Visa trip to Laos

[Mr Shagmeister]

After all the recent changes in visa rules I only have one acceptable option open to me now I need a new visa.Later today (Sunday) I am getting on a mini-bus with a farang friend of mine and going on a visa run to Vientiane in Laos. We have been promised double tourist visas which in principle allows a farang to stay in LOS for up to 6 months with only one quick dash to the border in the middle.

Cost of the trip booked with Witherspoons is 9900 inclusive of everything apart from a few meals.

We are on the bus for 14 hours then spend one day/night in a hotel and then back on the bus, hopefully arriving back in Pattaya late Tuesday night.

I'm not exactly looking forward to the trip but at least I've got a buddy to talk to and I'm taking 20 sleeping talets to keep me knocked out whenever I get bored.

I'll report about the the experience when I get back because the Thai embassy in Laos is the only one in a neighbouring country which still seems to be farang friendly. As an example I wasted a lot of time and money on a trip to Penang a few months ago, since when the conditions for several visas have been made even tougher.

[Montydog]

Good luck……………………. but don’t take all the pills in one go

[rocky1838]

After all the recent changes in visa rules I only have one acceptable option open to me now I need a new visa.Later today (Sunday) I am getting on a mini-bus with a farang friend of mine and going on a visa run to Vientiane in Laos. We have been promised double tourist visas which in principle allows a farang to stay in LOS for up to 6 months with only one quick dash to the border in the middle.

Cost of the trip booked with Witherspoons is 9900 inclusive of everything apart from a few meals.

We are on the bus for 14 hours then spend one day/night in a hotel and then back on the bus, hopefully arriving back in Pattaya late Tuesday night.

I'm not exactly looking forward to the trip but at least I've got a buddy to talk to and I'm taking 20 sleeping talets to keep me knocked out whenever I get bored.

I'll report about the the experience when I get back because the Thai embassy in Laos is the only one in a neighbouring country which still seems to be farang friendly. As an example I wasted a lot of time and money on a trip to Penang a few months ago, since when the conditions for several visas have been made even tougher.

You've confused me now.

What recent changes to the visas have they introduced?

A double tourist visa is for 4 Months, not six.

[BKKkeemao]

You've confused me now.

What recent changes to the visas have they introduced?

A double tourist visa is for 4 Months, not six.

I'm confused here too.. Wouldn't it be cheaper to just fly AirAsia somewhere and get your visa? Hell all that time on a bus and a lot of baht too.. Hmmm

[Leo Monti]

You've confused me now.

What recent changes to the visas have they introduced?

A double tourist visa is for 4 Months, not six.

As far as I remember you can extend each period of stay of one month (from 2 to 3 months) just going to the immigration office and pay 1900 bath. so a double entry visa should allow you to stay there for about 6 months.

[rocky1838]

As far as I remember you can extend each period of stay of one month (from 2 to 3 months) just going to the immigration office and pay 1900 bath. so a double entry visa should allow you to stay there for about 6 months.

You might be right. I had a triple tourist at one point and I think I remember extending it at Soi 8 immigration. But that was 3-4 years ago, there's been so many changes since then. And I just remember...one time I tried to get a Months extension at the end of my tourist visa and they only gave me a week.
I don't think the Month's guaranteed?

I know Mr Shag was Married and He had a one year non immigrant O. I wonder what tinkering with the guidelines they have been doing?

What annoys me is it's easier to be 50+ and single to stay in Thailand than <50 and Married to a Thai.

[Mr Shagmeister]

Yes after 60 days I have to go to immigration in Jomtien and pay 1900 baht to get a 30 day extension. When that expires I do a half day visa run and repeat the process for another 90 day stay.

I am still married to a Thai and in theory I could get a year visa without ever leaving the country but immigration want to see evidence that the farang and his Thai wife are still living together as well as a bank book showing at least 800,000 baht.

For years I used to go to one of the Thai embassies in a neighbouring country and simply show my marriage certificate in order to get a one year multiple entry visa. The new rules make getting this type of visa more difficult and even though I had all the correct paperwork when I went to Penang earlier this year they only gave me a single entry three month visa.

As for the trip to Laos.....

I was kept waiting in the street for an hour before the mini bus arrived which was a bad start. Thankfully I had sleeping tablets so I slept for much of the 12 hours to the border. I would absolutely hate to do the trip without being able to knock myself out.

