My First Visit In The Thai Embassies Consular Section In Vientiane

[ALFREDO]

I was many times at the Nong Khai - Vientiane border and crossed it to extend my stay in Thailand. But I was always to lazy to drive for a Visa to the Thai Embassy.

Until now.

Yesterday, I risked three days Overstay to wait until one of my sons school holidays started, took my GF and off I went.

I had only to drive 150 km with the car to arrive at the border, parked, same many times before and had than,

first to pay my short Overstay.

I got on Thaivisa, more than once punished for small Overstays, I can only say, they are normaly harmless.

Day of my arrival at the border, was a Sunday, a bit a rush at the gates, but I passed them, walked to the office with the sign -Overstays- and payed my fine to a smiling officer who joked with me and same time I payed my fine also stamped me out of Thailand.

So I was even faster than most of the other guys outside at the gates.

Than crossed the bridge to Laos, cost 36 Dollar for the Lao Visa, in Bath it would be 1.500!

On the Laos side the Taxi prices differed a lot, from 500 Baht Taxi, to 100 Baht with a Tuk Tuk. I went than for 200 Baht with a Taxi to Vientiane.

I had booked the Hotel Leuxay with Agoda.com, a bit away from the other Hotels and the riverside but with good critics and a nice pool for the 3 kids. Together with my two boys, I took my GFriends niece with me.

The Hotel is not on the cheap side, I took a better, bigger Superior room with a double bed and a single bed for 60 Dollars including BF.

The staff very friendly, all together the Hotel is same I thought, clean, quiet, big room, clean pool, the only guests at the Pool, my children.

Opposite the hotel, is a small shop with all what you need to buy, drinks, snack ect. pleasant.

I ate at the pool and had a good night.

Edited March 5, 2012 by ALFREDO

[ALFREDO]

I took a Tuk Tuk from the Hotel to the Consular section, prices are more expensive than in Bangkok it seems, 120 Baht? I think I bargained not enough!

To pay in Baht or Kip makes no difference, taxi, Tuk Tuk or in the Restaurant. 1 Baht-26+Kip. Until now I was not cheated whatever currency in I payed.

Arriving at the Thai Consular section with my Thai GF and our children, I passed by some guides, who wanted to help me?

Inside, I could see a big group of people already or still waiting. I arrived at 10:40 AM.

You have to go to the right side in the complex and get your form to fill out (2 Fotos!) and from inside the office your number,

ask at the window first for the number. pass by the people waiting there, they have usualy, already their number and forms filled out!

I got number 230!

But it is a lot space and sitting possibility, at least when I arrived.

Possible that when you come with the crowd, so more early than me, that it is not enough place for all to sit.

My experiences from the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur had been far worth!

3 hours waiting there and I had to stand for half of that time, so crowded it was there and filthy to-some years ago. Vientianes Thai Consular section is new and clean and has room for a lot people.

I am named in the birth certificate of my children, but i am not the legal father.

I decided to go for a Double entry Tourist Visa and filled the papers accordingly, but I wrote also, as reason for my Visa my children

and enclosed the birth certificates in copy.

I thought, I will let the lady in the office their decide what she wants to give me.

The lady, seeing my written reason for the Tourist Visa and the birth certificates, told me, she could not give me a Tourist visa,

instead, she asked if my family is with me and took from my GF copy from ID card and house book.

Than she sent me to pay in the next building, here also, you have to wait until its your number in the line to get rid of your money.

But it is Airconditioned, at 1 PM, I went out of the premises.

I think I will get a Non Immigrant O, my first , for sure I will know today, anyway, I payed 2.000 Baht.

Will write more after Pick Up.

Than to the riverside for a meal, was ok for me, but my GF complained about different cooking styles she is used to,

that she said in the Hotel also.

The prices, I would say, not cheaper than in Bangkok, far away from a special Restaurant where i Had been and the river,

I did not see him at all from there.

Unrecognized, a man took a seat near my table and after a short time, my GF and the guy recognized each other as holiday and sex partners for some days 9,5 years ago and again for two weeks 5,5 years ago. No contact since than.

My GF was positively surprised, also he had dumped her some years back than and started a conversation, even moved her seat a bit more near.

The problem in that situation was only, that I was together with her already 10 years.

I am a butterfly and my GF and I, had our ups and downs, but I had spoken with that guy on the mobile and he had lied to me more than once!

So, the years of water had gone down in the meantime the Mekhong river cooled me a little, but I loudly showed my disappointment of that meeting.

Already my GF had asked him the important questions, What you do now? Where you stay, live? Do you have a GF, wife?

He answered in detail, is retired, is alone, is available, but maybe lied again?

The conversation stopped and he ate fast and left.

He had known that she had already a child with me and he lied and lied to me, tried to get her, got her and dumped her!

What I understood, he is also on a Visarun, so maybe I see him again tomorrow.

Can be tricky,

I offered my GF to look in the Internet for his working place telephone number in Pattaya where he should be taking care a Restaurant since January , without work permit I presume.

Anyway, I found the place and numbers and my GF had very fast her pen and paper in her hand!

I closed the page without telling her, so, let us see what is happening today in the Thai consular section in Vientiane!

Edited March 5, 2012 by ALFREDO

[Jayman]

Why didn't you just apply for the non-imm O? You act as if you apply for tourist and hope for a non-imm O. If you wanted a non-imm O you should have made your intentions very clear and if they didn't want to give it to you I'm sure you could still get the tourist visa.

A double entry tourist visa is the same price as a single entry non-imm O. If you applied for a double entry tourist then why would you think they are going to give you a single entry non-imm O? My guess you'll get what you asked for which is a double entry tourist.

