Non O visa Ventianne - Trip Report

[3R1C]

No clue how to add this to the pinned topic indexing trip reports.

I just returned from Ventianne with Non-O visas for me and the (American, not Thai) wife. Report follows

Foreplay: Lived in LOS for 4 years on NON Ed visas, I retired at age 45, but The kingdom does not consider this to be age-appropriate behavior until 50, so we went to school instead. My 50th birthday was Feb 01, 2015. In August, the ED Visa rules were changed. I got word about it on Sep 09, 2014. I could not remain inside Thailand beyond period of 1 year on an ED Visa. I had been here since Nov 2010, and my current 90-day was going to expire on 10 Oct 2014. My tuition was not due for renewal until Jan 16, 2015. Plan A had been to do a standard 90-dy renewal on Oct 10, 2014 and then exit the Kingdom to Savannaket on 08 Jan, 2015, visit the Mountains in southern Laos, and then return to Thailand on a 30-day extension from the Non ED visa, which is standard. Plan A would have taken me beyond my 50th B-day with a Non-ED visa extension, and I would have gone to Chaeng Wattana Immigration to do a retirement conversion. Plan A was scuttled by the new 1-year limit of stat on ED visas.

Plan B was a visa run to Savannaket on Oct 10, 2014 for a Multi Tourist visa. We then mada a visa run to Khlong Yai Cambodia on 08 Dec, 2014, and made a final 30-day extension on 07 Feb, 2015 at Jomtien Immigration. Last stop was to go to Chaeng Wattana to convert the tourist visa to a 90-day Non O for retirement. Chaeng Wattana required more than 15 days remaining on the visa to do the conversion, and then my wife had a medical emergency that took almost 4 weeks to recover from. Plan B was scuttled by a hospital stay.

Plan C:

Departed Pattaya from the 407 Pattana Company Ltd bus station, located at the rear of the Petro station on Sukhumvit road, 100m north of the Pattaya Klang intersection. We took the 13:40 bus for 487 Baht apiece, arriving in Udon Thani at 2 minutes to midnight. Walked on block to the City Inn and stayed overnight in a 500 Baht Room with just the barest essentials, but clean, and right off the back end of the station. We awoke at 7AM and went to the opposite side of the bus station to the Minibus service to the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge border station. 50 Baht per person. Arrived at Thai Immigration departure at 07:45, used the TMB ATM (no ATM's in Laos dispense Thai Baht) breezed through departure, rode the courtesy shuttle bus (free) across the bridge to Lao Immigration. 1500 Baht per person for 30-day tourist visa into Laos. Laotian Immigration officer did two retarded things: The Lao Arrival card has a block on it for the Lao tourist Visa number, but he took the passport and the arrival card from me at the same time, and the passport was handed back without the arrival card, so I am to assume he filled in the visa number for me, or just did not care about it. And of course, the Lao visa was put in the passport skipping a page, helping me to use up my book as quickly as possible. If anyone has a successful maneuver to prevent these clowns from skipping an empty page when the put a visa in your passport, please reply to this post to school the rest of us up on how-to.

Lao customs has cool new Pay Pass turnstiles for you to pass through after paying dutiable fees. It was on blinkers, and they just let us around the side through the group-tour gate.

Walked out of Lao customs passing through a hail of Tuk-Tuk and Taxi guys getting right in my face like so many flies, crossed the roadway diagonally to the row of blue benches with the awning over it that was a nice bus stop until most of the blue seats got torn of the steel bench beam. Waited 0 minutes to board an Air Conditioned bus that took us to the central bus station in Ventianne for 30 baht (actual price 14,000 kip) each. You will get the exchange rate of 20 Thai Baht = 10,000 Lao Kyat (Kip) pretty much everywhere these days, but not always, as observed later on.

Walked out of the bus station (corner of (North-South) Blvd KhouVieng and (East-West) Rue NongBone. Walked 100m east, up Rue NongBone, and hopped onto a Baht-Bus running up NongBone. Hopped off again at the 2nd traffic light to the east, Rue Pon Si Ruan (No <deleted>' street signs on all 4 corners), know it by being the 2nd traffic light east of the bus station on NongBone. 40 Baht for both of us. Walked 600m South on (N-S) Rue PonSiRuan to the 3-way corner with (E-W) Rue BouriChane where The Pizza Company is located, selling 1000 Baht pizzas to pizza-starved foreigners. Next door to Pizza Co. is KasikornThai bank, and directly across Rue Bourichane from the bank is the Thai Embassy, which was closed on March 4 for a Thai holiday. Walked another 50m east on Bourichane to the Duong Praseuth Lao Hotel and checked into an 800 Baht room including a good breakfast buffet starting at 06:30 in the AM, and a second-floor from veranda with a commanding view of the embassy gate 50 m away.