Thai/Laos immigration officials kept us waiting for 90 minutes and I guess the reason was that the people running the trip aren't paying enough in bribes.

We stayed at the Hotel Laos which was 2 or 3 star standard.

I found the local currency (Kip) very confusing. For 4000 baht I was a Kip millionaire and the notes were not easy to read, thankfully Thai baht was widely accepted.

I went out in search of some night time action with two English pals. We ended up at the Mekong hotel which had a live band playing local music and plenty of suprisingly attractive young ladies working as bargirls. We ordered a bottle of Johnny Walker Gold Reserve with all the mixers for a bargain 800 baht. The trouble was that the place closed at midnight and we had only been there for 45 minutes.

There didn't seem to be any barfine and three of the girls came with us to an 'after hours' nightclub. One of my buddies got lucky because his girl was very touchy feelly and they were soon playing tonsil hocky in the middle of the bar. What was even more remarkable was that in the morning she refused to take any money.

I spent some time in the company of a very sexy blonde Laos girl who worked freelance in the disco. Under normal circumstances I would have taken her back to my hotel for some slap and tickle, but since my Thai GF Bangbang allows me to BF a girl in Pattaya whenever we go out together I decided to do the decent thing and avoided having sex.

The next afternoon we were all back on the bus for the long ride back to Pattaya, we arrived just after midnight.

The reason I chose to go on a package tour rather than fly to Udon or Vientiane myself is that I never had to go the Thai embassy in person. Agents who bribe the Thai officials take care of all the paperwork and running around and I have heard that sometimes the embassy can delay issuing visas to farangs who do the trip alone.

[rocky1838]

Yes after 60 days I have to go to immigration in Jomtien and pay 1900 baht to get a 30 day extension. When that expires I do a half day visa run and repeat the process for another 90 day stay.

I am still married to a Thai and in theory I could get a year visa without ever leaving the country but immigration want to see evidence that the farang and his Thai wife are still living together as well as a bank book showing at least 800,000 baht.

For years I used to go to one of the Thai embassies in a neighbouring country and simply show my marriage certificate in order to get a one year multiple entry visa. The new rules make getting this type of visa more difficult and even though I had all the correct paperwork when I went to Penang earlier this year they only gave me a single entry three month visa.

As for the trip to Laos.....

I was kept waiting in the street for an hour before the mini bus arrived which was a bad start. Thankfully I had sleeping tablets so I slept for much of the 12 hours to the border. I would absolutely hate to do the trip without being able to knock myself out.

Thai/Laos immigration officials kept us waiting for 90 minutes and I guess the reason was that the people running the trip aren't paying enough in bribes.

We stayed at the Hotel Laos which was 2 or 3 star standard.

I found the local currency (Kip) very confusing. For 4000 baht I was a Kip millionaire and the notes were not easy to read, thankfully Thai baht was widely accepted.

I went out in search of some night time action with two English pals. We ended up at the Mekong hotel which had a live band playing local music and plenty of suprisingly attractive young ladies working as bargirls. We ordered a bottle of Johnny Walker Gold Reserve with all the mixers for a bargain 800 baht. The trouble was that the place closed at midnight and we had only been there for 45 minutes.

There didn't seem to be any barfine and three of the girls came with us to an 'after hours' nightclub. One of my buddies got lucky because his girl was very touchy feelly and they were soon playing tonsil hocky in the middle of the bar. What was even more remarkable was that in the morning she refused to take any money.

I spent some time in the company of a very sexy blonde Laos girl who worked freelance in the disco. Under normal circumstances I would have taken her back to my hotel for some slap and tickle, but since my Thai GF Bangbang allows me to BF a girl in Pattaya whenever we go out together I decided to do the decent thing and avoided having sex.

The next afternoon we were all back on the bus for the long ride back to Pattaya, we arrived just after midnight.

The reason I chose to go on a package tour rather than fly to Udon or Vientiane myself is that I never had to go the Thai embassy in person. Agents who bribe the Thai officials take care of all the paperwork and running around and I have heard that sometimes the embassy can delay issuing visas to farangs who do the trip alone.

Interesting report. Especially about the Laos girls.

So, do you intend or can you stay there indefinite on tourist visas? I noticed on Thai Visa that somebody said that to now extend a tourist visa you have to show a confirmed air ticket out of Thailand!

