I apologize for beginner's question. I have often traveled in Asia but never made a Thai visa run. I just want to make sure I have not missed any essentials.

I am in Thailand on a double entry Thai tourist visa I got in Savannakhet. I just extended the first entry to a total of three months and must make the second entry before Nov. 5.

My main question is: Can I just go from inside Thailand to any Thai border post, like Mae Sai or Nong Khai and have my passport stamped for the second entry of my double entry tourist visa? There is no need for example to enter Laos or the corresponding neighboring country? I just go to the Thai side of the border, get the stamps and return to Thailand? (No need to have f.ex Lao visa where needed?)

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Off topic:

Extending tourist visa in Chiang Khan was not completely smooth. Two good lodgings in Loei (King hotel and The Stay guesthouse) gave similar information and prepared documents for me.

But at immigration in Chiang Khan the lady officer said that the forms must be signed by the hotel owner even though the forms stated that "house master" could also sign. (I think the receptionist had neatly filled out, signed and stamped my forms. My hotel seemed very proficient with this kind of documents.)

For the last 15 years I have filled up about one passport per year of stamps and visas traveling, so I know how to behave at the office. I don't dress in a suit but the guesthouse told me that T-shirt and 3/4 long shorts were OK to go to immigration.

So I had to drive back the 50 K to Loei on the rented motorbike, to prepare new documents. The hotel staff were surprised and called immigration. Hotel prepared a new set of documents for me and today I went to Chiang Khan to apply again. Today my application was accepted in a slow procedure.

Today the boss came while the time consuming application was processed in another building. He chuckled and asked me twice if I had had to go twice from Loei. Of course I didn't say anything negative. But I said it is a little difficult to know that only owner can sign the documents when also house-master is indicated on the form. But he just said I had to remember this in the future in Thailand. So I said nothing, of course.

As I remember no documents at all from the hotel were needed for tourist visa extension in Hua Hin or Chonburi. But I am not sure. I didn't tell him that.

So for the extension of tourist visa in Chiang Khan you need:

- 1 photo

- 2 different forms from hotel that certifies alien residency with your personal data. Both must be stamped and signed by the owner of the hotel and no one else. (Age of owner etc must be entered.)

- One copy of the "house book" of the hotel, signed by the owner. I think my hotel replaced this document by a similar after calling immigration.

- A copy of the hotel owner's ID signed by the owner.

- Bring your passport and departure card. (Easy to forget if the departure card was not stapled to your passport like mine wasn't.)

- Copies of title page of passport and every page in it with a Thai stamp. According to the guesthouse, double copies were needed, but one copy sufficed this time.

- The application form you fill out yourself, immigration supplied to me.

- They also gave me two more forms to fill and sign. One was that I was aware of not being allowed to change status of visa. ("Unless my Thai spouse died.") The second was that I was aware of the punishments for different kinds of overstay.

- Bring hotel name card and learn how to fill hotel address in English (unless you write good Thai), will help.

The cost is B 1900 which I found expensive. (Naurally I didn't comment on it.) The 2x60 days on Savannakhet cost B. 2000 and now an additional 30 days in Chiang Khan costs 1900. But maybe that is the same everywhere? I forgot the amounts I payed before.

Edited September 29, 201510 yr by thailandsgreat

To use your 2nd entry you must depart Thailand and enter another country by being stamped in and out of it.. In Laos that would mean getting a Lao visa on arrival.

Immigration certainly went overboard with their requirements to get a 30 day tourist visa entry extension. Most will just want the application with a local address on it and perhaps a receipt for where you are staying.

All extensions cost 1900 baht.

Is that only in Chiang Khan?

Thanks UbonJoe for this and also for other good information in the past.

Maybe the people of Chiang Khan are getting tired of tourists?? Many big tourist coaches from Bangkok and other places are seen there. Mostly Thai tourists. Loei definitely friendlier in my opinion.

So if I stay in Chiang Rai I maybe go to Mae Sai for visa run. I think you can enter Tachilek from Mae Sai without having to go to Bangkok for a Burmese visa. Just leave your passport at the Burmese border post? And pay something, of course. I must check that.

I didn't know I had to be stamped in and out of the neighboring country. I will need to make some more planning. Thanks UbonJoe.

