Report: visa run Vientiane

[DanceAllNight]

Day 1:

I just got back from dropping my passport off at the consulate in Vientiane.

This is my 2nd time going there for a double entry visa.

They have changed the queue system. Before, you lined up outside until the consulate opened, and then were given a number. Then, you went to a window, an official looked through your passport and it took a long time.

Today, however, you go inside before the consulate opens and your chair is how you get your queue. First come, first served. The chairs are basically the order of the queue.

Then, you hand the application and passport to the person and come back the next day. You don't pay, and it is VERY fast. They don't like at passport, but briefly, give u a number and receipt and you get the visa the next day.

There were hardly any people there today compared to last time...maybe 50ish?

I was out of there like 10 mins after they opened..... last time, maybe 2 pm.

I did not see anything about no DE visa after Nov. 13

First, there was one girl - older, faster, and then a new girl came... she was younger and asked more questions and took longer (i think she is the one some people refer to as having problems). She asked me some questions. I said I want double entry visa, will there be a problem? (since this is my 3rd thai visa, and 2nd back-to-back from VTE). She said, no, and gave me the receipt, queue number.

Will see how tomorrow goes when I pick the passport up.

But the process is much faster now, with less people.

[Kitsune]

Did you ask about METV?

Will it be available for non-Laotians?

[adaminthailand]

I've just finished at the Thai Consulate in Vientiane and can report a similar experience as the opening poster, but would like to add some extra details from what happened today.

I arrived at 7:15am, more than an hour before they start accepting the applications and at 7:30am they opened the main gates and everybody went inside and sat down in rows, which were basically your queue numbers (same as the opening poster explained).

However today there was a very large group from a visa agency (they said they all came from Kao Sarn the night before), I'd guess around 200-250 people in the group. In the main seating area I think there were only one or two people (including myself) who were not in the agency group. The team leader of the agency group (who wasn't Consulate staff) was organising everybody, including people who were not part of the group.

There was some confusion if the seating area was for agency group only, and it wasn't clear if non-group applicants supposed to just go to another desk where some people had started to queue.

All the group applicants were sorting their paperwork with the team leader, and I saw some people did have ticket numbers but I didn't, I just had a seat in the rows. So I went to ask if I was in the right place, but I asked the group team leader (instead of Consulate staff) and he was telling all non-group applicants to go to the back of the queue, and giving priority to his customers.

I ignored him and didn't go to the back of the queue and waited in my spot in the seating area until it was my turn to go to the desk. Instead of the main desk at the window, this time it was a desk in the main yard, just in front of the seats.

The Consulate employee looked at my application and paperwork for about 5-6 seconds, then dropped it into a large plastic box (all the applications in the box were from the group except mine) then gave me a ticket number and receipt and told me to return the next day at 1:30pm.

On previous trip to submit my application the Consulate staff would ask questions through the window and there would be a short 60 second interview, this time it seemed they weren't checking the applications on the day.

Because I didn't pay today, maybe more applications will be rejected and no funds taken, but that's just a guess.

Overall the new queue system is great and very fast, but it;s very confusing exactly where you are supposed to go when mixed in with a large group. I'm now a bit worried there will be a problem with my application because I submitted it independently and my application pack wasn't double-checked thoroughly by anyone else.

tl;dr: feel like my application was dropped into a box and I just have to hope for the best.

Edited November 5, 2015 by adaminthailand

[Kitsune]

The new queue system has already been reported by several members here. This is not news.

Yes you have to avoid the visa service companies day (monday and thursday?), again this is very old news. We have known this for years.

[darrendsd]

The new queue system has already been reported by several members here. This is not news.

Yes you have to avoid the visa service companies day (monday and thursday?), again this is very old news. We have known this for years.

Maybe old news to you but not to people who have never been before or went a few years ago and are returning there for the first time after that,

[Kitsune]

The new queue system has already been reported by several members here. This is not news.

Yes you have to avoid the visa service companies day (monday and thursday?), again this is very old news. We have known this for years.

Maybe old news to you but not to people who have never been before or went a few years ago and are returning there for the first time after that,

If you read this forum several members reported it already.

I have not been to Vientiane for years and if I ever return I dont think the new queue system will be that much of a shock, since again it was reported here by members several times.

[Supaluke]

Always good to read the trip reports.

Well done to Danceallnight and AdaminThailand

[DanceAllNight]

I am going soon to pick me visa up. I will let you know as soon as I can get WIFI how it went. I will head to Udon Thani by bus from the station or take a tuk tuk to the border and go from there.

[Kitsune]

Can you ask about METV?

[mfred009]

Was at the embassy this morning for a DE TR. long queue due to the visa groups. I did ask the embassy staff about the METV and was told only for Laotians and those with permanent residence in Laos. She said we could only apply the new METV at our "home" country. Seems like this is the rule set by MFA, Thailand to all Thai Embassies/ Consulates overseas.

[KhunBENQ]

First post that I come by with a concrete statement.

Might make a round in the forum.

No surprise for me.

Edited November 5, 2015 by KhunBENQ

[ubonjoe]

Was at the embassy this morning for a DE TR. long queue due to the visa groups. I did ask the embassy staff about the METV and was told only for Laotians and those with permanent residence in Laos. She said we could only apply the new METV at our "home" country. Seems like this is the rule set by MFA, Thailand to all Thai Embassies/ Consulates overseas.

You can call me a skeptic but I think will wait until I see something official in writing.

Often something given verbally is not always correct info.

Still nothing on their website or the MFA website.

[kanook]

Was at the embassy this morning for a DE TR. long queue due to the visa groups. I did ask the embassy staff about the METV and was told only for Laotians and those with permanent residence in Laos. She said we could only apply the new METV at our "home" country. Seems like this is the rule set by MFA, Thailand to all Thai Embassies/ Consulates overseas.

Thank you for asking.

[Kitsune]

Was at the embassy this morning for a DE TR. long queue due to the visa groups. I did ask the embassy staff about the METV and was told only for Laotians and those with permanent residence in Laos. She said we could only apply the new METV at our "home" country. Seems like this is the rule set by MFA, Thailand to all Thai Embassies/ Consulates overseas.

Yes thank you very much for this

[DanceAllNight]

Update:

I got my double entry visa. Nothing was said to me by consulate or IO at border.

As stated earlier, this is my 2nd back to back DE visa from Vientiane and 3rd visa overall. Also, I did have exempt stamps as well. But get there before Nov 13. Even Laos will no longer do DE for non-residents when the METV is available. Too bad. They're going to lose a lot of money on the local economy and Thailand will, overall, lose a lot of money as well.... but they'll soon realize that.

Anyway, if you get there before Nov 13, you should have no trouble getting a 2nd visa back-to-back. As for a third, I cannot comment on that. Good luck to everyone!

Edited November 6, 2015 by DanceAllNight

[brewsterbudgen]

I wonder what constitutes "permanent residence" for Laos citizens and how they show this. All Laotians are shown in their housebook, even if they mostly live in Thailand. I would have thought a passport full of 30 day stamps would be the reason to decline a METV.