Scary Laos Visa Run Today 15/10/06 Be Careful

[Spaniel]

few years ago there were guys outside the embassy offering services in Vientienne, don't know if they are there now but they could not do anything you couldn't do yourself re required paperwork etc.

never used an agent myself but the reason to do so would be to queue jump either coming into Laos at the Friendship Bridge or at the embassy itself, which might justify a few hundred baht. should not be a big deal or anything.

Just a little more than a few (five) years ago, my good friend and I both went there. He used an agent outside the embassy and got his totally legal visa in about 4 hours as he was in a hurry to get back. I wasn't, so I didn't use one and did the normal turn-in one day, receive-back the next.

Cost him an extra 1,000 for the "speedy service."

Just another example of changes here and there and everywhere. I doubt these same agents could repeat this performance now.

To Spaniel's question:

Because they choose to for their own reasons....

Sriacha John, Thanks for the reply but it was more of a rhetorical question.

[SiriusBlack1]

I also find it strange that the visa run agent didn't bother to tell you that things had changed and it would go easier if you admitted you used a visa run agent.

Perhaps easier for you, but harder on her?

[RamTodatry]

I was in Ubon Ratchathani about a year ago for a friend's wedding. Since my 30 days was coming up, I decided to get a Laos visa here in BKK, before leaving.

My friends just dropped me off at the border, and went to have a late lunch, while I crossed the border and back. I did not even have a single piece of luggage/baggage on me as I crossed the border, unlike some of the back-packers! I just walked through both the Thai Immigration and Laos Immigration - on the way in and on the way out. No problem.

The only thing I cursed myself for was that the VOA was cheaper than gettting a visa in BKK.

Good luck people.

[bri1guy]

The friendship bride, what city is that near? Vientine or savanakeet? Anyways glad it worked out and I had a close call once going into Cambo and just added I will pay whatever it takes to fix my error and it worked it self out quickly. Cambodia customs do things differently though. Th best advice is to tell the truth right of the bat and play dumb if something wrong and have extra $$$ to fix it if necassary. another quick story. A fellow traveler was heading From Viet Nam to thailand thru Cambodia by land. From the vietnem side we were at the border and the customs officialls found that his passport expired in a few days under 6 months. It was not valid for 6 more months therefore he was not allowed a visa. He had to back track to Saigon and buy a airline ticket to Bankok in order to return to thailand so that can return to his country, Keep your passport valid and read the rules if at al possible because thing like this can easily happen and bottom line it will cost $$$ one way or another to fix the errors unless your lucky.

[up2ubar]

PHUKETDICK FOR PRIME MINISTER!

What dif does it make you were refused entry to laos? You left thailand, all you had to do was come back. I use 2 passports and often use the second for entry to the next country so when I return to thailand it looks like I went nowhere. Have never even been asked where i was

I get it!

I get my exit stamp out of Thailand, don't bother paying 10 baht for the bus to take me over the bridge, instead walk a couple of hundred meters in the direction of Laos before doing a 180 & walking the couple of hundred metres back into thailand!

THIS IS THE BEST ADVICE I HAVE SEEN ON THAI VISA IN YEARS

Anyone carrying out PHUKETSDICKS MASTERPLAN will not only have saved themselves the hassle of a return journey on a crappy bus, packed to the rafters with smelly backpackers! But will not need to file any paperwork/apply for a laos visa, avoid the horrendous queues seen at times & in the process save themselves $35 US DOLLARS as well as 20 baht in bus fares not to mention the 20 baht saving in not having to pay local taxes as they will not actually be entering Laos!

PHUCKING AMAZING! Why has No One Else Thought of Masterminding Such an Elaborate Plan!

Just another shining example of mouthy prick know all!

Tell ya wot! i have read some UTTER <deleted> on Thaivisa over the years but the utter cr@p posted here tops the lot by a long way!!

[VanZam]

I returned from Laos today, I used a visa service outside the Thai embassy and paid an extra fee to get my passport done in a single day.. non-immigrant O visa.. no problems whatsoever.

The Thai embassy in lao has however been telling people today that they are only allowed 3 tourist visas, following which, they will not issue another one.. BEWARE.

For those who are interested... the entire trip was less than a day for a non-immigrant visa and cost about 9000 all up.

Van.

EDIT.. I was not refering to entry permits, but actual tourist visas from the embassy.

Edited October 17, 2006 by VanZam

[blam]

Lil OVERNIGHT R&R at the POLEESTASHUN FARANG? I understand that the guietiew sen lek with maggots are especially good there.