Interesting asks and tells with hotel staff: Front Desk staff could not give me correct directions to anywhere 4 different Q's all 4 answers were wrong. Cleaning Ladies gave me directions that worked every time. Front desk told me Tuk-Tuks should be paid 20,000 kip per person to go to the shopping malls on KhoVieng blvd. Cleaning Ladies told me the right price was 10,000 kip per person. (it is a 1.8 km ride from the hotel). I just flagged tuk-tuks off the street and got in and tolsd them where we were headed, and off they would go. Upon arrival, the wife would just walk away without looking back, and I would had the driver 20,000 kip and then turn and walk away. Some tentatively tried to demand more, and some did not. To demands of more, I simply said NO, firmly, and kept walking. I had no confrontations, disputes or "scenes" with this paractice. Coming back from the Tex-Mex, I Paid the driver 40,000 kip, because it was almost twice the distance. He demanded 100,000 kip and I just laughed, and so did the Tuk-Tuk driver already parked out front.

There are no 7-11's in Laos. They have a mini mart chain called M-Point, in red-and white colors. Priced about the same as a 7-11, stocked along the same lines, but not as good as a 7-11. There are no Thai or US cigarettes, and few good values on alcoholic beverages. But Beer Lao is good enough. The check out girl in the M-Point across from the bus station was on the game with currency exchange. She was calling 20 Baht equivalent to 8,000 kip instead of 10,000. And the manager - standing right next to her - tried to smooth that over by calling 20 B = 9,000 kip. I managed to scrounge up enough kip to pay the bill, and left. Found a mom-and-pop mini-mart just around the corner about 50m past the Pizza Co. on R. PonSiRuan that does 20 for 10,000 and had all the basic stuff, but not so much in the way of foreign goods. Spent the afternoon and evening exploring the malls along Blvd KhouVieng and the riverfront bar and restaurant scene. ATM's surcharge $4 and dispense Lao Kip. Everywhere in and around the malls was doing businees in Thai Baht at 20 Baht to 10,000 kip. Good hardware shops on the down-end of the mall area where it reaches R. NongBone. It stuck me as odd - I kept coming across AK parts, silencers, and 12-Ga. shotgun shells in and among the sundry in the tool and repair shops - no joke. I found good tools and fasteners at prices cheaper than Thailand standards. (No, I did not buy any gun parts)

My DTAC Thai SIM card was working fine for calls and text messages everywhere in Ventianne.

Plan C in action: Awake at 05:30 I went out on the hotel veranda and saw 2 people at the embassy gate. 5 minutes later, there were 10 people. I had breakfast at 06:30 and joined the queue at 06:45. I did a head count and there were 54 people in front of us. The Thai Embassy opened the gates at 08:20. I got a queue ticket at the triage table manned in front of Windows 01 02 and 03, about 30 minutes later: #112 and #113. How another 59 people got into line ahead of us besides those who stood in the sun for a couple hours - well now, the visa agents had minivans parked right along the lines, and the other 59 people were sat in those vans, and when the gates opened, they just spilled into the line. As I was called to Window 01, it was 09:50.

The Immigration officer asked if we were married. Yes. Did we have a Marriage Certif- oh, never mind, he cut himself off. I had provided Income Affadavits from the US Embassy for myself and my wife, and each was sufficient for the 65,000 Baht requirement. He asked if those were Copies, Yes, and I handed him the originals. He compared them and handed the originals back to me. He asked if I had a lease or property rental agreement for my permanent address in Thailand. Yes, I handed him the original and the color copies. He smiled, and immediately wrote 200Baht across the top of our queue tickets, wrote Non "O" on the tops of our visa request forms, and directed us to go to Window 04 inside the main building. At window 04, or requests and passports were wordlessly accepted and we were directed to window 06 to pay or fee. Window 06 took our 4000 baht (2000 each person) and heanded us pay receipts and told us to come pick up our passports the next day at 13:30 in the afternoon. I checked the triage table as we left: handing out queue ticket #365 as I went by.

I had both the USA and Thailand criminal background checks and medical certificates in the document file, but they were not asked for. All that were provided were the Visa request form with 2 passport photos, The Income Verification Letter, One copy of the Passport photo page, the Lao Visa Page, and the Thai Exit and Lao Entry stamp page, and copies of our property lease (2-year lease on a single family house at 15,000B per month). I used my landlord's name and address and phone number as my person of contact/sponsor in Thailand. They did not phone him - I did, to check up on that. (I had his advance consent to do these things).

The next day, 06 March, we arrived at the Embassy at 13:30, received queue tickets #187 and #188 from the gate guard. Inside the main building was a zoo menagerie, standing room only, and after about 40 minutes we picked up our passports with our Non O visas. In the intervening wait, I learned that the Thai Embassy staff had over 500 passports awaiting pickup, and they worked well past their normal cutoff hour for visa applications of 11:30. A Vietnamese couple I spoke with said they believed they were the last applicants on 05 March, and they got up to Window 01 at 15:30. They had #518. They had stayed in a riverfront hotel, and had arrived at the embassy at 0815. I will stop disparaging comments about Thai embassy staff keeping bankers hours hence forth. Had I not stayed in the hotel right across from the embassy I might well have held #519.

