Savannakhet border "scam"

[sandyf]

For the Swiss it is free. No visa required. I think maybe the top government officials have a special arrangement with the Swiss banks. A Swiss friend of mine living near the border crosses regularly just for the duty free shopping.

They do need a visa, just do not have to pay. When I went into Laos last year the guy in the queue beside me was Swiss, had to pay 100 baht for something, possibly photocopy. Nice guy, paid mine at the same time and said his visa was free.

It is $35 USD for UK passports.

I think you will find they are visa exempt and get stamped in for 15 days. Similar to the ASEAN member states. My friend says he only pays 40 baht. Travels there quite often and does not loose a whole page of his passport each time (small status country, big visa syndrome), unlike me.

That may well be what he meant, chat was mainly about his country rather than immigration.

Forgotten the name of the crossing, between Ubon and Laske.

[sjaak327]

I fail to see how this is a scam. It has been common knowledge that the Lao border authorities would charge 1500 baht for a 35 USD visa.

They are doing it at all four friendship bridges. Although the last time I entered at Tha Khaek, they actually charged 1200 baht for my 35 USD visa. They are not even making troubles, as I also entered at Tha Khaek a few years back (when you had to take the ferry across) and gave me 20 USD change from 50, meaning I only paid 30 bucks, even though the published price was 35 USD.

Edited August 11, 2014 by sjaak327

[sjaak327]

Strikes me as completely bizarre that the Laotian authorities only appear to accept payments in USD or THB, but not in their local currency! What on earth is their reasoning here?

And, if they are prepared to accept payments in USD and THB, why can't they go the whole hog and accept payments in other major currencies such as the EUR and GBP as well?

Yep they do. You cannot pay for the visa in LAK, in fact, you are not suppose to actually export LAK out of the country, not that there is any use, as LAK outside of Laos is as good as monopoly money.

[bitcoinman]

Then ad an extra 40 bahts for entry fee (and exit fee) at the booth to pay the guy who stamp your visa because these guys are policemen and not immigration officers. One day they will charge 500 bahts for farangs.

You can refuse, grab your passport and walk away once he stamped it. They hide now their corrupted money under their table but Thai pay the 40 bahts because they think it' s normal to pay.

Edited August 11, 2014 by bitcoinman

[lovelaos]

Strikes me as completely bizarre that the Laotian authorities only appear to accept payments in USD or THB, but not in their local currency! What on earth is their reasoning here?

And, if they are prepared to accept payments in USD and THB, why can't they go the whole hog and accept payments in other major currencies such as the EUR and GBP as well?

Yep they do. You cannot pay for the visa in LAK, in fact, you are not suppose to actually export LAK out of the country, not that there is any use, as LAK outside of Laos is as good as monopoly money.

Yet more misinformation .... You are not allowed to export a certain amount of LAK out of the country. Same as every other country in the world.

[bertty]

Strikes me as completely bizarre that the Laotian authorities only appear to accept payments in USD or THB, but not in their local currency! What on earth is their reasoning here?

And, if they are prepared to accept payments in USD and THB, why can't they go the whole hog and accept payments in other major currencies such as the EUR and GBP as well?

Yep they do. You cannot pay for the visa in LAK, in fact, you are not suppose to actually export LAK out of the country, not that there is any use, as LAK outside of Laos is as good as monopoly money.

Yet more misinformation .... You are not allowed to export a certain amount of LAK out of the country. Same as every other country in the world.

Certain amount ? what is the certain amount ? And what can you take out of India ?

[lovelaos]

Then ad an extra 40 bahts for entry fee (and exit fee) at the booth to pay the guy who stamp your visa because these guys are policemen and not immigration officers. One day they will charge 500 bahts for farangs.

You can refuse, grab your passport and walk away once he stamped it. They hide now their corrupted money under their table but Thai pay the 40 bahts because they think it' s normal to pay.

This is an entry fee of 10,000 kip (40 Baht). It is not 'corrupted money'. Lao citizens or foreigners with a business visa do not pay this fee. Nothing corrupt about it whatsoever. It hasn't changed in the last 10 years or so. What makes you think they will raise it to 500 Baht?

[lovelaos]

Strikes me as completely bizarre that the Laotian authorities only appear to accept payments in USD or THB, but not in their local currency! What on earth is their reasoning here?

And, if they are prepared to accept payments in USD and THB, why can't they go the whole hog and accept payments in other major currencies such as the EUR and GBP as well?

