Visa Run Report- Savanakhet Sept. 19-26, 2013

[Shaunduhpostman]

Just thought I would report my experience in Savanakhet this last week (Sept 23-26) applying for a 1 year multiple entry, Non-Immigrant O Visa. As many have reported, the whole Thai Consulate experience at Savanakhet is for the most part painless and relaxed, not the madhouse you might encounter in Vientiane. However, there were some of the usual botching of things and potentially hopeless confusions that are otherwise very straightforward and simple in cultures where doing things even somewhat systematically is respected and understood as being the easier alternative to free form bureaucratic style you will come to know and dread when staying here.

There was no request to show the Kor Sor 2 as others had mentioned in posts made earlier this year (2013). No request was made for a show of funds despite my wild and wooly appearance. They didn't take me for the broke desperado that I actually am. Other documents necessary were as have already been mentioned, so nothing has changed as of now:

1. Original and photocopy of mine and wife's passport

2. Photocopy front and back of wife's Thai ID

3. Copy and original of marriage certificate Kor Sor 3, I believe.

4. Copy and orginal of house book, Tabien Baan I believe it's called.

5. Two photos of applicant with application completed.

6. 5,000 baht

One important tip to follow that will save you a hassle: It appears that you need to state verbally to the consulate official taking your application that you specifically want a 1 year multiple visa, if that's what you want, otherwise they will slot you for a 3 month regardless of what is written on the visa application. Myself and another applicant had the same problem, what was requested in writing on the application was ignored by the official taking the application. The official simply made sure everything was in order with the supporting documents and when finished with that asked for 2,000 baht. There is a sign outside the window listing visa types and fees with only a single item for Non-Immigrant-2,000 baht, nothing is listed or stated on the sign regarding a 1 year multiple and the 5,000 baht required. So, upon seeing no listing on the sign for a 5,000 baht fee, my stinginess and wishful thinking got the better of me as I stood in line waiting to apply and I began hoping and speculating that perhaps there was now only one fee for 3 month Non-Os and 1 year multis of 2,000 baht. When I got to the window and the official simply asked for 2,000 I went with it, not wanting to suggest that I might need to pay more.

As I walked back to my guesthouse it dawned on me that I hadn't been asked as to what I wanted and that the official hadn't confirmed that he understood I wanted a 1 year multiple, nor had I been charged according to what I thought I should have been for the 1 year multi. So, I went back to the consulate and got back in line. When I got to the window and asked about my application, he asked for my visa queuing slip which I had given to my wife for safe keeping. I said I didn't have it and the guy began to take the wrong end of the stick that I was implying he hadn't given it to me. Luckily I was able to quickly get it across to him that I clearly wasn't blaming him he very kindly obliged to see about and double check my application and had the other official working with him dig through the pile of passports and applications and come to the window and deal with the matter. I pointed out to her that I wanted the 1 year, and she said something to the effect of, "Well it shows you only paid the fee for a three month single. It doesn't matter what you requested here on the application. You didn't pay for it, so you won't get it." I asked if I could pay the 3,000 baht extra and change my application and she said "Sure! No problem!" She took my money and changed the amount on the application so that I could see that my request was being entered correctly now in both spots on the application and as per what I had paid. No receipt was issued, so that might be something I ask for next year.

The next day, I received my passport with the 1 year multi in place. A fellow in line with me had the exact same problem as I had had, he applied for a 1 year and was only asked for enough money to cover a 3 month single. Unfortunately he had not ventured to double check on the day he applied, but advised him to get back in line and see if they wouldn't let him re-apply. I did not push my luck and hang out to find out if he was able to get things sorted or not.

Despite the hassle, I would say that the friendly, polite and ultimately helpful attitude at the Savanakhet embassy far exceeded the kind of unhelpful, grumpy, and generally rough treatment we are all used to at the hands of many establishments within Thailand, be it a cheaper hotel, an employer, a jet ski operator, a Phuket Tuk Tuk driver, a restaurant, immigration or bank staff.