I do hope you get want you want but I'm a bit confused why you didn't apply for it. I'm guessing it's due to what you have read here on TV about the rules changing?

Edited March 5, 2012 by Jayman

[ALFREDO]

I can also live with a Tourist visa and easier to get.

As my GF and children are with me, I think the pendulum went to a Non Immigrant O.

I not care what I get and so I made it in that way, the lady in the office decided for me. No problem.

[Jayman]

ok.. I'm sure you know your needs. I would think if you were applying for double entry and you ended up with single entry that wouldn't be what you needed?

[ALFREDO]

As I wrote, I not care. I just went 50 and before 2009 you did not get a special Visa for having Thai children.

I survived with Border runs, Tourist Visas and now also extensions in TH for taking care Thai children.

Why so worry -Jayman-.

[Jayman]

Hey man.. if you don't care what visa you get I surely don't. Just trying to understand is all.

[ALFREDO]

Jayman

Lol, clear I mean I am already happy when I must not run every month to some airport border or every 2 weeks to a land border. I can get jealous, when I just recognized, that some South American countries get 90 days on arrival without a Visa!

[Jayman]

Jayman

Lol, clear I mean I am already happy when I must not run every month to some airport border or every 2 weeks to a land border. I can get jealous, when I just recognized, that some South American countries get 90 days on arrival without a Visa!

Well it sounds like you could get a non-imm O and then come back to Thailand and get 1 yr extensions provided you meet the financial requirements. Then you would never have to do a visa/border run. You'd only have to report in to immigration every 90 days.

Good luck and I hope things go smoothly for you.

Edited March 5, 2012 by Jayman

[ALFREDO]

I took it easy and went to the Thai Consular section in Vientiane yesterday late, this time only paying 100 Baht for the trip, maybe still to much, but it is getting cheaper.arrived at about 2:15 PM to pick up my Passport.

I was the only customer at that moment, but other people went still in when I came out.

Nothing to see from my Girlfriends Ex -Swiss friend so, better anyway.

Got a Non Immigrant O without being the legally declared father of my sons.

They took copy of Birth certificates with my name in it, Copy Tabian Ban and copy of ID card of my GF-mother of the children.

That my children and my GF had been with me, helped the cause sure also. If it is necessary, I do not know.

Last time in Singapore 2011, I had only the Birth certificate with me, was alone, without my family, but that Thai Embassy wanted also a written paper confirming that I lived with my children and that I cared, paid for them.

I could not produce that and Non Immigrant O in Singapore was denied.

Also, there had been much less people in the Singapore Thai Embassy, I felt much better in Vientiane and also better than in the also crowded Kuala Lumpur Thai Embassy.

Vientiane good, Kuala Lumpur, so la, la but Singapore, never again for me!

Delighted, with my first Non Immigrant O, my family went with me again to the Riverside, there is a children Playground and it was hot but they liked it.

I strolled to the embankment of the big river, but was at that place disappointed, could only see him in the distance, a km or so away?

Not same in Phnom Penh, sorry so, not what I had expected.

So inside a Restaurant for Spare ribs, later back to the Hotel and in the Pool to make the children happy

The chosen Hotel is very good, I can recomend, only the Internet WIFI did not work well enough to satisfy.

Let me see if the trip back today runs also smoothly.

Edited March 6, 2012 by ALFREDO

[Jayman]

Congrats!

[ALFREDO]

Jayman

Thank you and you are right, a bit it feels also like a success.

[ALFREDO]

Check out, nearly at 12 Midday.

My GF has a respiratory problem, so I ordered her to call the reception to ask how much the price for a Taxi to the border would be.

She was told 800 Baht, I said to much, than we opt for a Tuk Tuk, will not be more than 200 - 300, same I came from the border in a Taxi.

Ok, Taxi will drive with a Meter, so pay by the clock. Ok, I said we make that.

The Taxi driver said than, it had only 20 Taxi like him Thailand style in town. Different to Bangkok, they drive not with cheap Gas, but instead expensive Gasoline.

The Taxi was driving slowly, the Meter was jumping fast.

On the end the trip was air conditioned and without dust and noise, but costed 160.000 Kip,about 620 Baht!

For that price you can drive from lower Sukhumvit to the Airport and back! And Vientiane-Nong Khai border is less far away!

All together, that trip with extended family costed me for 3 nights, 4 days, including Hotel, about 14.000 Bath. Nearly everything is more expensive in Vientiane.

On the border, I bought than cheap I-pads -Made in China- for my kids. That trip and Visa, was really not a cheap one!

My GF did not take her and the childrens Passports with her, as one had expired and went with one border pass, including the children to Laos.

She realized to late, that she could with that border pass, only stay 2 nights in Vientiane.

We stayed 3 nights, so a 200 Baht fine for Overstay had to be payed at the Lao border Immigration.

Done that fast and without problem.

On the Thai side, my GF ran with the children threw the controls with her border pass and I was stuck behind with a lot of Lao and some Falangs.

A possible 30 minutes to an hour waiting time.

She made that mistake before, also with her Thai Passport which has its own Fast Track control at Nong Khai Border Immigration!

So, I had to call her back with the kids, over a distance as she sat already good, after customs, a little loud, as it is my style when I a bit angry,

all eyes on me than and with her and the kids help, I passed the normaly -Only For Thai Passport control Check Point- without a problem

and fast.

I use this possibility also in Suvarnabhumi when I with GF and/or children at the Immigration controls.

Worked until now always fine for me.

Some other Falangs where to shy to try that.