Yep they do. You cannot pay for the visa in LAK, in fact, you are not suppose to actually export LAK out of the country, not that there is any use, as LAK outside of Laos is as good as monopoly money.

Yet more misinformation .... You are not allowed to export a certain amount of LAK out of the country. Same as every other country in the world.

Certain amount ? what is the certain amount ? And what can you take out of India ?

I have no idea what you can take out of India, what has India got to do with anything on this thread? I don't remember how much LAK you can take out but it is a certain amount.

[bertty]

You made a statement that is incorrect. i.e. you can take money out of any country.

It is illegal to take rupees out of India.

So the only reason to mention India was to prove your statement to be false.

Hope that explains it.

Edited August 11, 2014 by bertty

[sjaak327]

Certain amount ? what is the certain amount ? And what can you take out of India ?

I have no idea what you can take out of India, what has India got to do with anything on this thread? I don't remember how much LAK you can take out but it is a certain amount.

As far as I know that amount is zero. Regardless, you cannot do anything with LAK outside of Laos, and you certainly cannot pay your visa with it.

[lovelaos]

You made a statement that is incorrect. i.e. you can take money out of any country.

It is illegal to take rupees out of India.

So the only reason to mention India was to prove your statement to be false.

Hope that explains it.

Good God man. Are you for real?

Let's get back to the original post. Which is Savannakhet border "scam" or more appropriately 'Imaginary Savannakhet border scam'.

[transam]

Perhaps the topic should end here............

Lao border, if you pay in dollars they must be like just minted/printed, if not pay more money in baht where they will take anything.

Thats it..........

[flyingdoc]

Why not get virgin U.S. dollars in the first place if you might pay in dollars?

If you have been to Myanmar, you will know that you have to ask the Bank for perfect notes, or they will be rejected in Yangon and elsewhere!

[paz]

Good God man. Are you for real?

Let's get back to the original post. Which is Savannakhet border "scam" or more appropriately 'Imaginary Savannakhet border scam'.

Don't bother, just check member posting history and content to get a good idea about who are you conversing with.

Anyway, what I've found is that most people have little idea about the great importance and value of hard currency in countries that do not have an open and fair exchange market.

Interestingly, Thailand has pretty efficient currency market, unlike e.g the US where you walk either to a bank or an exchange booth, and you're robbed anyway.

[Tomtomtom69]

Strikes me as completely bizarre that the Laotian authorities only appear to accept payments in USD or THB, but not in their local currency! What on earth is their reasoning here?

And, if they are prepared to accept payments in USD and THB, why can't they go the whole hog and accept payments in other major currencies such as the EUR and GBP as well?

Yep they do. You cannot pay for the visa in LAK, in fact, you are not suppose to actually export LAK out of the country, not that there is any use, as LAK outside of Laos is as good as monopoly money.

Yet more misinformation .... You are not allowed to export a certain amount of LAK out of the country. Same as every other country in the world.

Certain amount ? what is the certain amount ? And what can you take out of India ?

sjaak327 More misinformation. You most certainly CAN pay for the visa in LAK. Why the hell wouldn't they accept their own currency given that there is now a law stating that all prices of goods and services MUST be in Kip.

I have asked about paying in Kip and the answer was YES.

[paz]

sjaak327 More misinformation. You most certainly CAN pay for the visa in LAK. Why the hell wouldn't they accept their own currency given that there is now a law stating that all prices of goods and services MUST be in Kip.

I have asked about paying in Kip and the answer was YES.

But perhaps you still paid in USD after finding you would have been scammed legally surcharged a good 25% when paying in any other currency.

[Tomtomtom69]

Then ad an extra 40 bahts for entry fee (and exit fee) at the booth to pay the guy who stamp your visa because these guys are policemen and not immigration officers. One day they will charge 500 bahts for farangs.

You can refuse, grab your passport and walk away once he stamped it. They hide now their corrupted money under their table but Thai pay the 40 bahts because they think it' s normal to pay.

This is an entry fee of 10,000 kip (40 Baht). It is not 'corrupted money'. Lao citizens or foreigners with a business visa do not pay this fee. Nothing corrupt about it whatsoever. It hasn't changed in the last 10 years or so. What makes you think they will raise it to 500 Baht?

Only Vientiane charges this fee at the bridge and it depends on your passport as to the amount (I have already stated this, why do people keep coming up with different answers to things that have already been stated!)