Straight out the gate, we were offered a tuk-tuk ride to the bus station by a well-dressed man at 10,000 kip each, which we immediately did. At the central bus station we walked all the way to the very back lane, and boarded the closest green-and-white bus to the exit gate at 14:30. 35 air-conditioned minutes later, we arrived at the border and got off the bus and went to Lao departures. We went to the PayPass window first, were each given a turnstile card (like a BTS card) and a receipt for 0.00 kip customs fee. We then went to immigration windows, handed our departure cards and passports, go exit stamps, and went through the PayPass turnstiles, which were working this time, on th 2nd or 3rd try with the card. Out to the courtesy bridge bus, and over to Thai Arrivals. The Arrival Card has a new section printed on the back of the card which I have not encountered before, nothing special, just how much money do you make, and why are you here, and what-not. Proceeded to entry Window, got stared down by Thai Immigration's closest thing to Clint Eastwood. Passed my bag thru the customs X-ray conveyor, and we walked out of Thai Immigration at 16:00 to pass through another hail of Where-You-Go and that clapping and shouting that works so well with me. 150m down the side of the roadway, past the very last tuk-tuk driver, is a short row of shops. The 4th shop in the row is the MiniBus service to take you to Udon Thani bus station for 50 Baht per person. There is a 7-11 just 30m away. We waited for the 15-passenger van to fill up, which it finally did at 16:45, and left for Udon Thani. We arrived at the bus station at 18:10, and signed up for upper deck 487 Baht seats on a VIP coach leaving for Pattaya at 19:30(VIP were full up until 2130) . We passed the time shoppping in Central Festival, 2 blocks south of the bus station. We arrived in Pattaya at 07:30 this morning.

Total Costs for 2 persons: 12,088 Baht all in, including eats and drinks and what-not. Re-formatted to a one-man cost tally:

Bus Patts/1340 to UdonThani/2400: 487 baht

Hotel Udon: 500 baht

Minibus to border:50 baht

Laos Visa: 1500 baht

Bus to Laos Central Sta: 30 baht (14,000 kip)

Baht Bus to Rue. PonSiNuan 10 baht (5000 kip)

Hotel Duong Praseuth Lao 2 nights & 2 good breakfasts: 1600 baht

Thai Non O single-entry visa: 2000 baht

Eating drinking and poking around: 1000 baht (250,000 kip)

Tuk-Tuk to cetral station: 20 Baht (10,000 kip)

Bus back to border: 30 baht (14,000 kip)

Minivan to Udon Bus station: 50 baht

Bus UdonThani/1800/1815/1830/1900/1930/2000/2030/2100/2130/2200...etc,etc. to Pattaya/arriving 12 hours later: 487 baht

Considerations:

Why UdonThani, and not NongKhai?

Pattaya has one daytime departure: 13:40. That means you arrive 11hours later at Udon Thani or 12 hours later at NongKhai. Udon Thani has hotels to choose from at midnight. NongKhai is drunks and barking dogs at 01:00.

NongKhai will get 40 baht from you to take you 5km to the border, and the bus fare is 50 baht higher.

Udon will get 50 baht to take you there, but the bus fare is 50 baht lower.

When seeking a return bus to Pattaya, or BKK, wherever, Udon has busses every 1/2 hour in the evening. NongKhai has far fewer choices.

Why an 800 Baht hotel room next to the embassy, and away from everything normal people like to do at night?

There was no hotel with a swimming pool priced under 2000 baht.

Guesthouses charging 500 baht but no breakfast are really charging the same thing as 600 or 700 baht for a 100 or 200baht breakfast you must go elsewhere to get and waste time ordering and waiting for. And you still have a journey to the Embassy after that. Being 50m away gave me the power of choice to be 3rd, 10th, 55th, or 519th in line as I saw fit to do. Coming from the riverfront, you get surprised or you get lucky.

Asking working class people for prices and for directions tends to produce useful information.

Asking "suits" for prices and for directions tends to gather useless information.

Taxi drivers and street vendors in Laos are pretty shameless about asking for the moon when you ask them the price.

Smart punters already know the price and just hand it over. If they try a different number, it is better to dead-pan them, or to to withdraw the offer and move on. Barter in Laos only happens when you start to walk away. A firm but peaceful NO will usually make paid money stick.

Ventianne nightlife is like Udon Thani's. Pretty tame scene. Attempts to liven it up are risky at best.

[John Gill]

I am on a non-immigrant O visa. I am a US Citizen married to a Thai citizen. I am authorized multiple entries. I am coming up on my first 90 days and I am thinking about more than likely crossing the Cambodian or Loa border and then returning as I am allowed multiple entries. Is it normally required to stay over the border over night? Or can you just cross over and immediately return? How does this work? Can you just go to the border and get your 90 day reentry stamp? My non-immigrant O is good for a year however I am only authorized 90 days at a time with multiple entries. I was told at immigration that yes it is good for a year but every 90 days I have to cross the border and receive another 90 days stamp? I am assuming that since I am authorized multiple entries on my non- immigrant O visa that I will not be viewed as a "visa runner".

[ubonjoe]

I am on a non-immigrant O visa. I am a US Citizen married to a Thai citizen. I am authorized multiple entries. I am coming up on my first 90 days and I am thinking about more than likely crossing the Cambodian or Loa border and then returning as I am allowed multiple entries. Is it normally required to stay over the border over night? Or can you just cross over and immediately return? How does this work? Can you just go to the border and get your 90 day reentry stamp? My non-immigrant O is good for a year however I am only authorized 90 days at a time with multiple entries. I was told at immigration that yes it is good for a year but every 90 days I have to cross the border and receive another 90 days stamp? I am assuming that since I am authorized multiple entries on my non- immigrant O visa that I will not be viewed as a "visa runner".

