Chiang Mai to Vientiane Visa Run

[Chris78]

Greetings,

I am planning to do a border run from Chiang Mai to Vientiane to apply for a non-immigrant B visa at the Thai Consulate there.

I am yet to do this run and have only done runs in Penang and Cambodia through agencies so i have some questions.

1) There is a Nok Air flight that arrives in Udon Thani after 5pm. Will that leave enough time to travel to the border and enter Laos that same day or would I need to stay in Udon Thani/Nong Khai for a night before making the border crossing the following day?

2) Is one morning, arriving at the Consulate at 8:30am sufficient to complete the visa process and is it reasonable to expect to be done by lunch time and be ready to travel out of Laos and back to Udon Thani to catch the 6pm flight back to Chiang Mai?

3) Are there any tips that you found helpful in making this border crossing more efficient or easier in any way?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

[elviajero]

1. Yes. The border closes at 10.pm.

No. You apply in the morning of day 1 and collect the visa in the afternoon of day 2 (Monday to Thursday). If you apply on a Friday you can't collect until Monday afternoon.

[KhunBENQ]

Following their website the passports can be picked up on day 2 between 13:30h to 15:30h.

The return flight departs Udon Thani at 18:10h.

Should be doable.

[Chris78]

1. Yes. The border closes at 10.pm.
2. No. You apply in the morning of day 1 and collect the visa in the afternoon of day 2 (Monday to Thursday). If you apply on a Friday you can't collect until Monday afternoon.

Thanks for this. Do you know if the Thai Embassy/Consulate in Vientiane gives non-immigrant B visas?

[ubonjoe]

1. Yes. The border closes at 10.pm.
2. No. You apply in the morning of day 1 and collect the visa in the afternoon of day 2 (Monday to Thursday). If you apply on a Friday you can't collect until Monday afternoon.

Thanks for this. Do you know if the Thai Embassy/Consulate in Vientiane gives non-immigrant B visas?

They will do a single entry non-b visa if you have a work permit application approval letter. See here for their requirements: http://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/upload/pdf/Visa/Non-B%20business.pdf