XLNT advice.

[dantilley]

Lil OVERNIGHT R&R at the POLEESTASHUN FARANG? I understand that the guietiew sen lek with maggots are especially good there.

XLNT advice.

Can we have an English translation of that post please?

[Thaddeus]

Lil OVERNIGHT R&R at the POLEESTASHUN FARANG? I understand that the guietiew sen lek with maggots are especially good there.

XLNT advice.

Can we have an English translation of that post please?

A one night stopover at the police station, the noodle soup with fly larva is exquisite.

//edit/sanity

Edited October 17, 2006 by Thaddeus

[hanuman1]

Would I be going too far if I were to ask if anyone had experience of using agents to get a visa at the Thai Embassy in Vientiane (as is the case in Penang) and if this is considered "illegal" or not.

When I was there last week there were four or five Laotian guys sitting around a hastily set up table on the grass just in front and to one side of the Thai Embassy. Before I could even get out of the taxi one of them jumped up and opened the door to let me out then ushered me to sit down, saying they would take care of all the visa handling. I didn't know it would be illegal, so i asked how much and one guy said 80 baht! i said okay, and he started filling out a visa form. when that was done he said 'Okay, that's 4,500 baht'. i got up and started remonstrating about the very obvious lack of notice i'd been given of this extortion, but quickly remembered to play it more light-hearted with them, which cooled everyone down and in the end i ended up paying the 80 baht for a few relevent photocopies to be done and smiles all round. Managed to get my application in at about 12:01 as the gates were closing.

My advice is don't bother with them, although as these fly-by-night guys had already shown me some Swiss guy's passport who'd considered their deal fair earlier in the day, it seems people will always do this kind of thing if they've got more money than sense.

In my apparent naivety i actually told the Thai official inside the embassy what had happened, and he just said 'You shouldn't trust them', somewhat wearily. It certainly didn't feel like i'd just told him i'd broken the law, though.

H.

[Temp]

Also bear in mind that you need a licence to be in a bedroom alone with a Lao woman. No idea what rigmarole this entails but apparently you need to be married or engaged to apply. Friends who have worked in Vientiane were followed around a lot and people have been deported for spending the night with a Lao girl (or boy), not a career enhancing event for expats working there.

The above reminded me of a piece I saved a while back:

RELATIONSHIPS WITH LAO CITIZENS:

"The Lao Government prohibits sexual contact between foreign citizens and Lao nationals except when the two parties have been married in accordance with Lao Family Law. Any foreigner who enters into a sexual relationship with a Lao national may be interrogated, detained, arrested, or jailed. Lao police have confiscated passports and imposed fines of up to $5000 on foreigners who enter into disapproved sexual relationships. The Lao party to the relationship may also be jailed without trial. Foreigners are not permitted to invite Lao nationals of the opposite sex to their hotel rooms; police may raid hotel rooms without notice or consent.

Foreign citizens intending to marry Lao nationals are required by Lao law to obtain prior permission from the Lao Government. The formal application process can take as long as a year. American citizens may obtain information about these requirements from the U.S. Embassy in Vientiane. The Lao Government will not issue a marriage certificate unless the correct procedures are followed. Any attempt to circumvent Lao regulations may result in arrest, imprisonment, a fine of $500-$5000, and deportation. Foreigners who cohabit with or enter into a close relationship with Lao nationals may be accused by Lao authorities of entering an illegal marriage and be subject to the same penalties.

Foreign citizens who wish to become engaged to a Lao national are required to obtain prior permission from the chief of the village where the Lao national resides. Failure to obtain prior permission can result in a fine of $500-$5000. Lao police frequently impose large fines on foreign citizens a few days after they hold an engagement ceremony with a Lao citizen based on the suspicion that the couple probably subsequently had sexual relations out of wedlock."

Source

At least it should save some visa runners a few baht on condoms, although I am sure those in desperate need will be serviced regardless of the above 'rules'.

No doubt where there's a willy there's a way...

Crickey! What a bunch of <deleted>. I went to Lao once and bedded a Lao girl in my hotel room. Worrying to think I could have gone to jail for that.

I liked laos people, although i always give immigration officials a wide birth. They all looked rather miserable if you ask me. The only really pleasurable time I had was sitting on the edge of the Mekong River drinking lao beers and riding around the middle of nowhere on motor bikes with friends.

After my experience, I dont think I would visit Laos again. There's really not much to do.