As for staying in Savanakhet, I really enjoyed the rough, few services avaliable, 40 years ago feel to the place. The town is by no means boring, there seemed to always be quite a few, but not too many people out and about. Lots of smiles and hellos and friendly inquistive people at the few shops and places there are. You get just enough interest and interaction from the locals to make it feel like you are indeed welcome there. Next time I will stay there rather than in Mukdahan which seems to have a kind of dusty, depressing pall hanging over the town and really not many services available, tho' the Riverfront Hotel is quite a gem and excellent value in Mukdahan, I have yet to find any options for eating that are as good as those in Savanakhet.

As for accomodations the wife and I stayed at Nong-Soda Guest House. My feeling is that overall it is a bit overpriced for what you get. 150,000 kip (about 600 baht) got us a rather large if tatty room with an enormous bathroom with an enormous attached laundry room. The bed was large, too soft for people with dodgy backs, but comfortable enough, smelly comforters, smelled like the sewage is backing up a tad through the washing machine they are using to clean them and then an overpowering bleach and some kind of disinfectant smell is combined with the rotten cabbage and garlic smell to compensate I guess. Otherwise, the place is fairly clean, if a bit dusty around the edges. Air con was powerful, probably too much for some. Television reception mostly very good. No internet or wifi, or it wasn't mentioned if they were available. Not an issue for us, we were going off all of that for this trip. Staff friendly and helpful, gave good info willingly evrytime we asked. Desk clerk I believe is on 24 hour duty so a bit out of it. Wouldn't advise leaving your room key with him when going out, it gets hung up in full reach of anyone, the office door seems to be always open and literally two steps away from the road. I'd just keep the key in my bag or pocket if I were you. The clerk is usually in bed behind a screen sleeping, not easily roused, so your room could easily get rummaged by anyone walking by. When we couldn't get anyone to give us our key it was a piece of cake to just reach behind the small table and help ourselves to the key. The balcony is excellent, very wide and clean with tables to relax at and watch the Mekong River go by which is right there at the doorstep. Of course another benefit is the Nong Soda being 5 minutes walk to the Thai Embassy, I thought that aspect was reassuring to first time Savanakhet visa runners such as myself. Near the guesthouse, directly south along the same road paralleling the Mekong it is quite lively. There are numerous sidewalk riverside fish barbeque, hotpot, and drinking spots. Seemed to be mostly full of college students but families were also eating and drinking. The Mekong river itself at this time of year is quite full and is contributing it's share of negative ions to the air which makes the air quite refreshing, or as much as it could be given that it is still a fairly warm 30-34 degrees during the day. Mukdahan's riverfront seems to be choked by market dust from the market that is just opposite the river, too many vendors blocking the sidewalks. Savanakhet has none of that, very pleasant along the riverfront. We went to the Mekong Hotel bar which is opposite the main riverside sidewalk barbeque area mentioned above. Didn't try the food, they have a fairly full menu, but went in for a few Beer Lao Darks, very reasonable prices, quiet atmosphere if a bit dusty and stale feeling from the place being infrequently cleaned I imagine, tho not by any means a dirty, just a bit dusty and in need of a retrofit.

Five streets down from the Thai embassy on the same street and going away from the river there is a cafe (Sorry, I neglected to note the name) that while a bit expensive provides good value western European meals, beer, wine, fresh made juices, Lao coffees. Nice friendly staff and regular customers, polite prompt and together service, you order your food and you get what you order, clean atmosphere open 7 am to late night. Frequented equally by locals, ngos and visa run types. Pizzas have a huge amount of cheese, while not very Italian, maybe French style pizza, they were really well prepared, recommend the eggplant and bell pepper onion pizza. My wife was very happy with the French style fish dishes and soups. Excellent house wine by the carafe, your usual Lao baguettes. We went there for breakfast on the way back home, very good omlettes, lethal coffee. A cut above any back packer type places with the usual pancakes or any restaurant you will find in a similar medium price range in Thailand, recommended, and for me, a good place to eat makes staying in Savankhet over Mukdhan a hands down winner. If the cafe wasn't good enough, there is a good wine shop near Nong Soda offering a basic but complete range of Aussie, Kiwi, Chilean, American, French and South African wines. The usual 100 percent cheaper than Thailand prices on all wines. They are open until 8 pm and located down the first street you come to after walking out of Nong Soda along the riverfront street. You just make a left and continue to I believe the 3rd intersection, past the school and the very smoky sidewalk barbeque area and you make the next left and its on the left about 50 meters into the street.

