NightStar Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 As careful as I was for being in Lao for the first time, I applied for and got a Lao entry visa in Bangkok before buying a VIP bus ticket to Pakse. As the bus got to the border, I was directed to get out of the bus and go through immigration procedure. Being the first time bus rider here, I had no clue what to do other than following other bus riders through a station written in Lao/Thai language where I was signaled to go through what looked like a tunnel to the other side (Lao). When I got to the other side, I could not find the bus so I was afraid being left there and went ahead and ask people around. I finally located the bus, so I thought I survived the trip. I had no idea I would have to go to the Laos station and got stamped on my passport. Long story short, when I returned to Thailand and as I crossed the border, I was asked to present the passport to the immigration station and paid 50 bat. To my surprise, the agents said I was crossing into Lao illegally, and two Lao immigration agents escorted me to the back of the building and started accusing me of illegally entry into Lao. Despite my effort of telling them that my visa show permission to enter Lao for 1 month and that I did not know I had to have my passport stamped (my bad, I did not know I had to do this, so I learn this lesson the hard way), but the agent insisted that I still crossed the border illegally. They decided to fine me and my brother each 100 us dollars and asked us to signed some paperwork plus had finger printed on it. For our part I was concerned the bus would not wait for us so I had to accept and paid for the fine in hard dollar bills. They took the money and asked us to go to the front and gave back the passports as if nothing happened. My question is: were they (the immigration agents) wrong? What would be my right(s) to defend this case? Thanks for reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assurancetourix Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 " My question is: were they (the immigration agents) wrong? What would be my right(s) to defend this case? Thanks for reading. " They were not wrong; you were wrong and you were very lucky not to finish the day in a prison; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightStar Posted October 10, 2015 Author Share Posted October 10, 2015 Thanks for the quick answer. My question to you is where am I wrong? On my passport I had Laos visa entry for one month. It was very confusing to me as I went from Thai border to Lao border. There was no direction/instruction anywhere to show me what to do. No one speaks english and everthing is written in either Lao or Thai. To the contrary, at the airport, you are clearly directed to go through the right channel and had the paper work properly done, if not, there is no way to go to the border. Should I say the immigration at the Lao border did not do a good job at monitoring who came through their border? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewsterbudgen Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 I assume it was the Chong Mek border, which can be a little confusing as there is a fair bit of walking involved. That said, at any border you are required to show your passport/visa and get stamped in. You were lucky to get away with just a fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightStar Posted October 10, 2015 Author Share Posted October 10, 2015 Thanks all! Lesson learned. I am so scared I'll probably never take a bus to Lao again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willyumiii Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Hmmm..Have I ever traveled to a different country and not been required to present my passport and get it stamped? Let me think...Mmmm.. NO! The problem was not with the immigration officers, or the fact that you traveled by bus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oncearugge Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Thanks all! Lesson learned. I am so scared I'll probably never take a bus to Lao again. NEVER , EVER enter any country without being cleared to do so by Immigration Officers. You were very lucky to escape with a small fine. Naive, inexperienced travellers should always invest in a good quality travel guide such as "The Lonely Planet" prior to leaving home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightStar Posted October 10, 2015 Author Share Posted October 10, 2015 When at the Thai Lao border, I did go through immigration check point which I thought at the time it was Lao immigration, but now thinking about it, it was Thai immigration. After the immigration agent signaled I could go through the other side, I thought that was it. Did not know I had to go to the next station to have my passport stamped! There was no direction to guide you where to go next, and no one spoke english and no post or sign in english to tell me what the hell I was supposed to do, plus all I was thinking was the bus might not wait for me, and on top of that I was at a lost not knowing where to find the bus. I was like hell... for first timer to ride on the bus.... anyway, like I said, lesson learned. Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willyumiii Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 When at the Thai Lao border, I did go through immigration check point which I thought at the time it was Lao immigration, but now thinking about it, it was Thai immigration. After the immigration agent signaled I could go through the other side, I thought that was it. Did not know I had to go to the next station to have my passport stamped! There was no direction to guide you where to go next, and no one spoke english and no post or sign in english to tell me what the hell I was supposed to do, plus all I was thinking was the bus might not wait for me, and on top of that I was at a lost not knowing where to find the bus. I was like hell... for first timer to ride on the bus.... anyway, like I said, lesson learned. Thanks all. " no one spoke english and no post or sign in english to tell me what the hell I was supposed to do" As a fellow American, I agree with you. For the convenience of Americans ( who are all very important) I think every government employee in every country should be required to speak English. It would be very considerate if all the citizens of the world learned my language as well ! God Bless Americans! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nidieunimaitre Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Hmmm..Have I ever traveled to a different country and not been required to present my passport and get it stamped? Let me think...Mmmm.. NO! The problem was not with the immigration officers, or the fact that you traveled by bus. 1c6cc4bf8e71f2b9213dc74aef47f3d9.jpg Never travelled in Schengenland? Even my wife - Thai - never shows her Thai ID, Belgian ID or Thai passport to immigrations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willyumiii Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Hmmm..Have I ever traveled to a different country and not been required to present my passport and get it stamped? Let me think...Mmmm.. NO! The problem was not with the immigration officers, or the fact that you traveled by bus. 1c6cc4bf8e71f2b9213dc74aef47f3d9.jpg Never travelled in Schengenland? Even my wife - Thai - never shows her Thai ID, Belgian ID or Thai passport to immigrations. Been there? I have never even heard of Schengenland before! As an American, the only country I have ever visited without a passport is Mexico. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nidieunimaitre Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Hmmm..Have I ever traveled to a different country and not been required to present my passport and get it stamped? Let me think...Mmmm.. NO! The problem was not with the immigration officers, or the fact that you traveled by bus. 1c6cc4bf8e71f2b9213dc74aef47f3d9.jpg Never travelled in Schengenland? Even my wife - Thai - never shows her Thai ID, Belgian ID or Thai passport to immigrations. Been there? I have never even heard of Schengenland before! As an American, the only country I have ever visited without a passport is Mexico. Is this an open invitation to US bashing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schlog Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Hmmm..Have I ever traveled to a different country and not been required to present my passport and get it stamped? Let me think...Mmmm.. NO! The problem was not with the immigration officers, or the fact that you traveled by bus. 1c6cc4bf8e71f2b9213dc74aef47f3d9.jpg So you never traveled in the EU. Not all is same same..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Too Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Hello, Sorry about your story. I know one guy who's got fined US$100 at the Lao border crossing in Vang Tao for not getting stamped in, too. I've gone through this Thai-Lao border crossing so many times. You have only to walk in an underground path straight up to Passport Control on the Thai side in Chong Mek. On the other hand, once you're on the Lao side from the Thai side you have to walk about 100m in a road with no fence or barrier on either side and then walk up the stairs to the immigration building on your right for Passport Control. You could easily miss the building and travel on without going through Passport Control. I can imagine how much you must of been in a hurry, being worried that the bus wouldn't wait for you then, though. At the Lao border in Vang Tao they will always charge you 50B or 10,000kip for getting you stamped in but I didn't know they would for getting you stamped out, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightStar Posted October 11, 2015 Author Share Posted October 11, 2015 Thank you Too! You fully understood my situation. I really had no clue when I crossed over to the Lao side what to do next cause all I knew at that time was to find the bus. I went to the duty free shop and asked for help and no one understood me: no one spoke english. When I finally located the bus, I ran up to it for I was afraid I would miss it. It never came across to my mind I had to go to the immigration on the Lao side to get my passport stamped. But as you mentioned, the immigration building was 100 meters away, how do you expect anyone being there the first time to know! Anyway, I am glad you really identified my frustration as to why I missed having the passport stamped. I have learned my lesson, and it won't happen again. Thanks much for understanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thanyaburi Mac Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 NightStar Did you get a RECEIPT for your $100 fine paid to the Lao Immigration guys? Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phuketrichard Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 (edited) as well they should ignorance an stupidity is no excuse quite simple exit a country in most of the world( dont want to hear about Europe now) get stamped out enter the next country-- get stamped in. why would u keep walking an not ask someone, "hey, where do i get stamped in"? ur lucky u got away with $100 Edited October 11, 2015 by phuketrichard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nidieunimaitre Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 as well they should ignorance an stupidity is no excuse quite simple exit a country in most of the world( dont want to hear about Europe now) get stamped out enter the next country-- get stamped in. why would u keep walking an not ask someone, "hey, where do i get stamped in"? ur lucky u got away with $100 At least 1 that knows about Europe. Actually, Willy-that-does-not-know-about-Europe, went to Mexico without a stamp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phuketrichard Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 as well they should ignorance an stupidity is no excuse quite simple exit a country in most of the world( dont want to hear about Europe now) get stamped out enter the next country-- get stamped in. why would u keep walking an not ask someone, "hey, where do i get stamped in"? ur lucky u got away with $100 At least 1 that knows about Europe. Actually, Willy-that-does-not-know-about-Europe, went to Mexico without a stamp. so what?, that was years ago, try an go to Canada or Mexico now without a passport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMartinHandyman Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Sounds like Lao likes the confusion and thus assessing/extorting fines. Where else do you enter a country and not get funneled through passport control? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ev1lchris Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Sounds totally scummy. Even if you were in the wrong. It wouldn't be surprised if this could all be contributed to some incompetence with Immigration while you were coming in. I'm sorry man, I feel for ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryLH Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 "...that was years ago, try an go to Canada or Mexico now without a passport" American citizens don't need a passport to travel to Canada or Mexico. They can use a passport card. $30.00, plastic and about the same size as a credit card. You don't need a passport to get one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotheruser Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Hello, Sorry about your story. I know one guy who's got fined US$100 at the Lao border crossing in Vang Tao for not getting stamped in, too. I've gone through this Thai-Lao border crossing so many times. You have only to walk in an underground path straight up to Passport Control on the Thai side in Chong Mek. On the other hand, once you're on the Lao side from the Thai side you have to walk about 100m in a road with no fence or barrier on either side and then walk up the stairs to the immigration building on your right for Passport Control. You could easily miss the building and travel on without going through Passport Control. I can imagine how much you must of been in a hurry, being worried that the bus wouldn't wait for you then, though. At the Lao border in Vang Tao they will always charge you 50B or 10,000kip for getting you stamped in but I didn't know they would for getting you stamped out, too. NightStar Did you get a RECEIPT for your $100 fine paid to the Lao Immigration guys? Mac as well they should ignorance an stupidity is no excuse quite simple exit a country in most of the world( dont want to hear about Europe now) get stamped out enter the next country-- get stamped in. why would u keep walking an not ask someone, "hey, where do i get stamped in"? ur lucky u got away with $100 At least 1 that knows about Europe. Actually, Willy-that-does-not-know-about-Europe, went to Mexico without a stamp. The part about always being 50 Baht or 10,000 Kip for a Lao stamp is false. They charge this fee after 4 PM and on holidays. They will also accept $1 which is the cheapest way to pay. Funny thing is that the bus scheduled to go to Thailand always arrives after 4 PM so it seems you always pay but in reality this isn't the case. I have gone through this border several hundred times so know it pretty well. They make you pay if you have no picture as well but I have gone through many times and they forgot to charge me. As far as getting a receipt goes... haha good luck. Great thing to ask for if you want the fine to increase, be detained further and miss your bus. Good luck if you don't speak Lao as well. Asking this will mean you want to pay the fine as well as the bribe. Lao immigration are some of the few that make Thai immigration seem cheery in comparison. In regards to people saying this doesn't apply in "Schengenland"... That visa zone is pretty much for immigration purposes one country. Try exiting Schengenland with no stamp showing entry in to that region and you will find it is no different. Not sure what they would do for fines or whatever but it wouldn't be normal procedure to exit with no entry stamp. As far as the border not being clearly marked, yes it is a tad confusing. The reason for this is as anybody can quite clearly see they are building a new immigration hall. It seems like the visa confused the OP and he thought it was okay to go through. It is an honest rookie mistake. $100 is no big deal and if the OP was entering Laos it wasn't his first time in a foreign country and he should have known the deal with stamps. If anybody repeats the same mistake and wants to argue with the immigration officers, the boss has an office out back of the main hall. Raise your voice and demand to be taken to see him. The best time to do this is while he is having lunch. Make sure you don't speak any Lao and have only US bills in large denominations for bonus points. Make sure the receipt he offers you is in English and you fully comprehend every part of it before you are willing to leave his office. He