<deleted>???? why because the lao government don't want people likeyou abuseing their nationals? or maybe you think that it is out of order that they have laws in place to stop sexpats blatantly shagging kids for a fiver and then paradeing around the streets hand in hand like they do in most asian countries. Laos has got it right, its still available but behind closed doors, which in my opinion is right. prostitution should not be on show for kids to see and accept as normal.

how many Laos citizens do you see in the sex trade worldwide compared to thais, flippers, indos or vietnamese???? point made.

but if your intentions are honourable the locals will bend over backwards to help you obtain a marrage licence. me and my wife never had a problem.

Sorry in advance for straying from the topic of the thread. I am very aware of it and I hope I will never do it again.

What does consenting sex between people(adults by varying definition, 15 in Thailand and I think 14 in Laos although difficult to verify) have to do with "shagging kids for a fiver". Do you think it is ok for a government to forbid people a consenting sexual relation because they are from the wrong country? What about wrong religion, ideology, cast, race or any other category one can put people into. I do not have the impression you think this, just making a point.

I definately do not think Laos has got it right. Making laws that adresses one thing to solve a completely different matter have rarely been successfull. I am not sure about how successfull keeping things behind closed doors have been at solving problems either, but it sure is popular in Asia. Children are generally more understanding and tolerable to their surroundings than some "grownups" want them to be. Several studies indicate that what is labeled as "harmfull to minors" is not in the least harmfull to minors, rather it is harmfull to the way the righteous moral minority want the rest of the society to be.

No point made about how many Laotians are in the sextrade although many are here in Isaan. Look at the following figures(Country,population,population density):

Thailand 65,444,371 126/km²

Vietnam 84,238,000 253/km²

Philippines 85,236,913 276/km²

India 1,103,371,000 329/km²

Laos 5,924,000 25/km²

Now why on earth would you think there were as many in the sextrade when there are considerably less people to employ. This might have a little bit to do with the longterm aerial bombing by the USA that has been very successfull at eliminating a lot of people. Why is the median age in Laos so low I wonder? Another factor might also be that very many Laotians are very poor and therefore illequipped to travel. There might also be more problems in getting travel documents and visas for Laotians considering it IS a communist state.

As for honourable intentions I would like you to consider one idom and one quote:

"The road to hel_l is paved with good intentions."

"That government is best which governs least." (Thomas Paine, 1737-1809)

What is honourable is very individual indeed and normally I would think it better for a population if what the elite considers honourable is not applied in the form of law.

I like debate but know this is off-topic in this thread. Sorry. As a closing I would like to add that I have never had any considerable trouble in Laos and have friends there that I have stayed with for some days at a time. Immigration have always been helpfull. Taking a vehicle can be a chore, especially the first time, but after that not so bad.

Good luck

Temp

[wayner]

I suspect the Thai agent in the OP may have been a little embarassed at not being able to help someone who'd been a loyal customer for some time and made a last ditch attempt at sorting it out, in the hope that one of their cronies was at the Lao immigration window.

Forgive me if this is a little obvious but simply crossing the road from "Thai immigration out" to "Thai immigration in" doesn't work. You must have an exit stamp from Lao to get into Thailand (in my experience over the last few years on the friendship bridge). You could use a second passport to enter Thailand from Lao but they would still want to see the Lao exit stamp in whichever passport. An acquaintance of mine is married to a Lao lady and their child holds a uk passport as well as being on his wife's Lao passport. When they leave Lao they simply switch the kid's passports. I'm quite suprised that Thai immigration has no problem with this and act sympathetically knowing that dual nationality in Lao is "officially" not allowed. They still want to see the Lao exit stamp though.

Wayner:There seems to be a lot of people on this forum who have made it clear that they don't like Lao, especially since the visa regulations in Thailand have changed. I have mixed feelings about this, on one hand I'd like to defend the country and it's people but on the other I'm quite happy with all the scaremongering.

Just no need to take it personally is all.

No offence taken I assure you.

Bring on the Lao hate comments.

It's a real shame you can't just do a nifty u-turn at Thai immigration and avoid all this unpleasantness.

It's obvious that people such as you that for some reason beyond me, choose to reside there

Yeah? - cool - bring it on!

My experience of Laos is this..... it's a grimy god awful place that I would not care to visit again

Excellent!!! I like it

Choice is a wonderful thing, and I like yours.

[zeusbheld]

I agree with earlier posts....why does an innocent account of a troubling event shared with other expats turn into a name calling, micro-managing, condescending character assassination? Anyone who says they have never withheld the truth from an official of any kind if they thought it would get them in trouble are not being honest with themselves. For my sixpenthworth I believe the OP is brave to post his experience on here only in the knowledge that our forum consists of a few people only willing to pull their post apart and suggest how they should run the rest of their lives. Good informative post and I will take my own lessons from it as others might to.