The international bus from Mukdahan bus station to the border and then into Savankhet is a fairly painless way to get to and leave Savanakhet. Savankhet station is much larger cleaner and more orderly than the station in Vientiane which is a bit of a sty. Tuk tuk drivers at the Savankhet terminal didn't seem to be the usual mercenary, pounce on the arrivants before they even get off the bus type that you usually encounter. We were politely and calmly asked where we wanted to go, no pressure, no hopeless confusions or misunderstandings of the patently obvious variety nor any of the usual dramas you can well imagine. It was 100 baht straight into town right to the Nong Soda Guesthouse. Going back out to the terminal it was 80 baht and similarly straight forward and non-ridiculous.

Also, and I am going to go on a bit of a rant here, so if you don't want to hear anything bad about bus travel in Isaan with recommendations for alternatives from whinging farangs and don't appreciate such postings for their comedic value,then you can skip the following loquacious and rather bloated semblance of a paragraph. Seriously tho', if you are in central Isaan, and if it is just as convenient, I would recommend avoiding taking any bus to or from Khon Kaen and Mukdahan and opting for Roi Et. The companies operating out of the Khon Kaen terminal, in my experience, are all running very dodgy vehicles and services and they are taking the piss at this point out of us and their workers. I myself will not give them my coin if I don't absolutely have to. You are in grave danger with many of the buses and drivers. If something can go wrong it will, brake failures, exhaust being piped into the bus through the air conditioning, hopelessly late departures and arrivals, circuitous routes with complicated pick ups and arrangements being made that take 30-40 minutes and that add hours to the journey (6 hour journey from Udon to Khon Kaen anyone?) karoke video players stuck on some ear shattering level of volume, drivers who have been run ragged and are at the end of their ropes, a filthy utterly decrepit terminal full of haggling desperate tuk tuk drivers, bus company ticket touts grabbing you by the arm, the shirt sleeve, "But I am not going to Bangkok, please, no need." the list goes on. I can't say as I have ever had a bus trip either to or from Khon Kaen that wasn't a needlessly huge pain in the ass if not actually terrifying or where we faced serious health consequences such as carbon monoxide poisoning or heat stroke. The obligatory 1 hour refueling stop for any Khon Kaen bound or departing bus is all you need to put you off taking buses to or from Khon Kaen. You are nearly to Khon Kaen or have just left the terminal after say a 45 minutes late departure (no have enough customers yet sir, we must to wait we have more people), 10-15 minutes away or only 10-15 minutes down the road from the terminal and then the bus pulls into the fuel station, sometimes with many other trucks and buses already queued up and you then have to get off the bus and wait in the parking lot while the bus is gassed up. Roi Et has the facilities at the station, so things are taken care of on their time not yours. Repeated experiences to various destinations has shown Roi Et is a much better bus terminal to use. They may not offer quite the range destinations and departure options as Khon Kaen, but the atmosphere at the terminal is reasonable for a bus terminal, not a filthy broken down, guano depository of a zoo, with people grabbing you and trying to sell you tickets. while the ticket sellers ignore you, queue jumping galore, gum salesmen nagging you to buy gum the moment you set foot in the terminal. The buses I have taken from Roi Et run on schedule, the buses themselves are in good shape not breaking and half broken and driven by reasonable people who appear to be getting enough to eat and enough sleep and are who are only mildly reckless, heedless, and oblivious to oblivion on an international scale of measurement.

So, I thought, that for now Savanakhet appears to be a great place to go for getting a visa or a 3 month entry stamp. I really enjoyed the friendly, refreshing atmosphere, the food, the good service at guest houses, restaurants, from tuk tuks, not to mention the unique atmosphere of the town created by old French colonial buildings still standing everywhere and the Mekong River itself. While the town is a bit spread out and it takes some walking to get where you want to go, it is at least a pleasant walk.

