Best Flight Option For Border Crossing From Bangkok

[fifthhouse]

I have a double entry tourist visa and need to cross the border to get my second three months. I want to fly, to make the trip as quick and straightforward as possible.

I will be flying from Bangkok. Where should I fly? What is the closest flight destination that I can fly to to activate my second three months on my visa?

[Asiantravel]

One suggestion for a relatively short journey is on Lao Airlines to Savannakhet.

It's a relatively short airline airline trip flying over Isan.

Savannakhet is a delightfully laid back little city with not many cars and great for cycling around.

[crazygreg44]

first,a double entry with your current 90-days tourist visa just means that you can leave and enter the country one more time WITHIN the first three months of the validity of the visa, without it becoming used up.

You must have understood this process wrongly - the double entry is not usable for extending the tourist visa. I smelled a rat when you wrote "I have a double entry tourist visa and need to cross the border to get my second three months" - you are obviously linking the double entry with a second term of the given visa.

What you must do is fly to a place that has a Thai consulate ( Vientiane,Phnom Penh, Penang) and apply for a new 60+30 days tourist Visa there. You first 60+30 tourist visa becomes invalid after 90 days and cannot be extended.

Indeed, you do not exclusively have to fly, you can take the VIP bus or the train or the Minibus-Tour, as it does not have any effect on a 90 days tourist visa if you have entered Thailand by land or by air.

Edited February 26, 2013 by crazygreg44

[Mario2008]

Any destination out side of Thailand will do.

[lopburi3]

If he has a two entry tourist visa and if it has not expired (can be 3 or 6 months from issue) he only needs to cross a border and return for a new 60 day stay that can then be extended for 30 days. Most people in Bangkok do with a van/bus to Cambodia border with return same days taking about 8 hours and costing 2,000 baht. But you can easily fly anywhere in the region - KL or Singapore are probably the best destinations as cheap flights and frequent availability.

[Lite Beer]

Air Asia to KL or Penang is an option.

[ubonjoe]

No visa fee for Malaysia (or Singapore) is a plus if flying there. Cambodia would cost $20-$25 for visa if you go there.

Any flight to Laos will be more expensive than others plus visa fee of $35.

[bangkokburning]

Too funny. All andwers require same amount of effort save for the amount of time your ass is in the seat.

That is ehat you ate asking no? Shortest distance.

Not best, cheapest, most fun, visa free....

All places have ups and downs, expenses and windfalls and all about the same when all said and done.

I think Phnom Penh would be most fun. Vientiane most boring, Penang for foodies. KL, HCMC and Bali meh...Angeles City if you want to live (die) dangerously, Singapore a treat for a Thai friend. Hanoi for few days nice. Why not Nepal?

Edited February 26, 2013 by bangkokburning

[bangkokburning]

Yeah man, like Lopburi says most people just do a runner - I can go to Cambo, visa, minivan rt, lunch and bottle of Jim Beam oh...and taxi to VictoryM rt all for b1250.

But hell I was just checking July prices to Myanmar, they have tickets for b1250 all in!l!

[overherebc]

No visa fee for Malaysia (or Singapore) is a plus if flying there. Cambodia would cost $20-$25 for visa if you go there.

Any flight to Laos will be more expensive than others plus visa fee of $35.

Pluus it's only a small sticker that doen't use a complte page in your passport

[bobl]

first,a double entry with your current 90-days tourist visa just means that you can leave and enter the country one more time WITHIN the first three months of the validity of the visa, without it becoming used up.

You must have understood this process wrongly - the double entry is not usable for extending the tourist visa. I smelled a rat when you wrote "I have a double entry tourist visa and need to cross the border to get my second three months" - you are obviously linking the double entry with a second term of the given visa.

What you must do is fly to a place that has a Thai consulate ( Vientiane,Phnom Penh, Penang) and apply for a new 60+30 days tourist Visa there. You first 60+30 tourist visa becomes invalid after 90 days and cannot be extended.

Indeed, you do not exclusively have to fly, you can take the VIP bus or the train or the Minibus-Tour, as it does not have any effect on a 90 days tourist visa if you have entered Thailand by land or by air.

I think it's you that's understood the process wrongly. You seem to be talking about a re-entry permit which is required to go out and back without invalidating a current permission to stay. But that's not what the OP has - he has a double entry visa meaning he can enter twice and get 90 days out of both entries.

The op does sound like he knows what he's doing - has stayed 90 days already and wants to activate his 2nd entry.

OP - You do know Cambodia is only a 10-ish hour round trip by road? Anyway, you might want to consider going Nok Air to Udon Thani then doing a Laos border run from there. If you time the flights right your border run should only take ~6 hours - 12:20 to Udon and 18:35 back.

[IMA_FARANG]

A double entry tourist visa gets you two entrys into Thailand.

Each entry is good fot 60 days on entry, and each entry can be extended for another 30 days at your local immigration in Thailand for a 1900 Baht fee.

If you get such a visa in Europe or in North America it is usually good for 180 days from the date it is isuued, but here in S.E.Asia it may be issued for a period of only 90 days.

Whatever the date is you must use BOTH entries before that expiration date.

All you need to do is to exit Thailand, turn around and re-enter Thailand to activate the 2nd part of that double entry visa.