Edited September 29, 201510 yr by thailandsgreat

At a border crossing to Myanmar you pay $10 or 500 baht for a border pass.

At a border crossing to Myanmar you pay $10 or 500 baht for a border pass.

Thanks. I think Mae Sai - Tachilek is the only possibility for this kind of entry to Myanmar? That definitely seems like a good option for a visa run if I am in Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai.

There are other crossing to Myanma at Mae Sot in Tak, Ban Phu Nam Ron in Khachaturian and Ranong

Thanks UbonJoe. I have visited Mae Sot. I will check out.

Since we talked about Chiang Khan immigration I can also add that one building you enter by a staircase (it looked dirty by Thai standards). There are only signs in Thai but I saw a pair of dirty slippers at the bottom of the staircase.

So ... Take off your shoes before you enter that building. Preferably at the bottom of the staircase, where the slippers were, I assume. I had been informed beforehand to be careful with that.

Edited September 29, 201510 yr by thailandsgreat

Thanks UbonJoe. I have visited Mae Sot. I will check out.

Since we talked about Chiang Khan immigration I can also add that one building you enter by a staircase (it looked dirty by Thai standards). There are only signs in Thai but I saw a pair of dirty slippers at the bottom of the staircase.

So ... Take off your shoes before you enter that building. Preferably at the bottom of the staircase, where the slippers were, I assume. I had been informed beforehand to be careful with that.

An official part of the immigration or maybe a private one? Over the years i had to do with about 20 different immigration offices (though not Chiang Khan) in different parts of Thailand and never had to take my shoes off.

Thanks UbonJoe. I have visited Mae Sot. I will check out.

Since we talked about Chiang Khan immigration I can also add that one building you enter by a staircase (it looked dirty by Thai standards). There are only signs in Thai but I saw a pair of dirty slippers at the bottom of the staircase.

So ... Take off your shoes before you enter that building. Preferably at the bottom of the staircase, where the slippers were, I assume. I had been informed beforehand to be careful with that.

An official part of the immigration or maybe a private one? Over the years i had to do with about 20 different immigration offices (though not Chiang Khan) in different parts of Thailand and never had to take my shoes off.

I assume it has been the official immigration building in Chiang Khan. The only sign in English on it says immigration. Before going, I was informed in Loei that foreigners had previously made officials at immigration angry by failing to take off shoes.

As I sat on the staircase and took off my shoes, an officer came out and directed me to an adjacent building, one block closer to the Mekong. The building was being refurbished and my business was handled there by one officer. (The only person in that building today.) My impression is that most of the officers including the ones making final decisions about my application still resided in the "old" building.

A young girl on motorbike shuttled documents in between.

I just assumed the reception of foreigners was being shifted to the building under refurbishment. But that is just my guess.

Edited September 29, 201510 yr by thailandsgreat

Thanks UbonJoe. I have visited Mae Sot. I will check out.

Since we talked about Chiang Khan immigration I can also add that one building you enter by a staircase (it looked dirty by Thai standards). There are only signs in Thai but I saw a pair of dirty slippers at the bottom of the staircase.

So ... Take off your shoes before you enter that building. Preferably at the bottom of the staircase, where the slippers were, I assume. I had been informed beforehand to be careful with that.

"There are only signs in Thai"

Of all the languages in the world Thai is the only one they should not have at Thai Immigration. Other than GF's I have never seen a Thai conducting business there.

Thanks UbonJoe. I have visited Mae Sot. I will check out.

Since we talked about Chiang Khan immigration I can also add that one building you enter by a staircase (it looked dirty by Thai standards). There are only signs in Thai but I saw a pair of dirty slippers at the bottom of the staircase.

So ... Take off your shoes before you enter that building. Preferably at the bottom of the staircase, where the slippers were, I assume. I had been informed beforehand to be careful with that.

"There are only signs in Thai"

Of all the languages in the world Thai is the only one they should not have at Thai Immigration. Other than GF's I have never seen a Thai conducting business there.

I do not know where you originate but I presume in your country all Government Offices have multilingual signs.

True or False ?

I have expressed myself poorly. Long timers in Loei told me, before going to immigration in Chiang Khan, "Be sure to take off your shoes, there are no signs in English about this. Foreigners have made officials angry by failing to remove shoes." They also directed me how to drive to that area.