[ubonjoe]

The Kor Ror 2 problem is from people confusing extensions of stay and visa requirements.

I suggest writing multiple next to where you check non immigrant. Most application forms have a space for number of entries but Savannakhets doesn't.

[Shaunduhpostman]

Thanks for the suggestion, will add multiple to the application next time. Again tho' it didn't seemed that the officer in charge that day was concerned with looking at what you were putting on the application at all. In any event, the clear warning sign that things are going the wrong direction as far as getting a 1 year multiple is if you are asked for only 2000 baht. As we know that is the fee for the 3 month single entry visa. I've learned that I'd better volunteer the 5000 no matter how much I'd like to get a 1 year multi for 2000 and request that the 5,000 go towards the 1 year multiple.

[RubbaJohnny]

It's as if they only look at the money

Good report

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Good report, thanks for the info

[jauntyjohn]

Thanks, great report. In regard to documents, does anyone know if the original tabien baan and wifes id card are required? I have only copies of both. I have the original marriage certificate.

Sent from my LT15i using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[CHANGOVER]

Was Eddie the South African manager still at Nong Soda?

[Mario2008]

Thanks, great report. In regard to documents, does anyone know if the original tabien baan and wifes id card are required? I have only copies of both. I have the original marriage certificate.

Sent from my LT15i using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Signed copies will do. Your wife is not suppose to give her your ID-card, she needs it her self.

[jauntyjohn]

Thanks, id card is signed but house papers not signed, maybe unacceptable?

Sent from my LT15i using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[KamphaengPeter]

Hello Shaunduhpostman,

thanks for your Report.

I wont go in 2 Weeks to Savanakhet, for 1 year multiple entry, Non-Immigrant O Visum.

[superockstar]

Guys, I have a question. I got my Non O 1 year multiple entry from Savan Vegas via the Thai consulate back in May. Excellent service! I did my 90 day border run back in August at Savanakhet and am wondering if I have to do my 90 day border run every time, or can I just go to immigration to get the stamp? Has anyone else been doing border runs with their Non-O from Savan Vegas? Please let me know. Thanks :-)

[thaiexpat21]

A multiple entry visa only permits a maximum stay of 90 days per entry . You must at or before the 90 day period ends exit Thailand. Re- entering Thailand will provide another 90 day stay whilst the visa is valid.

There is no option of "going to immigration" to get a stamp !

Edited October 17, 2013 by thaiexpat21

[ubonjoe]

Guys, I have a question. I got my Non O 1 year multiple entry from Savan Vegas via the Thai consulate back in May. Excellent service! I did my 90 day border run back in August at Savanakhet and am wondering if I have to do my 90 day border run every time, or can I just go to immigration to get the stamp? Has anyone else been doing border runs with their Non-O from Savan Vegas? Please let me know. Thanks :-)

For first thing you did not get your visa from Savan Vegas it was issued by the the Thai consulate.

You need to do border runs every 90 days since your visa only allows you to stay for 90 days each time you enter.

The only way you can avoid border runs is to get a one year extension of stay at immigration based upon marriage. Just show 400K baht in the bank for 60 days or prove income of 40K baht.

[superockstar]

Thanks guys for the info. Appreciate it.

[KamphaengPeter]

Hello to all ThaiVisa Members,
thanks for sharing the Infos.

I get my VISUM -O- Mulit last week.
this I have give the Thai Officer:
1. Original and photocopy of mine passport x 2
2. Photocopy front and back of wife's Thai ID with signatur frommy Wife x 2
3. Copy and original of marriage certificate Kor Sor 3, I believe.with signatur frommy Wife x 2
4. Copy and orginal of house book, Tabien Baan I believe it's called.with signatur frommy Wife x 2
5. Two photos of applicant with application completed.
6. 5,000 baht

He dont have my aks for a Bank Account!

I take the Goverment Bus 999 from BKK / Mochit Bus Station to Mukdahan pric 533Bath First Class 32Seats driving in the Night.
In the morning to Mukdahan Bus Station to Savannakeht ( I pay 30 USA Dollar for the Visum go inside Loas).
The Thais Embasy open 9:00 a clock in the morning.