May I suggest they do it out of boredom?

[sandy]

ah. they're bored so they might as well bore other TV readers.

the most utterly useless posts that recur on TV are the inevitable "you got what you deserved" posts that follow anyone's story if they made even the slightest questionable post. hope those 'got what you deserved' people aren't buddhists they'll come back as dung beetles. probably still be smug and self-righteous though.

i, for one, find stories like the OP's interesting, even if there's NO chance i'd repeat any mistakes they're useful as cautionary tales.

[zeusbheld]

The use of agents to obtain visas has always been illegal. The authorities are just applying the law.

The fact that you are using an agent is suspicious in the first place.

If you are staying in Thailand legally you have nothing to worry about. If you are working and have the requisite work permit the visa is automatic. If you are married to a Thai you can get a Thai wife visa. For this you need to have 400k thai baht in a thai bank account. If you don't have that, then tough luck.

I get sick and tired of reading about expats trying to buck the system and then complaining when they get caught.

You are living in a foreign country so abide by the rules and the law. If you do not like it get out and do not spoil it for those of us who stay within the law.

do you have any other crayons in your box besides black and white? just askin'.

[dantilley]

I agree with earlier posts....why does an innocent account of a troubling event shared with other expats turn into a name calling, micro-managing, condescending character assassination? Anyone who says they have never withheld the truth from an official of any kind if they thought it would get them in trouble are not being honest with themselves. For my sixpenthworth I believe the OP is brave to post his experience on here only in the knowledge that our forum consists of a few people only willing to pull their post apart and suggest how they should run the rest of their lives. Good informative post and I will take my own lessons from it as others might to.

May I suggest they do it out of boredom?

[sandy]

ah. they're bored so they might as well bore other TV readers.

the most utterly useless posts that recur on TV are the inevitable "you got what you deserved" posts that follow anyone's story if they made even the slightest questionable post. hope those 'got what you deserved' people aren't buddhists they'll come back as dung beetles. probably still be smug and self-righteous though.

i, for one, find stories like the OP's interesting, even if there's NO chance i'd repeat any mistakes they're useful as cautionary tales.

Agreed...

[wornoutcowboy]

I didn't sort through all of the replies on this topic so sorry if this is a repeat. Anyway, I live in VTE and do the reverse visa run to the Thai border at Nong Khai every month.

My last hop was last week and I was charged 35 dollars compared to the 30 I was charged the month before. It was explained to me that now the visa you buy on arrival isactually a "real" visa compared to the 15 day one they had before You now recieve 30 days on entry with it. They are charging different prices for different natinalities and the folks from Canada seem to be getting hit the hardest at US$42. Americans are paying $35 and some countries seem to get infor almost nothing. It all seemed a little odd to me but I did go to the Lao, PDR embassy website when I returned to VTE and sure enough the charges are listed by nationality. So I guess it isn't a scam but instead what one would be charged if you went to a Loa embassy. From the list it appears most western nationals are still paying 30 bucks with Canada and the USA being the exception.

For me still much of a better deal than before when I was paying 30 bucks for 15 days and then doing extensions here in VTE.

As far as transport into VTE there are lots of cheaper options. It all depends on how cheap you want to be but the cheapest and the one I have started using is just using the regular Lao public bus #14. It cost 4,000 Kip which is just under 20 baht. You can catch it from the bridge. Just walk out of Lao immigration, ignore all the taxi drivers and touts then go towards the left and walk past a little cafe. From there is a parking lot and just beyond is a main road into town. The local bus stops about ever 20 minutes and will take you into VTE to the Morning Market. I do this more than anything just because I got tired of the tuk tuk drivers. It may not be a great option for those arriving with lots of bags. The bus is small and usually pretty crowded. Anyway, just a tip. Also, remember the furthur you getfrom the immigration theprice of the taxis continue to drop. I have gotten cabs in for 50 baht before. Arriving later is better than arriving earlier.

[wayner]

It was explained to me that now the visa you buy on arrival is actually a "real" visa compared to the 15 day one they had before You now recieve 30 days on entry with it.

Really? A 30 day tourist visa on arrival? What an unexpected bonus! I've just checked the Lao embassy website BKK and US they still state that a tourist visa is for 15 days (on arrival)

I'd be wary, check the stamp if I were you.

Be wary of being stamped in for 15 days on a 30 day visa.

