A friend at work has to leave Thailand every 30 days for a visa stamp. He pays about 800 Baht to an "Agency" and the journey from here (samut Prakan) takes about 25hours there and back (poipet)!

I call the minibus company which picks me up at the end of the street and on a good day im back in 10 hours for 480 baht. I assumed he went with this company to get visas and what not taken care of in one package, however I looked it up and Laos nationals don't need visas for entering either country.

Am I missing something or is he just getting ripped off, my only worry is that if i take him to cambodia my way something comes up (required documents, extra charges etc.)

Thanks for any info.

25hours is a mistake, however a company runs Laotian n Vietnamese for the thb800.-, they pickup customer from home.

Other companies charge around thb700.-, but how you get thb480.- is unknown to me.

Edited February 4, 201313 yr by visarunner

If he is Lao why does he not go to Savannakhet and get a two month Tourist visa and a one month extension at Bangkok Immigration and then repeat.

My GF been doing it for years.

30day runs are cheaper, if he would travel to Embassy he will loose time at work as well.

BTW, I recommend to get paper work in order and apply for proper Work Permit n Visa.

Where do you and your friend work? Lao, Cambodian and Burmese nationals can be hired in Thailand very easily under the Migrant Labour Scheme which will give him or her easy access to a 2 year visa and work permit.

25hours is a mistake, however a company runs Laotian n Vietnamese for the thb800.-, they pickup customer from home.

Other companies charge around thb700.-, but how you get thb480.- is unknown to me.

Quite simply there is a minibus company at the end of my street that will take you there for 240 baht. Same again to come back anytime up to 18:30.

30day runs are cheaper, if he would travel to Embassy he will loose time at work as well.

BTW, I recommend to get paper work in order and apply for proper Work Permit n Visa.

So would I but our HR guy is absolutely terrible. Even using a legal firm to do ithe paper work it still took months for him to sort out my work permit. I am busy enough at work without being roped in to doing his job for him.

Where do you and your friend work? Lao, Cambodian and Burmese nationals can be hired in Thailand very easily under the Migrant Labour Scheme which will give him or her easy access to a 2 year visa and work permit.

We are both in Samut Prakan, hes Laos I'm Brititsh. I think he's looking at short term work. I did tell him to look up a proper work visa, and I'm happy enough to point him in the direction of a more convenient and cheaper bus service for visa runs, but if neither him or our HR guy can take the initiative to go through the proper procedures I'm not going to do it for him.

Just to clarify, there are NO extra documents/fees to sort out if i take him with me next time? Simply turn up at the border, 4 ques, 4 stamps and back home?