Hello Ladies and Gents,

I just wanted to do a quick check. I am currently here on a tourist visa and want to acquire an ED visa to learn the language. That being said I want to be certain I am getting the right school with the right timing and the right class. Going to each of these schools takes time and is draining in the heat, I am likely not going to be able to accomplish this within my current tourist visa time-frame. I am thinking about booking a flight to Vientiane and acquiring a second single or double (probably double just in case) entry visa. I am currently on my first tourist visa to Thailand and have not been here before, have never been on a visa exempt and have no other history of travel to Thailand in my passport.

With the current ongoing restrictions regarding visa's, do you see this being a problem? Should I just rush and pick a school now or am I safe to get a new tourist visa? Thank you all for your time.

Fine Print: I'm on an American passport.

Edited October 14, 201411 yr by JeffreyO

You will have no problem getting a 2 entry tourist visa in Vientiane.

You can go to school on a tourist visa so there will be no big hurry to get your ED visa after you get your tourist visa.

You will probably find flying to Udon Thani and then getting a van to the bridge in Nong Kai will be less costly than a direct flight to Vientiane. Nok Air has a fly/ride service to Vientiane via Udon.

Direct to Vientiane Lao Southern Airways normally has the lowest fares.

You will have no problem getting a 2 entry tourist visa in Vientiane.

You can go to school on a tourist visa so there will be no big hurry to get your ED visa after you get your tourist visa.

You will probably find flying to Udon Thani and then getting a van to the bridge in Nong Kai will be less costly than a direct flight to Vientiane. Nok Air has a fly/ride service to Vientiane via Udon.

Direct to Vientiane Lao Southern Airways normally has the lowest fares.

Thank you very much for the information. I will definitely look into this! I'm assuming that it will be an overnight process like when I applied in New York? Provide them my passport on Monday and they will return it to me on Tuesday?

I'll be traveling with a friend from Thailand, she will have no problem crossing by land? I'm not very familiar with their visa agreements with Laos.

It is a apply the morning of one day and pick up the next afternoon.

Thais get a 30 day visa exempt entry to Laos if they have a passport. The also can get a 3 day border pass (not possible if flying in) by showing their ID card that costs 30 to 50 baht.