Ban Na Kraseng Border crossing

[PeterEltham]

I have a multiple entry visa and am planning on crossing over to Laos at the Ban Na Kraseng border crossing, go over and come back same day.  Is there any reason why this would be a problem?

[ubonjoe]

No problem to do the crossing there.

[PeterEltham]

Thanks for the reply. 

[Briggsy]

What is your mode of transport?

 

This crossing is tricky to get to on public transport.

 

As of July 2016, Laos banned Thai-registered bikes from crossing. I do not know if this ban has been lifted.

 

If you wish to leave your vehicle in Thailand, you need to know it is a fair walk from the Thai side to the Laos side. The locals cram into 'skylabs'.

[PeterEltham]

Hi Briggsy, good point, we are driving to the border and will leave the car, what is this "Skylab" of which you talk?

 

Also I have forgotten to bring photos for the Lao visa, is this a problem?

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, PeterEltham said:

Hi Briggsy, good point, we are driving to the border and will leave the car, what is this "Skylab" of which you talk?

 

Also I have forgotten to bring photos for the Lao visa, is this a problem?

Not sure what he is referring to.

You need one photo for the visa application, I suspect there may be someplace to get one before the crossing,

I have read of people being charged a fee for not having a photo and/or they did a copy of the passport photo page and cut out the photo.

[khwaibah]

25 minutes ago, PeterEltham said:

Hi Briggsy, good point, we are driving to the border and will leave the car, what is this "Skylab" of which you talk?

 

Also I have forgotten to bring photos for the Lao visa, is this a problem?

 

This is a Skylab.

 

 

This is a Tuk Tuk

 

 

 

[LammyTS1]

There are countless buses that take you from the Thai border over the bridge to the Laos border.


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[Briggsy]

20 minutes ago, LammyTS1 said:

There are countless buses that take you from the Thai border over the bridge to the Laos border.


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At Ban Na Kraseng? Really? I was not aware of that.

[LammyTS1]

At Ban Na Kraseng? Really? I was not aware of that.

Sorry no. Just google mapped it & thought it was the crossing north of udon Thani into Vientiane


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[Enoon]

20 hours ago, PeterEltham said:

Hi Briggsy, good point, we are driving to the border and will leave the car, what is this "Skylab" of which you talk?

 

Also I have forgotten to bring photos for the Lao visa, is this a problem?

 

A variety of Samlor.

Samlors In Thailand: An illustrated article on samlors, or tuk tuks, in ...

[PeterEltham]

Yes thank you for the info. I popped over this morning. 20 baht each way in the samlor and no photo required for the Laos visa. Happy days!

[Harveyboy]

Hell0othis an old post just wondering if its the same now  next week going to leoi..then to loas for a 30 day visa   how much in total does it cost ..tks 

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, Harveyboy said:

Hell0othis an old post just wondering if its the same now  next week going to leoi..then to loas for a 30 day visa   how much in total does it cost ..tks 

You will need a Lao visa on arrival  and the cost varies by nationality unless you pay 1500 baht instead of US dollars. Some countries get a visa exempt entry.

See: https://www.laos-guide-999.com/laos-visa-on-arrival.html

The cost of transport across the border is not much.

[Old Croc]

Ban Na Kraseng Border crossing

I am looking for advice on the suitability of this crossing to effect a border hop to change from a non-immi O-A retirement extension to an O.  (using a 30 day entry initially).

Obviously the borders are currently closed, but presumably (hopefully) things will get back to normal sometime in 2021.

It's close to the wife's village and would be very easy to achieve when visiting there.

 

Is it possibly to drive over for a day trip? or Are there organised agents who can assist with the task? Do you need to get a Laos visa for the in and out travel? I'm  non-ambulatory and looking for an easy way to achieve the matter.

 

Is this plan practical? 

[ubonjoe]

 

10 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

I am looking for advice on the suitability of this crossing to effect a border hop to change from a non-immi O-A retirement extension to an O.  (using a 30 day entry initially).

It may be a long time before the border crossings open.

You could do the border hop there when it opens.

It is complicated to cross the Laos border with a car an it is not worth it for doing a border hop. Best to use available transport to do it.

You will need a Lao visa on arrival to enter Laos. Previously it was issued on Lao side of the border without a problem or you could apply for it online.