should also politely thank you for your patience with him on your way out while given a deep and heart felt wai. There is a lot of crap written in a thread which the only real answer was you made a mistake and you paid the "fine". End of story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightStar Posted October 11, 2015 Author Share Posted October 11, 2015 Thanyaburi Mac, no, I got no receipt. After accusing me of crossing into Lao illegally despite my effort of telling them I did not know I had to go to the building that was 100 meters away to get my passport stamped (I had no clue where I was and at that time; only thing I was concerned was to find the bus being afraid losing my luggage and not knowing what to do in a strange place!) Being afraid made you stupid, dumm or whatever and you can make tons of mistake, so yes I was stupid, I did not know shit what to do, and I admit to it. Thinking back at that moment when I was taken to the back office where two agents questioned me and accused me of entering into Lao illegally even though my passport has a visa of entry into Lao, that I failed to ask question if I did not know what to do. But ask what and ask who, when no one spoke english, everything was written in either Lao or Thai, and honestly I thought at that time I was being questioned by Thai authorities when one of the guys shouted that "this is Lao, not Thai." When one of the guys announce to fine me 100 U.S. dollars, without thinking further I accepted right away. One of them wrote on a piece of paper whatever with my name and my brother's and finally he asked us to sign at the bottom and had our thumb printed in red ink. Then he ask me to give the money and asked us to go back to the front office when they returned the stamped passports to us without anything else. I was wondering why 100 dollars, not 20, or 50 and why US dollars not Lao's kip or Thai's bat?! I also wonder whether the amount was determined by the individual agent and whether the fine will end in his personal pocket. The purpose of the threat is to find out if missing the stamp at the Lao immigration office is truly and illegal act of entering into Lao even if you have a visa of entry or is it just an honest mistake and should not be fined as such or worse than that as someone mentioned to be jailed. I would write a letter to the Embassy of Lao if I found out that the fine of 100 dollars turned out to be a personal decision of the immigration officer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fritzzz25 Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Thanyaburi Mac, no, I got no receipt. After accusing me of crossing into Lao illegally despite my effort of telling them I did not know I had to go to the building that was 100 meters away to get my passport stamped (I had no clue where I was and at that time; only thing I was concerned was to find the bus being afraid losing my luggage and not knowing what to do in a strange place!) Being afraid made you stupid, dumm or whatever and you can make tons of mistake, so yes I was stupid, I did not know shit what to do, and I admit to it. Thinking back at that moment when I was taken to the back office where two agents questioned me and accused me of entering into Lao illegally even though my passport has a visa of entry into Lao, that I failed to ask question if I did not know what to do. But ask what and ask who, when no one spoke english, everything was written in either Lao or Thai, and honestly I thought at that time I was being questioned by Thai authorities when one of the guys shouted that "this is Lao, not Thai." When one of the guys announce to fine me 100 U.S. dollars, without thinking further I accepted right away. One of them wrote on a piece of paper whatever with my name and my brother's and finally he asked us to sign at the bottom and had our thumb printed in red ink. Then he ask me to give the money and asked us to go back to the front office when they returned the stamped passports to us without anything else. I was wondering why 100 dollars, not 20, or 50 and why US dollars not Lao's kip or Thai's bat?! I also wonder whether the amount was determined by the individual agent and whether the fine will end in his personal pocket. The purpose of the threat is to find out if missing the stamp at the Lao immigration office is truly and illegal act of entering into Lao even if you have a visa of entry or is it just an honest mistake and should not be fined as such or worse than that as someone mentioned to be jailed. I would write a letter to the Embassy of Lao if I found out that the fine of 100 dollars turned out to be a personal decision of the immigration officer. Of course it went into his pocket.... you and your brother just bought several bottles of whiskey for their office. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ourdon Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 "...that was years ago, try an go to Canada or Mexico now without a passport" American citizens don't need a passport to travel to Canada or Mexico. They can use a passport card. $30.00, plastic and about the same size as a credit card. You don't need a passport to get one. \ Hmmm. I'll let Border services know they are doing it wrong. I think you will find that a passport is now required from everyone at least for entering Canada. For some reason I have to show both my NEXUS trusted traveler card ($50 US and a four month security clearance investigation to receive) AND my passport when crossing the border to the US. CBS still wants to see my passport when I return to Canada from the US or Mexico. Showing up at ANY border without proper documentation is a quick way to get a thorough medical