Quick Vientiane double entry visa report

[JepSoDii]

I just got back from getting a double entry at Vientiane and want to cover a few transit points and my experience getting the visa.

On arriving at Udon Thani on Sunday evening, I went to the desk with a sign saying “LIMOUSINE SERVICE” and it was 200 per person. Seems to leave every half hour on the quarter hour. The trip took an hour, considering it was raining and we had multiple downtown Nong Khai stops for other passengers (by contrast, returning was 40 mins from finishing Thai entry formalities).

Once through immigration, I got on the bus service (I think 20b) to cross the bridge, and processed through the Laos side. There I was able to get a taxi from the border to my hotel for 350 baht, which seemed like a good deal but I’d be curious to hear if others had cheaper rates. Went to bed early.

As others have noted, the application hours are 830am-1130am, and since it was a Monday and I was (rightly) worried about crowds due to that and the fact that now, more former border runners are having to get visas. So I arrived at 745 for the 830 opening. It was raining. Note to others: bring an umbrella during rainy season. Arriving 45 minutes before the appointed hour didn’t provide for an early finish. Number 246, and there were lots of people behind us by the time we got to the gate. I should have come by 7.

Anyway, once seated by 845, it was a 2 1/2 hour wait, and my number was finally called to go to the application window at 1115. After that, I went to the next building and had to wait another 40 minutes to be called to pay. I walked out at noon. So it was a 4 hour and 15 minutes long visa-getting experience. Not exactly pleasant but I was prepared for a long wait. Though I figured 3 hours would be worst-case. How wrong I was.

The next day, I arrived at 1230p for the 130p opening to pick up. Again, little droplets of rain, but they actually opened the gate for people at around 1. They didn’t make pickup available early; this was just probably to let people go inside and sit under the tin roof since it was looking like rain. So this time I was #61 (much better), got seated at 1, and waited til they began at 130, and at that time, the masses all went to the next building (same one where we paid the day before). As expected, pickup was quicker. I was done by 2pm.

At the consulate, a taxi driver caught me before I got in line at 1 and asked to take me to the border. 300 baht, and I happily accepted and was eager to get to the border. He waited for me the entire time and took me to the border.

Once at the border and through the Lao exit, I was approached by a van sharing tout who agreed to go to the border for 250 each after initially they wanted 300. Once through Thai immigration, it was a 40 minute straight shot to Udon Thani, and I arrived at 430, plenty of time for my 610pm flight out of Udon.

I previously had a tourist visa as well, though this wasn't quite a back-to-back. I left Thailand on May 12, returned a few weeks later on a 30 day stamp at Suvarnabhumi, and that was about to end, so I was applying for the double entry after a 30-day visa exempt stamp.

Hope this helps.

[Lazzar]

Number 246 at 7.45 Looks like a lot of more than the last time I went there.

[Gonsalviz]

Savanakhet is much easier and cheaper.

[JepSoDii]

Savanakhet is much easier and cheaper.

Care to elaborate? Does this include getting to and from? And do they practice the same lack of travel documents and financial proof?