I know you've got a few years to go before the retirement visa. It seems a good option for the over 50 mob. It's getting harder to stay in Thailand. Unless you came back to England every 15 Months and took your Marriage cert, you would get a new 1 year multi entry O.

[Mr Shagmeister]

It's true it is getting close to the point where a quick trip back to the UK to get a one year multiple entry visa every 15 months would be worthwhile.

A visa consultant confimed to me today that I do not need to show any air ticket out of Thailand when I get my 30 day extension, but I am not discounting the fact that in Thailand anything is possible.

Anyone over 50 and with a decent amount of money doesn't have too many problems with a retirement visa, but who knows if that will someday change without notice ?

Another thing I've found out is that immigration always give a 30 day visa on arrival to any farang who flys into Thailand from another country, regardless of how many 30 day tourist visas are in the farang's passport. In contrast if a farang stays in LOS for 90 days by doing an overland visa run to the border every 30 days then after the 90 days are up he will be refused re-entry to Thailand if he tries the same overland border run again.

[SirMarjAlot]

It's true it is getting close to the point where a quick trip back to the UK to get a one year multiple entry visa every 15 months would be worthwhile.

A visa consultant confimed to me today that I do not need to show any air ticket out of Thailand when I get my 30 day extension, but I am not discounting the fact that in Thailand anything is possible.

Anyone over 50 and with a decent amount of money doesn't have too many problems with a retirement visa, but who knows if that will someday change without notice ?

Another thing I've found out is that immigration always give a 30 day visa on arrival to any farang who flys into Thailand from another country, regardless of how many 30 day tourist visas are in the farang's passport. In contrast if a farang stays in LOS for 90 days by doing an overland visa run to the border every 30 days then after the 90 days are up he will be refused re-entry to Thailand if he tries the same overland border run again.

Seems its getting complicated. So why are they making it difficult, do you think their intention is to dislodge alot of the farangs who choose to hang out there?

[rocky1838]

Seems its getting complicated. So why are they making it difficult, do you think their intention is to dislodge alot of the farangs who choose to hang out there?

Thais are paranoid about Farangs stealing jobs, buying property etc.

Last year they knocked the Marriage visa stone dead. Before, you needed 400,000 baht in a Thai Bank and you would qualify. Now you need to show an income of 40,000 baht a Month. And that has to be verified by the British Embassy. Now it doesn't matter if you put 100 Million baht into a Thai bank if you can't show a GUARANTEED 40,000 a Month from your own Country you wont get the Marriage extension.

They would rather let a 50+ year old retire there than let a Married Farang with a Thai Wife stay there.

They want our money but not our existence in the Country.

[Leo Monti]

.

They want our money but not our existence in the Country.

Exactly! And this will never change until it will be too late!
For us and for them...

[dirtybirdy]

That is why I am looking at the Philippines. You can stay there for up to 16 months without having to do a visa run. I not yet been to either country though, I imagine Thailand is nicer but the Phils is a little better for the language barrier.

[rocky1838]

Exactly! And this will never change until it will be too late!
For us and for them...

Within one year the numbers of Russians visiting Pattaya jumped by 86%. That's a lot of extra revenue for them. And they go Home.

It wouldn't matter if it hurt them financially. They must have lost thousands of would be Married ex-pats who were considering living in Thailand. I believe they Grandfathered the ones already on the Marriage extension.

A lot of ex-pats were also living there doing the 30 day visa runs. With the 6 month entry rule in one year using the 30 day walk in exemptions that must have chased lots of people away to other places.

Bottom line is they are so Hell bent on Nationalism they don't care they are bleeding money.

[rocky1838]

That is why I am looking at the Philippines. You can stay there for up to 16 months without having to do a visa run. I not yet been to either country though, I imagine Thailand is nicer but the Phils is a little better for the language barrier.

Certainly a wise move I would say.

They want our money and investments and the Nationalism isn't as apparent as it is in Thailand. I never noticed it anyway.

Next year we're looking at either Thailand or the Philippines to stay for a couple of years. Because I have a Thai Wife and kids with Thai passports it would make sense to live there. But it depends if they start messing about with the Non immigrant O visas.

For the single Man under 50 I would say Phil V Thai is a no brainer if you want to live there.