You can cross the border and come right back to get a new 90 day entry.

You will not be considered a visa runner because you have a valid visa.

If you don't want to make border runs every 90 day you apply for a one year extension of stay based upon marriage during the last 30 days of any of the 90 day entries.

You will need 400k baht in a Thai bank in your name only for 2 months or proof of 40k baht income.

[John Gill]

Thanks Ubonjoe. That is what I thought and that is what I was hoping to hear as far as coming back. If I were to have to cross over for like over night we might as well just fly somewhere.

I actually am planning to apply for the one year visa extension based on marriage so I am not constantly running back and fourth over the border every 90 days. I spoke to immigration about that yesterday. They want me to go to the US Embassy and get a verification letter of my income. I am retired but I am only 39 years old so I am not eligible for the retirement visa. I had no idea I was going to have to do that every 90 days until I actually arrived back here. This is my first time actually living here permanently. When we were living in Tokyo for work purposes before I retired we used to fly down here when ever I had the opportunity. Thanks for the information.

[ubonjoe]

Thanks Ubonjoe. That is what I thought and that is what I was hoping to hear as far as coming back. If I were to have to cross over for like over night we might as well just fly somewhere.

I actually am planning to apply for the one year visa extension based on marriage so I am not constantly running back and fourth over the border every 90 days. I spoke to immigration about that yesterday. They want me to go to the US Embassy and get a verification letter of my income. I am retired but I am only 39 years old so I am not eligible for the retirement visa. I had no idea I was going to have to do that every 90 days until I actually arrived back here. This is my first time actually living here permanently. When we were living in Tokyo for work purposes before I retired we used to fly down here when ever I had the opportunity. Thanks for the information.

You will do an income affidavit at the embassy, You can fill the form out online and print it out or download it and fill out by hand here, http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/service/notarial-services.html#income_affidavit You will need to make an appointment before you go there.

[John Gill]

I was also just curious. When my valid visa expires at the end of the year is there any way to actually renew it in Thailand?

[ubonjoe]

I was also just curious. When my valid visa expires at the end of the year is there any way to actually renew it in Thailand?

You can only get an extension of stay at immigration here. You have to go to an embassy or consulate to get a visa.

Savannakhet Laos does multiple entry non-o visas based upon marriage with no financial proof needed.

[inzman]

Thanks for taking the time to write the post. It was very informative.

[GuyL]

Some exchange rates stated at the beginning of the opening post are wrong and the currency in Laos is not kyat (that's Myanmar's currency), but kip.

One Thai baht roughly equals 250 Lao kip (actually, that's 256 kip according to Oanda).

Therefore, if something costs 10000 kip, it's about 40 baht (39 at the current rate).

http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/

Edited March 7, 2015 by GuyL

[paz]

Since we're in nitpicking mode

1500 Baht per person for 30-day tourist visa into Laos.

Cost of Laos visa is $35 - $42 depending on nationality. You have been exploited paying in Thai baht.

The Immigration officer asked if we were married.

Consulate employee, not immigration officer.

The Arrival Card has a new section printed on the back of the card which I have not encountered before, nothing special, just how much money do you make, and why are you here, and what-not.

That section has always been there, and is optional to fill.

[southsideBruce]

I didn't quite follow your entire story but I am not sure why you didn't just stay in Thailand and get your (and your wife's) Education Visa converted into NON-O Visa at the Bangkok Immigration office. This past January when I got my last 90 day extension on my ED Visa, the folks at the Jomtien Immigration office front desk told me that it is possible to do that (and not have to leave the country), and gave me a document that explains what you need to do it. Has anyone else done this recently - past year, or so? If so, what documents did you need at time that you went. It is what I am planning to do at the end of this month/March. Hope it all works out OK. I don't want to get another ED Visa with all the changes the government made/are making to the ED Visa requirements, etc. I have the age (over 50) and the retirement income enough to meet the requirements for a retirement Visa (NON-O with extension for reasons of retirement).

[nzexpat]

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I didn't quite follow your entire story but I am not sure why you didn't just stay in Thailand and get your (and your wife's) Education Visa converted into NON-O Visa at the Bangkok Immigration office. This past January when I got my last 90 day extension on my ED Visa, the folks at the Jomtien Immigration office front desk told me that it is possible to do that (and not have to leave the country), and gave me a document that explains what you need to do it. Has anyone else done this recently - past year, or so? If so, what documents did you need at time that you went. It is what I am planning to do at the end of this month/March. Hope it all works out OK. I don't want to get another ED Visa with all the changes the government made/are making to the ED Visa requirements, etc. I have the age (over 50) and the retirement income enough to meet the requirements for a retirement Visa (NON-O with extension for reasons of retirement).

Suspect you will find that it will be necessary for you to obtain the "Non O" visa from a Thai Embassy/Consulate in a nearby country.

However, I wish you well in attempting the conversion.