A popular warning

Lao Embassy US:

-Tourist visa - Fifteen days (non-extendable).

Forgive me if I'm wrong but you can extend a tourist visa in VTE. It depends on how they feel at the immigration office in VTE, if they cant be arsed they'll send you to find a travel AGENT to do it. You could slip a concealed 10,000 kip ($1) in on the transaction, that'd perk them up and you'd get 15 days extension. Also , if you have a friend there with a business visa, residency and work permit, get them to go with you, this often works.

Lao Embassy Bangkok:

Tourist visa - Fifteen days (non-extendable).

Visa processing should be made through an eligible tour company which has a contract with a tour company in the Lao PDR or directly through the Lao Embassy or Consulate in many countries such as France, Russia, Sweden, USA, Poland, Germany, Cuba, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, The Philippines, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Australia and USA.

Not on arrival? Or by your good self?

Maybe a little off topic but helpful I hope. It's ok saying don't use agents (I dont like using them and would advise against it) but it's sometimes difficult to get the real info in order to deal with things yourself. TV has provided many answers that even my own embassy can't.

I would be happy and suprised if the tourist visas on arrival were 30 days now.

Any ideas how I could confirm this?

Edited October 18, 2006 by wayner

[VanZam]

I can confirm, they now issue you with a real 30 day "visa" looks just like the one you get from the embassy, and takes up an entire passport page.. grrrr.

As a previous poster mentioned... yes the prices have also gone up, most countries pay 31 USD.

[technocracy]

I didn't sort through all of the replies on this topic so sorry if this is a repeat. Anyway, I live in VTE and do the reverse visa run to the Thai border at Nong Khai every month.

Just one question . . . why on earth do you do a 'visa run'? If you go and talk to the immigration department in Vientiane (at the end of the road with the Bankok Bank on near the Morning Market . . I forget its name) and you can get your visa extended there without any hassle.

As I said previously if you know the right people a 3 month extension is easy to get - particularly if your married to a Lao citizen.

I'm starting the long road to get my Permanent visa in Laos which I'm told will take about 6-12 months until it reaches the people we know who'll speed it through.

Vanzam all Lao Visas take up a full page either the 14 day on arrival or the embassy issued.

Edited October 18, 2006 by technocracy

[abdulrahman]

Don't want to confuse the issue since I'm not from the U.S. nor from Canada,the price of the visa to Lao was ALWAYS by nationality,many countries paid the same.

This year I went many times to Lao,for the visa on the border(1 month validity)paid 1500 Baht or

30$,31$ on weekends.

At other times went to the Lao consulate in KhonKaen and paid for a 2 month visa 1400 Baht,no payment in dollaes allowed,or 100 Baht more if I wanted the visa the same day!

Not only my experience,many (european) friends did the same.

Next month I'll drive to Lao again and probably will have to pay more.

[wornoutcowboy]

Well, I am not so sure what the difference is between a "real" visa and an "unreal" visa but it appears the Lao have dropped the 15 day on arrival "unreal" visa and have replaced it with a 30 day on arrival "real" visa. Easy to understand? Hmm..I am not so sure but I do know for sure they are giving 30 days at both the bridge at the airport here in VTE. The immigration officer did show me a nice little sheet with all the different prices for various nationalities and each was different to a degree. the standard seems to be 30 bucks for most westerners and 35 for Americans and the poor Canadians get hit for 42 for some reason. This new little change has actually made life a little easier for me and others living here on tourists visa either "real" or "unreal".

Anyway, I know all about the extensions having done it here at the immigration office at the cost of 2 bucks a day. It is easy to get and also I know getting a business visa is pretty easy to get too but haven't bothered being I am in Laos as much as I am out of it so it doesn't seem worth messing with. The truth is most of us living here in VTE need to make a little trip to Thailand about once a month for banking, post office, dental work, size eleven shoes...the list goes on and on. Also it is rather easy to do. The visa trip that is.

So, to sum it up I rechecked my passport and it is 30 days in it and was last month as well. All new changes and ones I am hoping remains in place. Also checked with my Aussie neighbor and he got 30 days as well but for 30 US dollars. So, it seems to be the thing now.

[FRK]

If this is possible, then why does anyone on a visa run actually enter the next country, and not just go from the "Exit Thailand" window directly to the "Enter Thailand" window? This deserves further research and (informed) comment.

What dif does it make you were refused entry to laos? You left thailand, all you had to do was come back. I use 2 passports and often use the second for entry to the next country so when I return to thailand it looks like I went nowhere. Have never even been asked where i was...