NOBODY, irrespective of whether they are Lao, foreigner, a tourist or a resident needs to pay anything in the form of this 5-40 Baht fee (1000-10000 Kip) IF they drive a car or motorcycle into the country. The fee is for the card for passengers that arrived by bus to cross the border. If you are a passenger or the driver of a private vehicle, you don't pay. I certainly don't - I have only ever paid if going through the few times I've come as a bus passenger but never when driving a car across.

[Tomtomtom69]

sjaak327 More misinformation. You most certainly CAN pay for the visa in LAK. Why the hell wouldn't they accept their own currency given that there is now a law stating that all prices of goods and services MUST be in Kip.

I have asked about paying in Kip and the answer was YES.

But perhaps you still paid in USD after finding you would have been scammed legally surcharged a good 25% when paying in any other currency.

Correct - that's exactly what I did and I would have paid more if I had used one of those other 2 currencies. Read my post on one of the previous pages for my story. Basically the Baht amount is the highest (1500 Baht), the Kip amount is somewhat less (amounted to the equivalent of 1180 Baht at the time or USD 37.50 so 300,000 Kip) and then the USD amount is 30 USD.

You must also pay everything in the same currency (Baht only or Kip only or USD only) and can only pay the extra "overtime" charge in another currency from the one you used to pay the visa fee. The extra fee is only US$1 and there is little difference depending on the currency you pay in. I think you can get away with 8000 Kip for US$1 and maybe 35 Baht, though most officers will probably push for 40 Baht in that case, about 8 Baht more than it should be, but that's not nearly as big a ripoff as the inflated visa costs for Baht payment.

[sjaak327]

Certain amount ? what is the certain amount ? And what can you take out of India ?

sjaak327 More misinformation. You most certainly CAN pay for the visa in LAK. Why the hell wouldn't they accept their own currency given that there is now a law stating that all prices of goods and services MUST be in Kip.

I have asked about paying in Kip and the answer was YES.

Hmm, I have entered Laos many many times, and was never allowed to pay with Kip. Did you actually pay for your visa in Kip ?

[Tomtomtom69]

When entering Laos, she has been told by the officer, no problem you can enter Laos with your ID card.

When she came back, the rule had changed, so yes, I do complain, and big time.

She doesn't meet the requirements, don't let her in then.

Did she have a border pass? Thais cannot enter with only an ID card.

Unless it's changed recently ..Thais could enter laos with their ID card but only for 3 days I believe..counting the day going in...so possible in this case they were over the 3 days.

A Thai cannot just walk up show their ID card and cross the border. They have to apply for and obtain a border pass and pay 30 baht for.it.

A border pass is good for 3 days.

Correct. The only Thais that can get away with crossing the Lao border with no documents required are Thai officers that work for customs or immigration and are well known to the officials on the Lao side. Even then they would only be crossing for a few hours or the day and not going any further than Vientiane city.

[cornishcarlos]

Anyway, I had a trouble free visa run

Back in Thailand at 4pm exactly, happy days...

[ChristianPFC]

So much talk about nothing.

For my last visa run to Lao (Nong Khai - Vientiane), I exchanged Thai Baht to USD in Bangkok. However, I didn't ask for new bill, and those I got had significant signs of use.

The officer refused the bills and told me I can pay in THB as well (I am German, 30 USD (?) or 1500 THB), I was actually relieved that I don't have to go to an exchange booth, get new notes (I assume exchange rates at the border are less favorable than in Bangkok) and queue again. I later exchanged the notes to Kip without problem, or paid with them, don't remember.

But I wonder why they don't post the 1500 THB, I remember only prices in USD quoted at the window.

Until now I didn't find this information worth sharing, but this thread shows there is an interest in such matters.

(I realize my situation is a bit different from the OP, my notes had heavy signs of use.)

[ALFREDO]

So much talk about nothing.

For my last visa run to Lao (Nong Khai - Vientiane), I exchanged Thai Baht to USD in Bangkok. However, I didn't ask for new bill, and those I got had significant signs of use.

The officer refused the bills and told me I can pay in THB as well (I am German, 30 USD (?) or 1500 THB), I was actually relieved that I don't have to go to an exchange booth, get new notes (I assume exchange rates at the border are less favorable than in Bangkok) and queue again. I later exchanged the notes to Kip without problem, or paid with them, don't remember.

In Nong Khai, there is, since some month, a new small Bank booth about 200 m from the border,

at the entrance to the main car parking space.

I use that booth now after parking the car to change "nice" Dollars. I think my country has to pay 35 Dollar.

Better are the Swiss, they pay nothing at all.

Bilateral agreement.

[sandyf]

Certain amount ? what is the certain amount ? And what can you take out of India ?