Edited March 7, 2015 by nzexpat

[paz]

I didn't quite follow your entire story but I am not sure why you didn't just stay in Thailand and get your (and your wife's) Education Visa converted into NON-O Visa at the Bangkok Immigration office. This past January when I got my last 90 day extension on my ED Visa, the folks at the Jomtien Immigration office front desk told me that it is possible to do that (and not have to leave the country), and gave me a document that explains what you need to do it. Has anyone else done this recently - past year, or so? If so, what documents did you need at time that you went. It is what I am planning to do at the end of this month/March. Hope it all works out OK. I don't want to get another ED Visa with all the changes the government made/are making to the ED Visa requirements, etc. I have the age (over 50) and the retirement income enough to meet the requirements for a retirement Visa (NON-O with extension for reasons of retirement).

Cannot convert a non-imm 'ED visa converted to non-imm 'O', either in Bangkok or anywhere else, because they are both non-imm visa.

And even if the written regulations allow that, immigration offices in most cases will not grant extensions of stay other than for study, to those entered with a non-imm 'ED' visa.

Which means in your case you will need to either obtain the non-imm 'O' abroad, or leave and re-enter visa exempt or tourist visa, which you can convert to non-imm 'O' in Bangkok, that may require two trips.

[southsideBruce]

I didn't quite follow your entire story but I am not sure why you didn't just stay in Thailand and get your (and your wife's) Education Visa converted into NON-O Visa at the Bangkok Immigration office. This past January when I got my last 90 day extension on my ED Visa, the folks at the Jomtien Immigration office front desk told me that it is possible to do that (and not have to leave the country), and gave me a document that explains what you need to do it. Has anyone else done this recently - past year, or so? If so, what documents did you need at time that you went. It is what I am planning to do at the end of this month/March. Hope it all works out OK. I don't want to get another ED Visa with all the changes the government made/are making to the ED Visa requirements, etc. I have the age (over 50) and the retirement income enough to meet the requirements for a retirement Visa (NON-O with extension for reasons of retirement).

Cannot convert a non-imm 'ED visa converted to non-imm 'O', either in Bangkok or anywhere else, because they are both non-imm visa.

And even if the written regulations allow that, immigration offices in most cases will not grant extensions of stay other than for study, to those entered with a non-imm 'ED' visa.

Which means in your case you will need to either obtain the non-imm 'O' abroad, or leave and re-enter visa exempt or tourist visa, which you can convert to non-imm 'O' in Bangkok, that may require two trips.

I called up the other day to the Bangkok office and pretty sure that the lady I spoke with told me it is possible to do what I need to do at the Bangkok office. I will call again to the Bangkok office and have my Thai girlfriend speak to the Rep, and see if what you say is true. Quite possibly the Jomtien office rep didn't understand what I was asking them. As you said, I might have to change my plans and head to a nearby country and then return and go to the Bangkok office to get the Non-O Visa.

[nzexpat]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I didn't quite follow your entire story but I am not sure why you didn't just stay in Thailand and get your (and your wife's) Education Visa converted into NON-O Visa at the Bangkok Immigration office. This past January when I got my last 90 day extension on my ED Visa, the folks at the Jomtien Immigration office front desk told me that it is possible to do that (and not have to leave the country), and gave me a document that explains what you need to do it. Has anyone else done this recently - past year, or so? If so, what documents did you need at time that you went. It is what I am planning to do at the end of this month/March. Hope it all works out OK. I don't want to get another ED Visa with all the changes the government made/are making to the ED Visa requirements, etc. I have the age (over 50) and the retirement income enough to meet the requirements for a retirement Visa (NON-O with extension for reasons of retirement).

Cannot convert a non-imm 'ED visa converted to non-imm 'O', either in Bangkok or anywhere else, because they are both non-imm visa.

And even if the written regulations allow that, immigration offices in most cases will not grant extensions of stay other than for study, to those entered with a non-imm 'ED' visa.

Which means in your case you will need to either obtain the non-imm 'O' abroad, or leave and re-enter visa exempt or tourist visa, which you can convert to non-imm 'O' in Bangkok, that may require two trips.

I called up the other day to the Bangkok office and pretty sure that the lady I spoke with told me it is possible to do what I need to do at the Bangkok office. I will call again to the Bangkok office and have my Thai girlfriend speak to the Rep, and see if what you say is true. Quite possibly the Jomtien office rep didn't understand what I was asking them. As you said, I might have to change my plans and head to a nearby country and then return and go to the Bangkok office to get the Non-O Visa.

It will , almost certainly, be the case that the conversion you seek cannot be done in which case it makes sense to apply for a "Non O" visa whilst abroad.

Vientiane (Laos) and Penang (Malaysia) are both said to be friendly but you will need evidence in the form of a bank book or Embassy letter of your ability to meet the financial requirements of a subsiquent application for an extension of stay based on retirement

[3R1C]

I am on a non-immigrant O visa. I am a US Citizen married to a Thai citizen. I am authorized multiple entries. I am coming up on my first 90 days and I am thinking about more than likely crossing the Cambodian or Loa border and then returning as I am allowed multiple entries. Is it normally required to stay over the border over night? Or can you just cross over and immediately return? How does this work? Can you just go to the border and get your 90 day reentry stamp? My non-immigrant O is good for a year however I am only authorized 90 days at a time with multiple entries. I was told at immigration that yes it is good for a year but every 90 days I have to cross the border and receive another 90 days stamp? I am assuming that since I am authorized multiple entries on my non- immigrant O visa that I will not be viewed as a "visa runner".

