Report: Visa Run To Aranyaprethet

[lifemagic]

I crossed the border Monday. Situation, UK passport, 1 year non 'o' 'visit friends' expiring the following Wednesday. Need last 90 days.

I went to Krung Thai exchange booth of ksr and asked for and received a brand new usd20.

I got number three bus on Samsen Road about 9.30am and it terminated at Mochit. I got a 10.30 ordinary bus for 212bht on the first floor. It terminated at a kind of empty bus park by a little market and I paid 50 to the border. This was too much because I was closer than I thought (it wasn't actually the bus station!). We arrived at the border and a man came with a laminated ID card necklace and I just told him to go away and he did. I walked forward and got stamped out OK. Crossed to the right side and entered a building. There are police behind perspex, a sign saying, visa usd20 and a uniformed policeman with a card that says visa usd20 +100bath. I said no and he said everyone pays it so I filled in the form he gave me, with a photo, usd20 and 80 thai bath and he accepted this without question. Got the visa in two minutes. Walked out, turned right and walked towards cambodia.

I passed a uniformed man at a table who asked if I was staying overnight (I wasn't), I said yes and kept walking, into a little room. Filled in an arrival card and got an entry stamp.

I left, turned right, ignored the bus to the bus station. A man asked me where I was going and I told him to go away and he did. I crossed the road, was stamped out, and walked back the way I was came. I passed the man whom I told I was staying overnight, we ignored each other, and I entered the Thai building. A man gave me an arrival card. I filled it in, got 90 days with no questions asked.

I left into Thailand and turned right to a 7-11 and asked a tuk tuk to take me to the station and he wanted 80, so I went back to the main road I had approached from and the same driver was there. He took me back to the same place for 50, and I got back to Mochit for 212 on the same bus. Bus 3 took me to ksr and I had street food pad thai, street good pizza, restaurant omellette on rice and restaurant fruit salad, went back to the same room and drempt of being a famous academic and living in a nice house with a pet dog who loves me.

Tips:

1. exchange booths can give you a nice new usd20 notes.

2. You can't pay on the bus at Mochit, you have to get a ticket from the booth. The assumption will be that you want the next bus out rather than a particular class.

3. There's aranyaprethet bus station, and then the closer little 'station' by a market. The former has public phones dotted around, the latter doesn't. I reckon the fare from the station proper to the border would be about 50, and 30 from the smaller place.

4. There's a 3 baht toilet at the little market I stopped at.

5. The Thai baht thing is optional, if you only pay usd20 for the visa and insist on no more, I got the feeling you would have been messed about for ten minutes, then given the visa. Put up a (reasonable) fight if it bothers you, or haggle.

6. If you don't have dollars, they're asking for a standard 800 baht (about 200 too much).

So, I'm happy to post that the situation is much better than most of the dated reports on the internet. Most reports say it's 1100 baht and you're constantly approached for extra cash, but it was easy. 80 baht was the total graft and even this was optional. It was similar to a run at Mae Sai to be honest.

Yay! 90 days!

P.S. bring one photo.

P.P.S. this post only applied to people with a prearranged visa.

Keywords: Aranyaprethet, Poipet, visa run, 90 days.

[englishinsiam]

And there is a big cheap market there for filling up on your hookey clothes and fake phones.

We've been twice :-)

[frankwth]

Very nice report. I always wanted to try this border (living in Hua Hin) but was not amused by reports and stories about all that hassle and corruption at this border. Question: How long is the bus ride from Mochit to Aranyaprethet? How much time is needed at the border (after leaving the tuk-tuk and until entering the tuk-tuk to go back to the bus station).

Thank you very much in advance.

Edited June 30, 2011 by frankwth