I have no idea what you can take out of India, what has India got to do with anything on this thread? I don't remember how much LAK you can take out but it is a certain amount.

As far as I know that amount is zero. Regardless, you cannot do anything with LAK outside of Laos, and you certainly cannot pay your visa with it.

This is correct. The LAK is an article XIV currency and none of the Art 14 currencies,about 15 of them, can be exchanged internationally. Other countries operate currency regulations to limit the amount of local currency that may be taken from the country, Thailand being one. In the absence of local regulations the international limit for undeclared currency is the equivalent of 10K USD.

[OJAS]

Certain amount ? what is the certain amount ? And what can you take out of India ?

I have no idea what you can take out of India, what has India got to do with anything on this thread? I don't remember how much LAK you can take out but it is a certain amount.

As far as I know that amount is zero. Regardless, you cannot do anything with LAK outside of Laos, and you certainly cannot pay your visa with it.

This is correct. The LAK is an article XIV currency and none of the Art 14 currencies,about 15 of them, can be exchanged internationally. Other countries operate currency regulations to limit the amount of local currency that may be taken from the country, Thailand being one. In the absence of local regulations the international limit for undeclared currency is the equivalent of 10K USD.

So how do you pay for any meal you might want to eat in (or any night you might want to spend in) Savannakhet before you cross over back into LOS?

The only beneficiaries of visa payments in USD are, of course, American nationals with USA bank accounts who are able to obtain the necessary cash through ATM withdrawals during trips back home at a 1:1 exchange rate and zero commission! Going by the title of this thread, the rest of us are, I think, "scammed" every which way - by the banking industry as much as by Laotian officialdom.

Edited August 12, 2014 by OJAS

[sandyf]

As far as I know that amount is zero. Regardless, you cannot do anything with LAK outside of Laos, and you certainly cannot pay your visa with it.

This is correct. The LAK is an article XIV currency and none of the Art 14 currencies,about 15 of them, can be exchanged internationally. Other countries operate currency regulations to limit the amount of local currency that may be taken from the country, Thailand being one. In the absence of local regulations the international limit for undeclared currency is the equivalent of 10K USD.

So how do you pay for any meal you might want to eat in (or any night you might want to spend in) Savannakhet before you cross over back into LOS?

The only beneficiaries of visa payments in USD are, of course, American nationals with USA bank accounts who are able to obtain the necessary cash through ATM withdrawals during trips back home at a 1:1 exchange rate and zero commission! Going by the title of this thread, the rest of us are, I think, "scammed" every which way - by the banking industry as much as by Laotian officialdom.

In the same way as everyone else does. I have that problem regularly in transit.

When I went to Laos last year I only ever spent Thai Baht.

[sjaak327]

This is correct. The LAK is an article XIV currency and none of the Art 14 currencies,about 15 of them, can be exchanged internationally. Other countries operate currency regulations to limit the amount of local currency that may be taken from the country, Thailand being one. In the absence of local regulations the international limit for undeclared currency is the equivalent of 10K USD.

So how do you pay for any meal you might want to eat in (or any night you might want to spend in) Savannakhet before you cross over back into LOS?

The only beneficiaries of visa payments in USD are, of course, American nationals with USA bank accounts who are able to obtain the necessary cash through ATM withdrawals during trips back home at a 1:1 exchange rate and zero commission! Going by the title of this thread, the rest of us are, I think, "scammed" every which way - by the banking industry as much as by Laotian officialdom.

You can use THB or USD or LAK. Generally the best currency to pay for things inside of Laos would be LAK.

As I said before, I got into Laos at Tha Kaek (at the third friendship bridge) for 1200 baht, which is a fair price considering the visa does cost 35 USD.

In the case of the first and second friendship bridge they make you pay 1500 baht for the same visa, which is a currency conversion hit of around 350 baht. Not something to be overly worried about.

In the case you would need to make continued visits to Savan or Vientiane, you could try and withdraw LAK on your next trip, and bring it with you on your further trips and see if you can pay for the visa using LAK (as claimed by one poster) would be interesting to know how the exchange rate would be on this scenario.

[Tomtomtom69]

Certain amount ? what is the certain amount ? And what can you take out of India ?

I have no idea what you can take out of India, what has India got to do with anything on this thread? I don't remember how much LAK you can take out but it is a certain amount.

As far as I know that amount is zero. Regardless, you cannot do anything with LAK outside of Laos, and you certainly cannot pay your visa with it.

