you would have to present both passports on return to use the visa. What was transferred was your current permitted to stay and the number of the visa that allowed that stay/previous passport number. And yes, you need to allow extra time for that and it seems that exit point, having a full service office nearby, sends you there rather than holding up other persons in queue to exit.

Overstay is always overstay. An air departure the first day would not be charged. Holidays have nothing to do with overstay - only if you obtain an extension of stay inside Thailand on first workday after a holiday would it not be charged. You were trying to exit the country so it would not effect you and any overstay would be charged.

Visa or "permit to stay", is not the point, what I am saying is that despite what I have read here, you do need extra time at least an hour to go over this procedure, and that might interest other people to know it. As it happened we were a few readers of Thaivisa in that situation thinking we did not need to go through immigration, missed the Embassy time and had to stay an extra day because of this, so surely that could help others (obviously not you).

Again the "bank holidays refund" is something that I have read here. Was only trying to set the facts straight ... But if it's not appreciated, next time I would refrain and keep it for myself!

[lopburi3]

It is appreciated but it was spoken out of context and I tried to explain why you did not receive what you expected - I was also trying to be helpful and explain exactly what happened and why. Sorry if my posting appeared otherwise.

[Maestro]

They said [the transfer of stamps] could not have been done in Bangkok Immigration Bureau In Chaeng Wattanna (trying to save time and reach the Embassy before noon) and has to be done by the immigration office at the border you are trying to cross.

It's interesting to learn that they said that.

[tropo]

"BANGKOK to UDONTHANI

Direct service from Bangkok to Vientiane is hard to find."

Direct flights are not difficult to find but they are much more expensive.

You can fly BKK to Vientiane on Thai Airways - 2 flights per day

and Laos Airlines - 4 flights per day.

They cost 10,140 and 10,450 respectively for round trips.

.. unfortunately you won't be able to visit the Thai Consulate on the same day you arrive. The earliest arrival is on Laos Airlines at 11am.