Your Non "O" is a multi-entry visa good for a year. You can exit Thailand and enter the other country, and then exit the other country and re-enter Thailand, with no wait. Having said that, there are points it may be useful to consider:

Singapore has no entry fee or exit fee for their immigration, but a flight from Thailand has an exit tax of 500 or 750 Baht, i forget which. Booked 2 or 3 months in advance, both Tiger Airways and Air Asia have $35 USD flights Singapore and Bangkok. With arrival and departure about an hour apart, compare that 2300Baht R/T plus the airport exit tax for a visa turnaround from Bangkok in completed in roughly 3 hours to the other turnaround costs and travel times, and it is not altogether out of the question, especially if you would rather do a turnaround at night when land border crossings are closed.

Mukdahan/Savannaket charges 100 baht for the bus crossing each way over the Mekong river bridge, and the Lao visa is 37USD or 1500 Baht. Lao do not play games with your turnaround.

NongKhai/Ventianne charges nothing for the bus across the bridge, and the same $37USD(1205ThB) or 1500ThB for the Lao 30-day tourist visa

Cambodian crossings are reportedly charging $37 USD for the 30-day tourist visas, and Cambodians play a game if you do an immediate turnaround, they want another 400 Thb or however much because you are doing an immediate turnaround. They did that very thing to me at the Klong Yai crossing down on the southern coast in December. I read about them doing that at the AranyaPrathet/PoiPet crossing as well. I hoped to get around it by visiting a casino and having brunch first which we spent about 2 hours doing, then returning to the crossing, but the touts who work closely with the immigration officials spotted me and whispered my nefarious intention to the guards, who had already scanned me and processed me out of Cambodia. I was seconds from freedom when they suddenly demanded the 400 baht per person. A brief and carefully measured argument was to no avail. I paid and left.

I also read one trip report at Poi Pet where the traveler had prepaid online for an e-Visa, and when he showed the e-Visa document at entry, he then just crossed the street and joined the departure line and was not hit up for 400 baht for being an immediate turnaround. I also read the visa fee is $20 USD, but at least at the Klong Yai crossing they had signs printed stating the fee was $37USD - which they refused to let me photograph for the benefit of Thai Visa readers to see in my trip report.

Travel costs to/from the border of choice may outweigh the at-border costs.

It really just depends upon what you intend to do while "abroad". If all you want is a quick turnaround, Ventianne struck me as the easiest. Poi Pet, or Bang Leam would be much closer and faster travel destinations, and Singapore seems the most worthwhile for actually doing something elsewhere.

For applying for a new visa, Savannaket has been doing same-day service since Aug 2014. Ventianne is next-day, and people are saying Phnom Penh is 2 to 4 days.

[paz]

Your Non "O" is a multi-entry visa good for a year.

Can be good for almost 17 months. Do a last entry close to the "use before" date, that will bring to 15 months. In the last 30 days, extend 60 days at immigration. Fee bt 1,900, only marriage certificate and spouse house book, id card are needed.

For applying for a new visa, Savannaket has been doing same-day service since Aug 2014.

Not anymore since Feb. Now all visa are issued the following day. Edited March 7, 2015 by paz

[3R1C]

Since we're in nitpicking mode

1500 Baht per person for 30-day tourist visa into Laos.

Cost of Laos visa is $35 - $42 depending on nationality. You have been exploited paying in Thai baht.

The Immigration officer asked if we were married.

Consulate employee, not immigration officer.

The Arrival Card has a new section printed on the back of the card which I have not encountered before, nothing special, just how much money do you make, and why are you here, and what-not.

That section has always been there, and is optional to fill.

Important correction to note: Had I been more diligent and bought the $37 US dollars for each of us at a bank or currency exchange in Pattaya before traveling, it would have saved me nearly $40 in total to pay for two Laos tourist visas in US Dollars instead of Thai Baht. I regret not doing that.

Consular staff, I stand corrected.

I did an Arrival card in Mukdahan in Oct 2014, and another in Klong Yai in December. Neither of those had anything on the back side. Could be they are the Airport type that were being used at NongKhai. Or you could be right and I could have memory lapses, who knows.

[ToddinChonburi]

Thai consulate not Embassy and that hotel is a dump but works good. Food is bad also. but cheap and close to consulate.

exchange at shops divide 240 baht into the kip bill this will be around correct amount. Nochonchaiair bus runs to Uhdon and Nong Khai.

[GuyL]

...

Mukdahan/Savannaket charges 100 baht for the bus crossing each way over the Mekong river bridge, and the Lao visa is 37USD or 1500 Baht. Lao do not play games with your turnaround.

NongKhai/Ventianne charges nothing for the bus across the bridge, and the same $37USD(1205ThB) or 1500ThB for the Lao 30-day tourist visa

...

For applying for a new visa, Savannaket has been doing same-day service since Aug 2014. Ventianne is next-day, and people are saying Phnom Penh is 2 to 4 days.

Last time I have been to Savannakhet (September 2014), I was charged only 50 baht for the bus crossing the Mekong river bridge (second Friendship Bridge) and it was 55 baht (or 14000 kip) on my way back (there's a small overtime fee for this bus ticket when the departure from the international bus station in Savannakhet is after 4pm).

