Tai Embasy Vientiane

[4evermaat]

thanks for that yes manny peoples used to much tourist Visa for stay long time in Thailand so now its over you need a Correct Visa for stay long time ED Visa its the best way you learn Thai same time good post

Yes, ED visas are relatively simple if you have correct invite paperwork. Try to get the one where the entire year is issued at once, and then you just do 90 day runs. not the one where you get 3 months and then have to go to immigration to extend for 90 days.

This is another thread that's part of the broader discussion going on right now about whether there are changes being made in tourist visa policies...

Unfortunately, at this point in this thread, we have one poster, the OP, talking about encountering big changes, and another poster in the same time period talking about encountering basically no changes...at the same consulate.... Everything else thus far here has been comment and opinion.

It would seem that further member reports are needed here to sort out just what's going on in Vientiane.

My friend just did a visa run about 3 weeks ago to Vientiane for a single-entry. He has loads of consecutive Thai tourist visas, although the last one was a non-imm ed. He commented that over the last 10 years that he has been doing this, he's seen it all. There will always be these temporary visa crackdowns, or sometimes it could be a supervisor change at that particular consulate. He was caught in one a few years back where he needed to provide some bank statement. He had the laptop with him and was able to make it happen. Just give them what is requested and you are good to go. But he did admit the non-imm was the easiest visa he ever dealt with, and cheaper too overall.

[swisstouristpattaya]

so harder or easier to get a tourist visa?

for a double entry do they ask for 2 return flight tickets or only one?

in 3 months laws will change again, or number of marriage will increase in Thailand, then they will crack down fake marriages, and ask people to apply for TR visa instead to get married..

then they will crack down the 15 days border runs, because people can not get tourist visa , then tourist visa will get easier and border run will be 7 days only.

and when too many embassies packed with thousand of tourists, they will say you can go to thailand for 3 months without visa.

and then new gov change, and everything will change again... we just need to adapt ourself, this is why humans survived for over 3 millions of year, because we can adapt ourself to thailande.

[hyperdimension]

Yes, ED visas are relatively simple if you have correct invite paperwork. Try to get the one where the entire year is issued at once, and then you just do 90 day runs. not the one where you get 3 months and then have to go to immigration to extend for 90 days.

Wouldn't it be more convenient to go to Immigration every 90 days than to have to travel to the border every 90 days?

[4evermaat]

Wouldn't it be more convenient to go to Immigration every 90 days than to have to travel to the border every 90 days?

Depends. In phuket town....probably. Running round trip to either Ranong (Burma) or Malaysia border is 12-16 hours and would cost anywhere from 900-1600 baht. I suppose you "might" get a plane ticket and fly out or even do the infamous round-about right at the airport where you stamp out, wait a few minutes or hour, then attempt to stamp back in. The one way ticket would be 1100-2400 baht anyway. The 90 day extension costs 1900 baht. Had a foreigner who was married and he said he just goes into town every 3 months on one of his trips he makes into town and pays 1900 baht and your in/out in about 20 min.

In chumphon on the other hand, immigration comes to Chumphon town once a month (Second tuesday of every month @ big Tesco Lotus, 2nd floor). They only handle extensions of stay and limited visa renewals. No one appeared to even have a laptop.....only a huge stack of paperwork and a ton of passports from Laos/Cambodia. You have to go to Ranong anyway for anything else anyway. And you would have to be very lucky to properly align your 90 days with the 1 day/month they come into town.

Anywhere between 1000-1200 for visa run, but only 5.5-6 hours round trip.

I never attempted it with my ED visa. Besides, burma has better blankets/ponchos, if you move quick enough as soon as you step off the boat:)

[elgato]

This is another thread that's part of the broader discussion going on right now about whether there are changes being made in tourist visa policies...

Unfortunately, at this point in this thread, we have one poster, the OP, talking about encountering big changes, and another poster in the same time period talking about encountering basically no changes...at the same consulate.... Everything else thus far here has been comment and opinion.

It would seem that further member reports are needed here to sort out just what's going on in Vientiane.

One year ago I was told by Thai consulate (VTE) staff that 2 double-entry tourist visas in one 12-month period and a total of three of the same in one passport was the limit. This was before Thailand stopped giving free visas. My solution was a new passport. Good enough for now.

[TomJoad]

I was just there today (Thai Embassy, Vientiene) to apply for a tourist visa and it was business as usual.

No officials asked for reservations, plane tickets, etc. and didn't see anyone in front of me turned away.

[tropo]

I was just there today (Thai Embassy, Vientiene) to apply for a tourist visa and it was business as usual.

