What's the procedure to get a visa into loas from nongkai

Don't know Nong Kai, but should be the same as Chong Mek. Leave Thailand enter Lao, fill in arrive cards pay $30 US, lose a whole page in your passport. All done and dusted. Jim

Thanks a lot jim

don't change money in Laos,you can use thai BT.the Lao money is worthless,if it gets wet,it just falls apart. plus you get a lot of Kip (lao money) in exchange

don't change money in Laos,you can use thai BT.the Lao money is worthless,if it gets wet,it just falls apart. plus you get a lot of Kip (lao money) in exchange

Very true, use US or Baht, Lao money is monopoly money and you need a calculator all the time and a very big wallet to hold that much Kip. Jim

you can pay in Baht it will cost you 1500Baht do you need a new visa ? if so why not go to Savanakhet if your in Issan get the yellow bus it takes you to Mukdahan.

http://www.iloveyellowbus.com/en/ticket.html

http://www.savanvegas.com/visarun/#about

Boyce

I plan to drive into Laos from mahasarakham and heading to Vientiane

I plan to drive into Laos from mahasarakham and heading to Vientiane

You can get your Laos visa already on Thais side $30 (around 900 baht) without bucks it's around 1,400 baht. I haven't been there for many moons, but I guess some good places ran by foreigners are still there.

I remember that it was hard to find decent food, but that was a long time ago. Enjoy upper Isan and Laos....

You cannot just drive into Laos. You will need the original book the vehicle and a passport for it.

If you have time you could get a visa from the consulate in Khon Kaen. I have read that they are issued within minutes and cost less than the visa on arrival.

The Consulate-General of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Khon Kaen

Address: 19/1-3, Phothisan Road Khon Kaen Khon Kaen 40000

Tel: (043)221-961, 223-698, 223-473 Fax: (043)223-849

Thanks joe will do that

Don't know Nong Kai, but should be the same as Chong Mek. Leave Thailand enter Lao, fill in arrive cards pay $30 US, lose a whole page in your passport. All done and dusted. Jim

Amacing what happenend there . They charged some people 25 other 30 or 35 Dollar depend what country citizen you are.

The Laos visa ranges from 11$ usd (chinese passport) to 42$ usd (canadian passport), in Baht it is 1,500 for most and 1,800 for canadians. By law you will need two passport photos and they charge an extra dollar if you travel before 8am and after 4pm or on a Holiday, saturday or sunday.

pay for your visa in USD as it is cheaper.

Unless you have extremely bad luck the visa process is very easy and usually quick. If taking a vehicle allow for some extra time as the process can take a while. If it is a private vehicle the owner (register) will need to be with you. If it is a rental please make sure they allow you to cross over into Laos.

And most important if driving is that in Laos they drive on the right (depending on your definition) side of the road or opposite to Thailand. So think of how much fun it is to drive here and then add in you are driving on the opposite side with the steering wheel on the right, passing in Laos with a Thai car adds to the excitement of an already exciting driving experience. Just saying.

Thank you I wasn't aware that they drive on the left,and the car is privately owned

We're looking at going in the last half of September,heading to Vientiane and maybe

Vang vieng, what are the road conditions at the moment?

At the moment they are okay. However we can experience plenty of rain with flooding in parts from now until end of October. The road is sealed and generally in good condition (for Laos). After VV the road is in a little worse condition, hilly and winding. for most not a problem but best to check out conditions before you head out here or on other web boards.

Thailand (same UK) - left side / Laos (same US/Canada) - right side

You will also need to buy insurance from an agent in Laos, usually located right after you pass through immigration and vehicle inspections on the right hand side of the road. I have yearly coverage so can not remember exactly the procedure but I believe you can buy a 7 day package from 2 or 3 companies there. If you go very early or very late they may be closed...so plan carefully.

Thanks for the info