Where best to do visa run before going over to K.Chang ?

[007cableguy]

I'm driving down from Jomtien to Koh Chang for a few days ,But I need to do a border run first on the way ,

Where is the best place to closest and easy ?

Thanks in advance

[steve187]

ban packard - https://goo.gl/maps/pXB6gsF5Wnk

[ubonjoe]

Not on the way but just a littler further down the road is the crossing at Hat Lek in Trat.

[alkazared]

Had Lek is 1hour 20 mins from Trat and is usually fairly quiet these days, did a visa run 2 week ago across and back in 20 mins that was with cambodia E visa which saves a lot of time, and also avoids the overcharging scams.

[Bullie]

When you get to Had Lek there's a guarded parking about 200 meters before customs, on your left. Be prepared to pay 20 baht for " a medical check", 1600 (!!) baht for the visa, and 300 baht for " same day return". At least, that what they wrung out of me 1 month ago!

The E-visa by the way costs 37 dollars, which also adds up to about 1450 baht...

[Coyoti]

When you get to Had Lek there's a guarded parking about 200 meters before customs, on your left. Be prepared to pay 20 baht for " a medical check", 1600 (!!) baht for the visa, and 300 baht for " same day return". At least, that what they wrung out of me 1 month ago!

The E-visa by the way costs 37 dollars, which also adds up to about 1450 baht...

Getting an E-visa is definitely better if you have the 3 day lead time to get it. I crossed at Hat Lek/Cham Yeam last week. They got 1500 baht out of me for the visa, plus 100 baht to the tout to "expedite the service". I usually bypass the medical station. No one seems to care. They also want a photo these days. I've heard of people who paid the actual price for the visa ($30) at the border. Good luck. Cham Yeam is not the most foreigner friendly place to enter Cambodia. I usually go into Cambodia to see family, but wonder if you can avoid the whole Cambodia visa mess if doing an in/out by just hanging out on the Cambodia side for awhile before going back to Thailand.

[Coyoti]

There was a fairly long thread on TVF a short while back about doing a visa run through Hat Lek. OP may want to check that? Sorry I don't have the link at this time. If doing an extension is all you need, Immigration at Laem Ngop is pretty good and can be on the way to Koh Chang if passing through Trat first.

[sandyf]

ban packard - https://goo.gl/maps/pXB6gsF5Wnk

Agreed, or Ban Laem which is not far from Ban Packard. The road,317, from the junction of Suk up to the traffic lights has been drastically improved. At either crossing you should be in and out in under half an hour so in total you shouldn't be any more than a couple of hours out of your way.

On the way back from the border you can cut the corner off with the 3277 but only worth taking if the traffic is heavy on the No 3.

It is about 130 Km out of the way to go to Ban Packard and about 240 Km for Had Lek.

From Jomtien, it would be worthwhile going up the No 7 and down the 36, that way you hit the No 3 on the other side of Rayong and avoid the traffic congestion.

Edited February 12, 2016 by sandyf

[steve187]

1700 baht all in ( no need to doing any walking ) 'fees' for all paper work at pong nam ron/ban packard, immigration stamp shows as 'pong nam ron' ( Ban Laem is a little further away but has a bigger market area ) - . building work is going on there at the moment, so out/in booths on the right instead of left.

while waiting for passport return, you are free to roam around, good toilets in car park,a resturant also, behind the car wash, walk though the small gap next to the ' duty free ' shop