The cheapest place to do that I guess would be Malaysia or Singapore .... because even you would need a visa to enter those countries ... they stamp your passport ... you would get a free entry into Malaysia or Singapore.

Laos, Cambodia, etc. will not give you a free entry ... you must pay for your visa.

You might be able to get a early morning flight to Penang, KL, or Singapore and a late flight back on the same day ... but that depends on the airline schecule.

Personally, I think the best way, at least from here in Bangkok, is on one of the day trip border run services.

They use a 16 passenger mini bus, it's about a 12 hour trip from Bangkok to the Cambodian border, and they provide the Cambodian visa in your roughly 2000 Bant fee.

They leave from around On Nhut, 2 stops to the border, about 1 hour at the border to get you visa and exit/re-enter Thailand, and then back to Bangkok.

Basically it's a roughly 12 hour day trip. Easy to do.

I did it 4 times with my one-year multi entry visa, each entry being 90 days, until I applied for my retirement extension 3 years ago.

[fifthhouse]

first,a double entry with your current 90-days tourist visa just means that you can leave and enter the country one more time WITHIN the first three months of the validity of the visa, without it becoming used up.

You must have understood this process wrongly - the double entry is not usable for extending the tourist visa. I smelled a rat when you wrote "I have a double entry tourist visa and need to cross the border to get my second three months" - you are obviously linking the double entry with a second term of the given visa.

What you must do is fly to a place that has a Thai consulate ( Vientiane,Phnom Penh, Penang) and apply for a new 60+30 days tourist Visa there. You first 60+30 tourist visa becomes invalid after 90 days and cannot be extended.

Indeed, you do not exclusively have to fly, you can take the VIP bus or the train or the Minibus-Tour, as it does not have any effect on a 90 days tourist visa if you have entered Thailand by land or by air.

No I have sixty day double entry tourist visa, I just need to leave the country and then come back.

[crazygreg44]

Yupp, I was wrong. I actually confused a re-entry permit with the Double Entry Tourist Visa.

to the OP - regard my post as obsolete and incorrect ! Sorry!

[Satcommlee]

There were flight options with Air Asia that allow you to fly to Singapore, clear immigration and then check in for your return flight.

I have done it on 2 occasions in the past.

[KhunBENQ]

Simple question, many complicated answers

The poster wants to fly!

Cheapest option to my knowledge ist Penang in Malaysia with Air Asia.

Can be done in a one day return flight. No visa cost for Malaysia.

But: the flight has a turnaround time of only 35 min in Penang.

So might not work as a one day return trip.

To Kuala Lumpur a number of flights is offered by Air Asia (and others).

More expensve flight but easy to do a one day return trip.

[fifthhouse]

Hello everyone. WOW, thanks all for the responses! Indeed, it looks like there is no simple answer, and I'll have to check with the airlines. Good to know that there is no fee to enter Malasia, I will check flights to Penang and KLP.

I'll let you know what I come up with. Thanks again for your help, it's much appreciated.

[fifthhouse]

I did my border crossing yesterday, to Laos. Here's what I did:

-I took a taxi to Don Muang airport, 100 baht.

-I flew to Udon Thani from Bangkok, round trip 2700 baht.

-Took shuttle bus to Laos Border, 200 baht

-Crossed the border and came back across

-Shuttle bus back to Udon Thani airport

-Flew back to Bangkok

-150 baht taxi ride back to my condo

I left my home at 8:00 am, and got back at 9:00 pm the same day.

Total cost 3150 baht.

I know some people prefer to take a bus trip and save some cash, but for myself it was worth it to pay a little more to shorten the trip. It's also nice that it's broken into different legs of the journey, not sitting in a bus for long hours at a time.

[ubonjoe]

With advanced planning you could fly to KL round trip for about the same amount.

Checked round trip on airasia.com for the 11th of June (approx 90 days) and it shows 3860 baht.

Edited March 14, 2013 by ubonjoe

[NanLaew]

I did my border crossing yesterday, to Laos. Here's what I did:

-I took a taxi to Don Muang airport, 100 baht.

-I flew to Udon Thani from Bangkok, round trip 2700 baht.

-Took shuttle bus to Laos Border, 200 baht

-Crossed the border and came back across

-Shuttle bus back to Udon Thani airport

-Flew back to Bangkok

-150 baht taxi ride back to my condo

I left my home at 8:00 am, and got back at 9:00 pm the same day.

Total cost 3150 baht.

I know some people prefer to take a bus trip and save some cash, but for myself it was worth it to pay a little more to shorten the trip. It's also nice that it's broken into different legs of the journey, not sitting in a bus for long hours at a time.

Best of both worlds with Nok Air and buses! Decent cost too for a day trip.

I posted in another thread about recently using Ethiopian Airlines and Kuala Lumpur for the exit/re-entry. Flew out around 2pm and arrived back around 11pm. The airport at KUL may a bit better for a turnaround. I have only once pased through AirAsia's LCCT and thought it pretty dire, especially if the turnaround time is tight. I have also used Egypt Air and Lufthansa but did an overnight by choice as the turnaround times are tighter. Also have used Qatar to KUL in and out of Phuket. Cheap as dirt but thought HKT was a bit of a shithole at 1 am!