I remember a sign in English on the building saying something like Immigration or Chiang Khan Immigration. The rest of the signs I do not remember.

Edited September 29, 201510 yr by thailandsgreat

Thanks UbonJoe for this and also for other good information in the past.

Maybe the people of Chiang Khan are getting tired of tourists?? Many big tourist coaches from Bangkok and other places are seen there. Mostly Thai tourists. Loei definitely friendlier in my opinion.

So if I stay in Chiang Rai I maybe go to Mae Sai for visa run. I think you can enter Tachilek from Mae Sai without having to go to Bangkok for a Burmese visa. Just leave your passport at the Burmese border post? And pay something, of course. I must check that.

I didn't know I had to be stamped in and out of the neighboring country. I will need to make some more planning. Thanks UbonJoe.

If you go to Mae Sai, at the Burmese side (Tachilek) you have to pay 500 Thb, or 10 $ ? US ?!?!?.....you better pay the 10 $ US...it's cheaper.....just tell them you don't have Thai bath anymore... have a walk around the market , do some shopping maybe have a drink somewhere. (there are 2 or 3 alcohol shops in the market where the alcohol is a lot cheaper than in Thailand. buy one bottle ? only one is allowed to cross the border) pick up your passport at the Burmese side, and go back to Thailand...fill in the Immigration card, and present your' passport to the immigration officer,....it's that simple....

Have a good time...

Best regards

Edited September 29, 201510 yr by off road pat

Thanks UbonJoe for this and also for other good information in the past.

Maybe the people of Chiang Khan are getting tired of tourists?? Many big tourist coaches from Bangkok and other places are seen there. Mostly Thai tourists. Loei definitely friendlier in my opinion.

So if I stay in Chiang Rai I maybe go to Mae Sai for visa run. I think you can enter Tachilek from Mae Sai without having to go to Bangkok for a Burmese visa. Just leave your passport at the Burmese border post? And pay something, of course. I must check that.

I didn't know I had to be stamped in and out of the neighboring country. I will need to make some more planning. Thanks UbonJoe.

If you go to Mae Sai, at the Burmese side (Tachilek) you have to pay 500 Thb, or 10 $ ? US ?!?!?.....you better pay the 10 $ US...it's cheaper.....just tell them you don't have Thai bath anymore... have a walk around the market , do some shopping maybe have a drink somewhere. (there are 2 or 3 alcohol shops in the market where the alcohol is a lot cheaper than in Thailand. buy one bottle ? only one is allowed to cross the border) pick up your passport at the Burmese side, and go back to Thailand...fill in the Immigration card, and present your' passport to the immigration officer,....it's that simple....

Have a good time...

Best regards

Thanks for some first hand information. I have visited Burma several times but never the corner around Tachilek.

Some time ago I heard that it was possible to move further away from Tachilek (without a guide) into Kentung and Mongla if I got a visa at the Myanmar embassy. I will try to check that too.

I think they have ATMs for Kyat in Tachilek now, but I am not sure. In Tachilek I guess Baht bills of normal quality can be used. To go further I can maybe first obtain pristine $100 bills at Bangkok bank in Chiang Rai. (I have an account at Bangkok bank.)

I lived long time in the province on the other side of the border, in China, while the tours to the casinos in Mongla still were official. I think the casinos (money laundry) then moved into the jungle and the punters betted via representatives over Internet links.

...

Immigration in Chiang Khan surely gave me the works. Today I found a receipt stapled into my passport. I think it means "Today on this date ... at 1400 hours, police acknowledges the reception of information regarding alien residency for ... at ... etc etc" with many phone numbers and names! I'll keep it until the next visa run, I think.

Edited September 30, 201510 yr by thailandsgreat

Chiang Khan immigration was a little below average experience, for me. But I don't wish to put only bad experiences here.

The guys in Mae Hong Son were quick and friendly. Made jokes that I had to leave Thailand immediately (immigration Mae Sai had stamped the wrong year (!) into my passport!)

Also nicely located office just outside Mae Hong Son (not where I had found it on Google Maps). No wait at all when I was there.

Edited January 1, 201610 yr by thailandsgreat