including a complete colonoscopy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotheruser Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Thanyaburi Mac, no, I got no receipt. After accusing me of crossing into Lao illegally despite my effort of telling them I did not know I had to go to the building that was 100 meters away to get my passport stamped (I had no clue where I was and at that time; only thing I was concerned was to find the bus being afraid losing my luggage and not knowing what to do in a strange place!) Being afraid made you stupid, dumm or whatever and you can make tons of mistake, so yes I was stupid, I did not know shit what to do, and I admit to it. Thinking back at that moment when I was taken to the back office where two agents questioned me and accused me of entering into Lao illegally even though my passport has a visa of entry into Lao, that I failed to ask question if I did not know what to do. But ask what and ask who, when no one spoke english, everything was written in either Lao or Thai, and honestly I thought at that time I was being questioned by Thai authorities when one of the guys shouted that "this is Lao, not Thai." When one of the guys announce to fine me 100 U.S. dollars, without thinking further I accepted right away. One of them wrote on a piece of paper whatever with my name and my brother's and finally he asked us to sign at the bottom and had our thumb printed in red ink. Then he ask me to give the money and asked us to go back to the front office when they returned the stamped passports to us without anything else. I was wondering why 100 dollars, not 20, or 50 and why US dollars not Lao's kip or Thai's bat?! I also wonder whether the amount was determined by the individual agent and whether the fine will end in his personal pocket. The purpose of the threat is to find out if missing the stamp at the Lao immigration office is truly and illegal act of entering into Lao even if you have a visa of entry or is it just an honest mistake and should not be fined as such or worse than that as someone mentioned to be jailed. I would write a letter to the Embassy of Lao if I found out that the fine of 100 dollars turned out to be a personal decision of the immigration officer. He didn't accuse you of entering illegally for no reason. You in fact had crossed in to Laos illegally by your own admission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightStar Posted October 13, 2015 Author Share Posted October 13, 2015 Well, that depends. I do not totally think I am entering illegally here. Mind you, my passport has Laos visa entry for the date I entered Laos. When someone entered a country without a visa of entry, that would be considered entering illegally. Not my case. The fact that I did not have my passport stamped was an honest mistake on my side, but that should not be determined as illegal as you state. I in fact crossed into Laos legally and I have my passport with the visa of entry to prove it. On the other hand, it is funny there is no mentioning of the responsibility of the immigration office to make sure no one entered Laos without going through them first. If this kind of monitoring is happening at other borders in the U.S. Illegal immigrants would have flooded the United States in no time. I brought this up because my view of the Laos people are so positive as I think my experience with Laos during my short stay was rather good, and to me Laos people are one of the most great people I have ever met if not the kindest and to see such a contrast at the immigration office is rather unfortunate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotheruser Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 You didn't totally think... it doesn't matter what you think you entered the country illegally. You just don't get it. You entered Laos illegally. You had proof of your entry date? Please explain how you had this. The that stamp accompanies your visa to give that info. Yes your stay was positive and you were treated fairly. To compare this to illegal immigration in the USA is a farce. You obviously can not admit to making a mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oncearugge Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Well, that depends. I do not totally think I am entering illegally here. Mind you, my passport has Laos visa entry for the date I entered Laos. When someone entered a country without a visa of entry, that would be considered entering illegally. Not my case. The fact that I did not have my passport stamped was an honest mistake on my side, but that should not be determined as illegal as you state. I in fact crossed into Laos legally and I have my passport with the visa of entry to prove it. On the other hand, it is funny there is no mentioning of the responsibility of the immigration office to make sure no one entered Laos without going through them first. If this kind of monitoring is happening at other borders in the U.S. Illegal immigrants would have flooded the United States in no time. I brought this up because my view of the Laos people are so positive as I think my experience with Laos during my short stay was rather good, and to me Laos people are one of the most great people I have ever met if not the kindest and to see such a contrast at the immigration office is rather unfortunate. Please. You did enter a country illegally as you bypassed immigration and did not, therefore , receive an entry stamp or permission to stay. Using the USA as an "example" is laughable as the Country's southern states are indeed swamped with "illegals" ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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