What are the rules for a Thai going into Laos ?

Is a Thai national ID enough to gain entry and stay for a few days ?

Yes, they need to get a border pass (at the border) first, then they get 3 days I think.

totster

If it is a land border crossing and no more than 3 nights the answer is yes. They'll need to get a border pass for 50 baht at booths just near the border however.

Thai passports are as cheap as chips though at 1000 baht and take 3 days to get. With one of them you get stamped in for 30 days on arrival.

Concur.

First time with I.D. card 3 days.

I took my missus to Laos for the second time recently, after she got her passport (Central Bangna - posted and received 1 week after application). She got 30 days and had to pay 100 baht - 20 baht everytime thereafter for entry.

Can a thai with just an ID card travel anywhere in Laos (or Kampuchea) or do they have to stay in the border area?

I have read different views on this.

Can a thai with just an ID card travel anywhere in Laos (or Kampuchea) or do they have to stay in the border area?

I have read different views on this.

Border passes can only be used for Laos and Malaysia, and yes, technically only for the border areas.

For Cambodia, unless the Thai citizen lives in a border province, they can not get a Cambodian border pass to cross over and need a passport. Having said that, for jaunts to Casino's, most Thai's while needing to be stamped out and back into Thailand on the Thai PP, are generally waived through to the casino's, bypassing immigration, at least in my experience.

So if I understand correctly, when a thai goes to Laos, Malaysia or Kampuchea for a longer time / further inland from the border area, they will need a passport.

Will they have to get a proper visa / waiver and pay?

And don't forget to pass the Laos border before 16:30 if using a border pass.

A border pass is just that, ability to pass the border, there are no restrictions on where you can go only on time spent.

2unique, on 01 Mar 2013 - 07:55, said:

And don't forget to pass the Laos border before 16:30 if using a border pass. A border pass is just that, ability to pass the border, there are no restrictions on where you can go only on time spent.

Wrong. A border pass can only be used in the province where you are entering - for example Vientiane. Although there may not be any ID checks on rural Lao roads anymore, a Thai border pass holder may have trouble checking into a hotel located in an area outside the province entered, where a passport and entry stamp would be necessary for entering. Therefore, I don't understand why you don't just ask your Thai friend/spouse etc. to apply for a passport? They only cost 1000 Baht, take a few days and once you enter Laos there is nothing to pay. Apart from an occasional overtime fee of around 40? Baht, it's a much better deal than the border pass which cost my friend 120 Baht and took an hour to make last time because she had neglected to get a new passport (hers was within 5 months of expiration and thus couldn't be used to enter Laos anymore, since Laos requires 6 months. This was fine because a border pass allowed her to enter Vientiane for 2 days, the only place we traveled to.)

I have never seen a Thai enter Cambodia without a passport and so unless the person is a resident of a border province they must have a passport to properly enter Cambodia (note that the casinos are located between Thai and Cambodian immigration). I have also never seen a Thai or Malaysian enter each other's country without a passport, I thought only passports were accepted there but Samran has stated that they can be used for the border areas. For Myanmar, I know that border passes can be used, but only for the day for Myawaddy and Tachileik (for longer stays, a 14 day pass can be purchased at Tachileik but a passport is required for that). For entries at Kawthoung, I'm pretty sure only a passport is accepted since I traveled there once with my then Thai girlfriend and both of us had passports (we had just come back from a road trip to Penang and wanted to visit Kawthoung for a day) so we both paid the $10 entry fee for 3 days 2 nights, which has now apparently been extended to 28 days but for a fee of $30.

2unique, on 01 Mar 2013 - 07:55, said:

And don't forget to pass the Laos border before 16:30 if using a border pass. A border pass is just that, ability to pass the border, there are no restrictions on where you can go only on time spent.

Wrong. A border pass can only be used in the province where you are entering - for example Vientiane. Although there may not be any ID checks on rural Lao roads anymore, a Thai border pass holder may have trouble checking into a hotel located in an area outside the province entered, where a passport and entry stamp would be necessary for entering. Therefore, I don't understand why you don't just ask your Thai friend/spouse etc. to apply for a passport? They only cost 1000 Baht, take a few days and once you enter Laos there is nothing to pay. Apart from an occasional overtime fee of around 40? Baht, it's a much better deal than the border pass which cost my friend 120 Baht and took an hour to make last time because she had neglected to get a new passport (hers was within 5 months of expiration and thus couldn't be used to enter Laos anymore, since Laos requires 6 months. This was fine because a border pass allowed her to enter Vientiane for 2 days, the only place we traveled to.)

I have never seen a Thai enter Cambodia without a passport and so unless the person is a resident of a border province they must have a passport to properly enter Cambodia (note that the casinos are located between Thai and Cambodian immigration). I have also never seen a Thai or Malaysian enter each other's country without a passport, I thought only passports were accepted there but Samran has stated that they can be used for the border areas. For Myanmar, I know that border passes can be used, but only for the day for Myawaddy and Tachileik (for longer stays, a 14 day pass can be purchased at Tachileik but a passport is required for that). For entries at Kawthoung, I'm pretty sure only a passport is accepted since I traveled there once with my then Thai girlfriend and both of us had passports (we had just come back from a road trip to Penang and wanted to visit Kawthoung for a day) so we both paid the $10 entry fee for 3 days 2 nights, which has now apparently been extended to 28 days but for a fee of $30.

Thanks for the correction, I specifically had a staff member call and ask just last December. As per usual no guarantee of correct information even when calling those that should have it!