This is correct. The LAK is an article XIV currency and none of the Art 14 currencies,about 15 of them, can be exchanged internationally. Other countries operate currency regulations to limit the amount of local currency that may be taken from the country, Thailand being one. In the absence of local regulations the international limit for undeclared currency is the equivalent of 10K USD.

Well that official hoopla isn't quite correct in the real world. Here in Thailand, LAK can be exchanged without too much trouble. All Bangkok Bank branches dealing in foreign exchange will buy them off you, although in the reverse direction you might have to wait a few days for them to order some in, except possibly at branches near the Lao border (such as Nong Khai or Udon Thani) with lots of Lao and Thai travelers heading in both directions. Some moneychangers in Bangkok also deal with them, including the one on Phahonyothin road close to MBK between MBK and the Asia Hotel.

LAK can also easily be exchanged, in both directions on the Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and Cambodian side of the their borders with Laos and possibly at major towns and cities near the border, but a bit further away (for example moneychangers in Udon surely carry Kip). In Kunming, China hundreds of km from the nearest Lao border crossing, at least one bank has set up an agreement to deal with Lao Kip since at least 2012.

So while the Kip is not the best currency to carry with you after leaving Laos, at least here in Thailand it's not too difficult to get rid of either. To suggest it's completely non-exchangeable is inaccurate. For most people however, it will probably make sense to obtain another currency before leaving Laos, but for those of us resident in Thailand (this is TV so presumably most of us have something to do with Thailand), it's easy.

[Tomtomtom69]

This is correct. The LAK is an article XIV currency and none of the Art 14 currencies,about 15 of them, can be exchanged internationally. Other countries operate currency regulations to limit the amount of local currency that may be taken from the country, Thailand being one. In the absence of local regulations the international limit for undeclared currency is the equivalent of 10K USD.

So how do you pay for any meal you might want to eat in (or any night you might want to spend in) Savannakhet before you cross over back into LOS?

The only beneficiaries of visa payments in USD are, of course, American nationals with USA bank accounts who are able to obtain the necessary cash through ATM withdrawals during trips back home at a 1:1 exchange rate and zero commission! Going by the title of this thread, the rest of us are, I think, "scammed" every which way - by the banking industry as much as by Laotian officialdom.

You can use THB or USD or LAK. Generally the best currency to pay for things inside of Laos would be LAK.

As I said before, I got into Laos at Tha Kaek (at the third friendship bridge) for 1200 baht, which is a fair price considering the visa does cost 35 USD.

In the case of the first and second friendship bridge they make you pay 1500 baht for the same visa, which is a currency conversion hit of around 350 baht. Not something to be overly worried about.

In the case you would need to make continued visits to Savan or Vientiane, you could try and withdraw LAK on your next trip, and bring it with you on your further trips and see if you can pay for the visa using LAK (as claimed by one poster) would be interesting to know how the exchange rate would be on this scenario.

300,000 Kip is what I was quoted. This is about 1150 Baht. Still better than paying in Baht but you can always get USD at the moneychangers right next to Lao immigration, as long as you don't arrive too early (say before 7 or 8am) or too late (after 7 or 8pm), which is when these banks/moneychangers will be closed.

[Tomtomtom69]

Certain amount ? what is the certain amount ? And what can you take out of India ?

sjaak327 More misinformation. You most certainly CAN pay for the visa in LAK. Why the hell wouldn't they accept their own currency given that there is now a law stating that all prices of goods and services MUST be in Kip.

I have asked about paying in Kip and the answer was YES.

Hmm, I have entered Laos many many times, and was never allowed to pay with Kip. Did you actually pay for your visa in Kip ?

Yes. In the past they might not have wanted to accept Kip, but now with the government decree to force all retailers to accept only Kip (even if the law is still not being followed or enforced properly) along with the stability of the currency now means that Kip is acceptable. However, as we already know, USD is the way to go unless you are stuck in a situation where you can't get access to US dollars (i.e. banks/moneychangers on both the Thai and Lao sides are closed due to being too early or too late in the day). In that case ATMs on the Lao side at least allow you to take out Kip for paying the visa fee.

You can also use Vietnamese Dong to pay for your visa if coming into Laos via overland checkpoints from Vietnam. Chinese Yuan are accepted if coming from China. I have heard some reports that even Baht is acceptable for paying the visa fee if coming from China (but haven't heard anything to suggest you can use Baht if coming from Vietnam). I assume that Khmer Riel however are NOT acceptable if coming from Cambodia as the US dollar is the de-facto currency in Cambodia and thus the Riel is useless in that respect.