A good Guesthous found I over the Net.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g811038-d4555571-r177096822-Souannavong_Guesthouse-Savannakhet_Savannakhet_Province.html

The Souannavong Guesthouse is nice and clean I pay 400 Bath for on night.
https://www.facebook.com/Souannavong

http://souannavonguesthouse.wordpress.com/room/queen-bed-aircondition/

[SantiSuk]

A few of us former Hull enthusiasts will be following in your footsteps in coming months. Fingers crossed the Laotians don't upset anyone (like clearly Alan Taylor's mob must have done).

Good to have these reports. Keep em coming.

[Maestro]

Thank you for your report, KampaengPeter. I have added a link to in the list of Latest Reports Of Getting A Visa In The Region.

[RubbaJohnny]

Options for 1 year visa married to Thai.

I do not want to hold any funds in Thai banks apart from living expenses.

Can a marriage visa / retirement that I have had previously be pbtained with funds in Australian Bank please?

Is there anywhere else in Asia requiring less than 400k in Thai Account,

KL was good with evidence of only 100k and funds in Australia were accepted on more tha one occasion but from reports here KL cannot be guaranteed?

Any advice appreciated,maybe in UK and seems Birmingham / Cardiff better bet than Hull now or Perth /Brisbane.

In terms of combining with a reasonable price holiday my preference would be Sri Lanka Hong Kong or Macau but seems no recent reports from these plces for 1 year visa to visit wife.

[lopburi3]

You are aware the Savannakhet option for multi entry O visa for marriage does not require 400k proof here or Oz?

[ubonjoe]

You do not need money in the bank in Savvanakhet as it states in the report 3 posts before yours. Why ask about another location?

KL does not not do multiple entry visas anymore.

[MikeandDow]

You are aware the Savannakhet option for multi entry O visa for marriage does not require 400k proof here or Oz?

Lopburi3 need to define Oz a bit better Perth require to show AU$50,000.00 now rest of Aus all ok no funds required.

[lopburi3]

I am talking about Savannakhet not needing to be shown funds in Thailand or the other country he mentioned (100k in Australia by KL). I did not say anything about any Consulate in Oz requirements.

[MikeandDow]

I am talking about Savannakhet not needing to be shown funds in Thailand or the other country he mentioned (100k in Australia by KL). I did not say anything about any Consulate in Oz requirements.

ok mate, to me it reads as you are including Aus no big deal

[legendarysurfer]

One question and an assumption:

Do I need to be listed in the housebook (tabien baan) or is the housebook with my wife listed in it sufficient?

I assume that our marriage certificate from the USA is OK and that I don't need a Thai marriage certificate.

Thanks in advance for all replies.

[ubonjoe]

One question and an assumption:

Do I need to be listed in the housebook (tabien baan) or is the housebook with my wife listed in it sufficient?

I assume that our marriage certificate from the USA is OK and that I don't need a Thai marriage certificate.

Thanks in advance for all replies.

You cannot be listed in your wife's house book. Only your wife's entry is needed.

Your US marriage certificate is fine. A translation of it would be useful.but not normally required.

[legendarysurfer]

One question and an assumption:

Do I need to be listed in the housebook (tabien baan) or is the housebook with my wife listed in it sufficient?

I assume that our marriage certificate from the USA is OK and that I don't need a Thai marriage certificate.

Thanks in advance for all replies.

You cannot be listed in your wife's house book. Only your wife's entry is needed.

Your US marriage certificate is fine. A translation of it would be useful.but not normally required.

Thanks, ubonjoe!

http://http:the-isaan.blogspot.com

[bkkgooner]

Going to do this run at the end of July, how long does it take to get from Mukadahan to Savanakhet?

Does anyone do it by air from Bangkok and what time do you get your passport back the next day?

I see there is an Air Asia flight on sale to Bangkok at 4:45 from Nakhon Pannon would I make it from consulate to airport on time?

Edited June 5, 2014 by bkkgooner