The bus is not free of charge at the first Friendship Bridge (between Nongkhai and Vientiane). It's usually 15 or 20 baht (depending on time and day) from Thailand to Laos, or 4000 kip when coming back from Laos to Thailand.

Same-day service is not available anymore at Savannakhet since February this year.

It's recommended to pay your Laos visa fee in US dollars. As a French national, I pay only 30 US dollars but I am charged 1300 baht at the border if I can not pay using the US currency. I always buy my dollars in a Thai bank prior crossing the border as the exchange rate is much better for me then.

[ubonjoe]

Thai consulate not Embassy and that hotel is a dump but works good. Food is bad also. but cheap and close to consulate.

exchange at shops divide 240 baht into the kip bill this will be around correct amount. Nochonchaiair bus runs to Uhdon and Nong Khai.

It is the consular section of the embassy not a consulate. A consulate is a stand alone facility such a the consulate in Savannakhet.

"The Consular Section of the Royal Thai Embassy" http://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/vientiane/en/consular/consular_check/

[thaiguzzi]

# Was in Savannakhet a few days ago. Everywhere i went the exchange was 25k Kip to 100 Baht. Been like this for several years inc Vientianne. Occasionally 26k Kip, never less than 24k.

# At Nong Khai i have always changed Baht to 35 $ at one of the two money exchangers on the Laos side, 1150 baht is better than paying 1500.

[Tomtomtom69]

"A Vietnamese couple I spoke with said they believed they were the last applicants on 05 March, and they got up to Window 01 at 15:30."

I thought Vietnamese were not allowed to apply for Thai visas in neighboring countries such as Laos. Are you sure they weren't ethnic Vietnamese with passports issued by other countries? I'd be highly surprised if they were issued with Thai visas as they are supposed to apply in Vietnam if they're Vietnamese citizens.

[longstebe]

What's the latest on 'which type of account' I can have the 400k or 800k if on a retirement visa?

[Tomtomtom69]

I am on a non-immigrant O visa. I am a US Citizen married to a Thai citizen. I am authorized multiple entries. I am coming up on my first 90 days and I am thinking about more than likely crossing the Cambodian or Loa border and then returning as I am allowed multiple entries. Is it normally required to stay over the border over night? Or can you just cross over and immediately return? How does this work? Can you just go to the border and get your 90 day reentry stamp? My non-immigrant O is good for a year however I am only authorized 90 days at a time with multiple entries. I was told at immigration that yes it is good for a year but every 90 days I have to cross the border and receive another 90 days stamp? I am assuming that since I am authorized multiple entries on my non- immigrant O visa that I will not be viewed as a "visa runner".

Your Non "O" is a multi-entry visa good for a year. You can exit Thailand and enter the other country, and then exit the other country and re-enter Thailand, with no wait. Having said that, there are points it may be useful to consider:

Singapore has no entry fee or exit fee for their immigration, but a flight from Thailand has an exit tax of 500 or 750 Baht, i forget which. Booked 2 or 3 months in advance, both Tiger Airways and Air Asia have $35 USD flights Singapore and Bangkok. With arrival and departure about an hour apart, compare that 2300Baht R/T plus the airport exit tax for a visa turnaround from Bangkok in completed in roughly 3 hours to the other turnaround costs and travel times, and it is not altogether out of the question, especially if you would rather do a turnaround at night when land border crossings are closed.

Mukdahan/Savannaket charges 100 baht for the bus crossing each way over the Mekong river bridge, and the Lao visa is 37USD or 1500 Baht. Lao do not play games with your turnaround.

NongKhai/Ventianne charges nothing for the bus across the bridge, and the same $37USD(1205ThB) or 1500ThB for the Lao 30-day tourist visa

Cambodian crossings are reportedly charging $37 USD for the 30-day tourist visas, and Cambodians play a game if you do an immediate turnaround, they want another 400 Thb or however much because you are doing an immediate turnaround. They did that very thing to me at the Klong Yai crossing down on the southern coast in December. I read about them doing that at the AranyaPrathet/PoiPet crossing as well. I hoped to get around it by visiting a casino and having brunch first which we spent about 2 hours doing, then returning to the crossing, but the touts who work closely with the immigration officials spotted me and whispered my nefarious intention to the guards, who had already scanned me and processed me out of Cambodia. I was seconds from freedom when they suddenly demanded the 400 baht per person. A brief and carefully measured argument was to no avail. I paid and left.

I also read one trip report at Poi Pet where the traveler had prepaid online for an e-Visa, and when he showed the e-Visa document at entry, he then just crossed the street and joined the departure line and was not hit up for 400 baht for being an immediate turnaround. I also read the visa fee is $20 USD, but at least at the Klong Yai crossing they had signs printed stating the fee was $37USD - which they refused to let me photograph for the benefit of Thai Visa readers to see in my trip report.

Travel costs to/from the border of choice may outweigh the at-border costs.

It really just depends upon what you intend to do while "abroad". If all you want is a quick turnaround, Ventianne struck me as the easiest. Poi Pet, or Bang Leam would be much closer and faster travel destinations, and Singapore seems the most worthwhile for actually doing something elsewhere.

