I am looking to get a new visa from Laos next week. I read online that passport collections are between 1:30 - 3:30pm.

I've never gone to Loas for a visa before so I don't know how long it takes once your passport is collected to get back into Thailand.

I want to book a flight from Udon Thani to Chiang Mai for 5:45pm but I am unsure if I will have enough time to get back into Thailand and make the flight.

Should I book the flight for the following day?

Does anyone have any experience doing this?

Thanks.

You could make it. The previous day you drop of your application and pp you are given a number. That carries over to next day. Meaning latter you drop it off then latter you get it next day. Submit early will assist. Also depends which days you go.
Personally, I like udon thani. Nice expat bar scene. Very friendly folk there. Cheap hotels. Why the big rush.
Let's say you get passport back by 2 30. That would be lucky. Taxi to border. Get through immigration. Short walk to minibus.... <deleted> its booked out. Wait for next one. Even that minibus goes to ut. So you take maybe taxi to airport. Expensive. Woohoo. No stay ut one extra night and chill

Edited February 26, 201610 yr by ubonjoe

You could make it. The previous day you drop of your application and pp you are given a number. That carries over to next day. Meaning latter you drop it off then latter you get it next day. Submit early will assist. Also depends which days you go.

Personally, I like udon thani. Nice expat bar scene. Very friendly folk there. Cheap hotels. Why the big rush.

Let's say you get passport back by 2 30. That would be lucky. Taxi to border. Get through immigration. Short walk to minibus.... <deleted> its booked out. Wait for next one. Even that minibus goes to ut. So you take maybe taxi to airport. Expensive. Woohoo. No stay ut one extra night and chill

Valid point. Think I'll spend the night in Udon Thani.

Nailbrain. Good place ut is top mansion. In morning get early minibus to border. 50baht.

Don't get tuk tuk to consulate. Take taxi.

I've done that trip 3 or 4 times. I normally spend the night in UT before flying back the next day but each time I made the trip, I could easily have caught the flight you're talking about. I've always taken a taxi from the border to Udon though, I don't like minibuses. There's almost always a driver sitting in the car park before you enter Thailand. Costs 800-1000 baht, which I don't mind, with the added bonus that you go through the immigration booth for travellers by car - much smaller queues there.

Edit: First time I didn't have to wait long to get passport back, next time I paid someone 60 baht to go in and grab my passport as soon as the consulate opened after lunch. Last time I used an agent to get someone to stand in line so I had an early queue number when applying for visa and they handed them back in the same order. Not sure how it would pan out if you had to wait a long time to get your passport back. Taxi takes around 45 minutes from Nong Khai to Udon

Edited February 26, 201610 yr by eaglesflight

The trick was you had early queue number. I did one trip where I left udon 8am. I used a mini bus that was quick and easy. Then the tuk tuk on loas side. Bad he kept stopping picking up people dropping them off. Got to consulate 12.30.

As result bad queue number which applies for pick up next day. From memory I got the pp at about 3pm. Bit nervy to make flight. If I had to fly back I would leave udon 7am and do what you did with local assistance. And yes taxi to airport.

However minibus to udon is cheap and straight drive and night at top mansion 650baht

Yeah, if you're not in a big rush, spending the night is far more relaxing. And, as I think the flight is the same time every day (?), you can have a few beers without having to worry about getting up early.

Yes the morning flight is something like 9.30am.

Taxi to airport about 15 min. Never a problem. Last time my taxi was late so jumped into tuk tuk out front. 100baht.

The bar scene in udon is very relaxed. Easy place to relax.

Yes, chances are you would be cutting it way too close.

I usually get back to Nong Khai around 5pm.

Stay the night in Udon.

Thanks for all the replies.

i went in January, there was a queue for the gates to open for collection at 2pm, as the gates opened, everyone rushed to the single window for passports, thats the order in which you received your passport back. the number ticket you got the day before was just used to identify your passport. others have posted differently to my experience, so maybe things have changed, or on my day something was out of sync, either way unless you choose a really busy day you should be back at the bridge for 2.30/45.