No officials asked for reservations, plane tickets, etc. and didn't see anyone in front of me turned away.

How busy was it? Monday used to be mayhem.

Perhaps the Consulate is getting a bit slow and they need to stimulate some business.

It's surprising they invested in a new building to allow for the high number of applicants, and then started knocking everyone back ...thereby sending everyone off to Phnom Penh instead.

[TomJoad]

It was busy yesterday, but not mayhem like a few months ago. I think they must have gotten tired of asking for documents most travelers in SEA don't carry around with them and decided it wasn't practical. But as others have pointed out here...it also seems to depend on the mood of the officials at the window on the day you arrive. Good luck.

[dbatcheler]

On Sep 19th I went with my normal visa service (http://www.thaivisaservice.com/) to the Vientiane office and was denied. I was originally planning to go to the Cambodia office but my agent was currently stuck there with a group of 60 people trying to get visas and also denied. I have 3 back to back visas - 2 from Vientiane (1 double/1 single) and 1 double from Phnom Penh. Quite a few people in Vientiane were denied as well and they gave us a preprinted form stating the reason for denial was people working illegally. So I just went with the 15 day and will try again on Oct 4th. If anyone else with 3 visas has been able to get one please post the office and agent you used. Thanks.

[tropo]

On Sep 19th I went with my normal visa service (http://www.thaivisaservice.com/) to the Vientiane office and was denied. I was originally planning to go to the Cambodia office but my agent was currently stuck there with a group of 60 people trying to get visas and also denied. I have 3 back to back visas - 2 from Vientiane (1 double/1 single) and 1 double from Phnom Penh. Quite a few people in Vientiane were denied as well and they gave us a preprinted form stating the reason for denial was people working illegally. So I just went with the 15 day and will try again on Oct 4th. If anyone else with 3 visas has been able to get one please post the office and agent you used. Thanks.

I discovered a few days ago that 2 Filipinos were sent packing after trying to get a 15 day border stamp in Cambodia. I don't have the exact details of what occured i.e. whether they were allowed exit and refused 15 day entry or not allowed to exit. Their passports were marked by the Thai Immigration officers.

[visarunner]

details please, under certain circumstances people are not allowed to leave the country via landborder, example if they did not cancel Work Permit, or court case ,etc.

But I have not heard that some one was denied entry on 15day stamps.

[Mario2008]

A person can aways be denied entrance, regardless of having a visa or not. If an immigraiton official doesn't believe they were comming for tourism purposes, he can deny them and mark their passport.

[tropo]

details please, under certain circumstances people are not allowed to leave the country via landborder, example if they did not cancel Work Permit, or court case ,etc.

But I have not heard that some one was denied entry on 15day stamps.

I supplied all the details I have right now. The point is they are starting to put the screws on people living in Thailand on tourist visas or doing continuous border runs.

This is not entirely new. They put a limit on border runs not too long ago.

[visarunner]

details please, under certain circumstances people are not allowed to leave the country via landborder, example if they did not cancel Work Permit, or court case ,etc.

But I have not heard that some one was denied entry on 15day stamps.

I supplied all the details I have right now. The point is they are starting to put the screws on people living in Thailand on tourist visas or doing continuous border runs.

This is not entirely new. They put a limit on border runs not too long ago.

They want that people stay on Non Immigrant Visas, but the crackdown on Tourist Visa seem to affect only countries near Thailand.

Where did you get the information that border runs are limited, I know of people Filipinas/Laotians/Vietnamese that do these runs continuously.

[elgato]

This is another thread that's part of the broader discussion going on right now about whether there are changes being made in tourist visa policies...

Unfortunately, at this point in this thread, we have one poster, the OP, talking about encountering big changes, and another poster in the same time period talking about encountering basically no changes...at the same consulate.... Everything else thus far here has been comment and opinion.

It would seem that further member reports are needed here to sort out just what's going on in Vientiane.

I've seen some of the same as the OP. I started a thread on it:

[tropo]

Where did you get the information that border runs are limited, I know of people Filipinas/Laotians/Vietnamese that do these runs continuously.

My wife is Filipino. Directly from the Filipino community in Pattaya.

Edited October 1, 2011 by tropo

[hehehoho]

The sooner they crack down on these 'tourists' and border runners the better.

If people don't fall under a category that Thailand has set for you as a foreigner to stay in their country, then bye bye. It's amazing how many people feel they have some sort of right to stay here even though they cannot meet the requirements set by the government.

Hopefully police clearance checks will also soon be required for all Non-Imm visas.

Edited October 1, 2011 by hehehoho