For applying for a new visa, Savannaket has been doing same-day service since Aug 2014. Ventianne is next-day, and people are saying Phnom Penh is 2 to 4 days.

Next time if you need to do a turn-around at a Cambodian border don't pay the scam fee and/or head through the Aran/Poipet crossing, which is so busy nobody would know what you're doing. Or if you insist on paying, practice that time old tradition of bargaining. 400 Baht is what newbies pay. You could have easily bargained down to 100 Baht or just ran off. It's not an official fee and you were leaving.

BTW the Cambodian tourist visa fee is now US$30 and the ordinary visa is US$35.

[ubonjoe]

What's the latest on 'which type of account' I can have the 400k or 800k if on a retirement visa?

It can be in a standard saving account or a standard fixed term account (no delay in withdrawal and no penalty other than loss of interest).

Only 800k baht is allowed for an extension based upon retirement unless you combining it with income.

[superal]

Clarification Please ,

I have to do a 90 day non immigrant o visa run in 2 weeks time and always go to the Kap Choeng border crossing as its only 30 minutes from my house . I had to go there 4 days ago with a friend who needed an extension to his tourist visa and whilst there I spoke to one of the agents/touts who told me that the visa fees had increased . 1500 Baht to the Cambodian immigration if I stayed overnight but if I wanted a quick turnabout , i,e, visa issued and back to Thailand within the hour , it will be another 500 Baht . So total fees 2000 Baht to the Cambodian imm; plus his fees 200 Baht . Grand total 2200 Baht . He said that this is now the norm at any border crossing .

Is this true or b/s

Edited March 9, 2015 by ubonjoe
Changed to default font

[ubonjoe]

Clarification Please ,

I have to do a 90 day non immigrant o visa run in 2 weeks time and always go to the Kap Choeng border crossing as its only 30 minutes from my house . I had to go there 4 days ago with a friend who needed an extension to his tourist visa and whilst there I spoke to one of the agents/touts who told me that the visa fees had increased . 1500 Baht to the Cambodian immigration if I stayed overnight but if I wanted a quick turnabout , i,e, visa issued and back to Thailand within the hour , it will be another 500 Baht . So total fees 2000 Baht to the Cambodian imm; plus his fees 200 Baht . Grand total 2200 Baht . He said that this is now the norm at any border crossing .

Is this true or b/s

It sounds like BS.

The visa for Cambodia is still $30 US. Not sure what they have been charging in baht there. Then there is the 300 baht for not staying overnight they often charge at that crossing.

[superal]

Clarification Please ,

I have to do a 90 day non immigrant o visa run in 2 weeks time and always go to the Kap Choeng border crossing as its only 30 minutes from my house . I had to go there 4 days ago with a friend who needed an extension to his tourist visa and whilst there I spoke to one of the agents/touts who told me that the visa fees had increased . 1500 Baht to the Cambodian immigration if I stayed overnight but if I wanted a quick turnabout , i,e, visa issued and back to Thailand within the hour , it will be another 500 Baht . So total fees 2000 Baht to the Cambodian imm; plus his fees 200 Baht . Grand total 2200 Baht . He said that this is now the norm at any border crossing .

Is this true or b/s

It sounds like BS.

The visa for Cambodia is still $30 US. Not sure what they have been charging in baht there. Then there is the 300 baht for not staying overnight they often charge at that crossing.

Thanks Joe , I tend to believe your statement , however I have just rang this agent and he insisted that his figures were correct . Your figures , 30 dollars = 1000 baht + 300 baht for non stopover = 1300 baht . So a massive 700 baht difference .

Has any other TV reader done the same trip recently for a 90 day non o visa and if so what were you charged ?

[paz]

Clarification Please ,

I have to do a 90 day non immigrant o visa run in 2 weeks time and always go to the Kap Choeng border crossing as its only 30 minutes from my house . I had to go there 4 days ago with a friend who needed an extension to his tourist visa and whilst there I spoke to one of the agents/touts who told me that the visa fees had increased . 1500 Baht to the Cambodian immigration if I stayed overnight but if I wanted a quick turnabout , i,e, visa issued and back to Thailand within the hour , it will be another 500 Baht . So total fees 2000 Baht to the Cambodian imm; plus his fees 200 Baht . Grand total 2200 Baht . He said that this is now the norm at any border crossing .

Is this true or b/s

It sounds like BS.

The visa for Cambodia is still $30 US. Not sure what they have been charging in baht there. Then there is the 300 baht for not staying overnight they often charge at that crossing.

Thanks Joe , I tend to believe your statement , however I have just rang this agent and he insisted that his figures were correct . Your figures , 30 dollars = 1000 baht + 300 baht for non stopover = 1300 baht . So a massive 700 baht difference .

Has any other TV reader done the same trip recently for a 90 day non o visa and if so what were you charged ?

Ubonjoe is correct. If you go by yourself you will pay at most $30 + Bt 300. Some people manages to get away with the Bt 300 giving maybe 100 Bt instread and insisting that the rule does not exist.

Agents/officers/motorbike taxi are all part of the deal and will try everything to extract the most they can from you.

Edited March 9, 2015 by paz