 

[Old Croc]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

 

It may be a long time before the border crossings open.

You could do the border hop there when it opens.

It is complicated to cross the Laos border with a car an it is not worth it for doing a border hop. Best to use available transport to do it.

You will need a Lao visa on arrival to enter Laos. Previously it was issued on Lao side of the border without a problem or you could apply for it online.

 

Thankyou.

Yes, it's unknown when normal travel will resume. As much as I would like to change my visa type before my next extension (May), I realise it probably wont happen by then. The plan may have to be for the following year, I refuse to pay the corrupt, pretending insurance levy for any longer than it takes to avoid it.

I did note your link to the Laos visa application earlier in the thread.

I guess what I was looking for was first hand knowledge from someone who has crossed there, knows the system and what assistance may be available from agents, transport or similar.  I'm not sure a "skylab" would be suitable for me.

[TheFreqFlyer]

10 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

 

It may be a long time before the border crossings open.

You could do the border hop there when it opens.

It is complicated to cross the Laos border with a car an it is not worth it for doing a border hop. Best to use available transport to do it.

You will need a Lao visa on arrival to enter Laos. Previously it was issued on Lao side of the border without a problem or you could apply for it online.

 

During normal times, it's very easy to bring a Thai registered car across to Laos. Motorcycle = difficult especially at this border.

 

I'd be more concerned about being able to cross the border at all, car or no car. That's the main obstacle at the moment and like you, I don't think that it will be possible anytime soon. For a 5 minute stamp in stamp out, little point to bringing across the car as the paperwork will take at least half an hour or longer. But to stay even one night in nearby Kaenthao, absolutely worth it in my opinion, particularly since public transport is scarce on both sides of the border. Coming back to Thailand will be quick; it's the paperwork to bring the car in especially on the Lao side that can sometimes take a little while. 

 

Based on pre-covid rules, only 2 land border crossings accepted Lao e-visas: Friendship Bridges 1 & 2 (Nong Khai-Vientiane and Mukdahan-Savannakhet).

 

This could change after Covid, seeing that this is an excuse/justification to move away from the old inefficient paper system to a more seamless e-visa system. For the same reason, I believe the old visa on arrival system for Thailand will be a thing of the past. It will likely be replaced by the e-visa system, which pre-Covid was in it's infancy. 

[TheFreqFlyer]

9 hours ago, Old Croc said:

Thankyou.

Yes, it's unknown when normal travel will resume. As much as I would like to change my visa type before my next extension (May), I realise it probably wont happen by then. The plan may have to be for the following year, I refuse to pay the corrupt, pretending insurance levy for any longer than it takes to avoid it.

I did note your link to the Laos visa application earlier in the thread.

I guess what I was looking for was first hand knowledge from someone who has crossed there, knows the system and what assistance may be available from agents, transport or similar.  I'm not sure a "skylab" would be suitable for me.

 

Assuming everything goes back to the old normal, aside from possibly seeing the added convenience of a move towards using the internet for visa applications and less paperwork, then at this border I would suggest you do the following:

 

Bringing your car across, even for the day, is worth it but like I said in my reply to UbonJoe, only if you actually intend to drive into town or further. For a quick stamp in, stamp out, leave the car parked at Thai immigration, walk the 200m or so to Lao immigration, turn around and walk back. Otherwise it's 50,000 Kip for the car paperwork + insurance (around 200 Baht or so for 1 week). Sometimes Lao immigration also collects an additional charge for the driver and each passenger crossing. 

 

Personally I recommend spending at least one night in Kaenthao or going further into Laos, just because it's more interesting to make a trip out of it. Even if you have done plenty such trips before, pre-Covid. At least that's how I look at it. Some people on multi non-Os and non-Bs hate the 90 day border hops or have been to Savannakhet or Vientiane or their preferred border crossing point (and spent time in the border town) so many times they are fed up with it. To each their own.

 

If nothing changes in terms of visas, then you would need to apply for one in Bangkok or Khon Kaen, or on arrival. E-visa only works for selected major crossings, not this one. 

 

No need to use an agent to cross or to assist with any paperwork. For a Thai car, easy to cross. Again, assuming no significant changes and an eventual return to normality sometime in the future, perhaps late 2021?