chris5346
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Posts posted by chris5346
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i have had mail opened and one letter not arrive if you choose the non recorded/signed for service,
with signed for i have found the mail is very good here.
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from your replies it sounds like you want to stay approx. 270 days and have a return flight booked ?
are you going to apply for the visa first or book the return flight first ?
to work out your return date :
visa issued on jan 15th :
your maximum length of time in thailand will be 180 days from jan 15th + 60 days + 30 days.
so from feb 1st you'll be able to stay for approx. 255 days.
if you want to stay longer than 255 days then apply for the visa closer to feb 1st,
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Go to the bus depot over the river, and book a VIP bus to Mae Sai. It's a 4 or 5 hour trip, careful drivers, and there's plenty of time to go through the border and back again and return on the same bus a few hours later.
I second this. If you have a few days before you need to exit the country, go to the new Arcade Bus Station a few days early to book a VIP bus ticket. The VIP tickets seem to booked out very quickly. The company is Green Bus and the counter is on your left as you walk into the new bus station.
It is very comfortable and much safer than minivans. I have never had a problem with a crazy driver. At the Mae Sai end there will be a local pick up bus (song tao) waiting to take you to the border for 10 Baht. This is the standard price with no need to bargain. On returning you take a pick up bus (song tao) back to the bus station for another 10 Baht.
It is really a very easy process as there will be others on the bus who have done it many times before who will be happy to show you the ropes.
OK great. That sounds perfect. Last question. Where is the "New Arcade Bus Station"? Never been out of a bus from CM, only train or plane
arcade bus station is on the top right on this map :
http://www.chiangmai1.com/chiang_mai/map_of_chiang_mai.htm
i'd recommend the bus, you can pay a little extra and get the vip seats at the front , safer to buy a return ticket the day before you want to go,
buses leave at something like 7 8 and 9 am ? and return 14:30 15:30 etc - i can't remember.
you could take the last bus in the morning and return at 14:30 but you wont have any free time, maybe safer to get the 15:30 return or go earlier in the morning.
if you go early in the morning you can go into burma for a few hours, you leave your passport with the burmese immigration and collect when you return, if your just going for the visa stamp then say to the burmese officials no shopping and they just give you your passport back and you can return back to thailand, if you have 10 $ take it and maybe you can pay with that which works out cheaper than 500 baht.
if your going on the bus you can leave your motorbike at the bus station for 10 baht.
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looks like it's just closed on new years eve ?
if your just after a cheap place to stay in a good location try mixay guest house, prices start at 60,000 kip or you can pay in baht.
it's quite a long walk from the thai consulate .
what are your plans ?
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i wouldn't take the van trip because the driver may not be very good and sleeping maybe difficult etc.
arrange the trip yourself and the money you save you can spend on a flight to udon thani.
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here's the cheapest you can do it realistically : :
1800 baht for return bus cm to udon thani (20:30)
35 baht for bus to nong khai,
40 baht tuk tuk to border,
15 baht bus accross bridge,
35 $ loas visa on arrival,
150 baht taxi to embassy,
double tourist visa 2000 baht,
walk to hotel,
hotel 60,000 kip,
walk to embassy to collect visa,
walk to bus station,
bus vientiane to udon city center 22,000 kip (14:00, 15:00 or 16:30)
tuk tuk to outer bus station 100 baht,
i take the night bus now because i can sleep ok on it and i know i can make the embassy before it closes, if it's your first time maybe better to fly to udon thani and get the transfer for 200 baht to the border,
coming back is quite easy if you already have a bus ticket back to chiang mai you can take your time.
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should be fine unless they gave you a warning stamp last time, if vientiane don't issue one then go down to savaarnkhet.
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how long do you want to stay in thailand for ?
where are you based ?
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the outgoing flight is probably more important to show because it looks like you wont be staying in thailand illegally after your visa ends,
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cambodia visa is 20$ but some people have problems at the border and have to pay in baht which is more expensive or get ripped off in other ways so i put the price of 25$ which is for the safer online e-visa.
if you get a double or triple tourist visa from your home country which is far from s.e asia they usually have 6 months validity, actually bali is fairly close and they give 6 months validity but you have to provide flight info.
if you get refused for tourist visas then just renew your passport and try again.
last year the local consulates went through a strict phase of red warning stamping peoples passports but it seems like they don't as much now ?
once you get to 50 years old or get married etc the visa process is much better for you.
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enter thailand 60 days + 30 day extension (optional)
do a border run get next 60 days + 30 day extension reduced to 20 days
do another border run get next 60 days + 30 day extension.
so if you apply for your visa 10 days before your due to arrive you'll be able to stay 260 days.
Hi, I'm also new to all this.
How does that work?
I thought you can only get a new 60+30 visa after the initial one runs out. Then you do a border run (i.e. go to another country and come back) just before it runs out and get a new one.
How would you go about getting those 260 days before you arrive in Thailand if thats even possible?
Thanks for clearing it up
you can't get 260 days straight in thailand - you have to do it in groups of upto 90 days .
60 days + 30 days - border run - 60 days + 30 days - border run - 60 days + 30 days = approx. 270 days in thailand.
it's impossible to get 270 days because the border run days count as two so the maximum is 268 days.
the other factor with tourist visa is the validity time (either 3 months from issue or 6 months, see enter before date written on visa) that means the second border run has to be done 6 months or 3 months from when you applied not when you arrive in thailand .
if your lucky and can apply for a visa in person a few days before your trip you can get around 266 days from a tripple entry tourist visa (as long as it's the 6 month validity type).
if you get a tripple entry with only 3 months validity the most you can stay in thailand is 3 months from the day you apply + another 90 days.
there's no need for most people to get a tripple entry with only 3 months validity - may as well get a double entry which is a little cheaper.
if you come to thailand with a tripple entry visa you can stay approx. 9 months then you can goto laos and get a double entry with is good for next 6 months - you can probably goto laos again and get another double which is a following 6 months if used correctly,
no reason why you can't keep doing that but the embassy can put a red warning stamp if you keep applying from the same place.
most people don't get the maximum out of a double or tripple entry because of the validity date, if you were to apply for the visa say 2 weeks before you arrive that 2 weeks has to be lost - that means you'll be paying 1900 baht for a 2 week extension instead of gettting 30 days - some people don't pay for the first extension because it's not cost affective, also some people visit cambodia etc for a few days when they do there border run, so if you goto ankor wat for a week that also gets reduced from your maximum allowed time in thailand, the date you apply and when you choose to do the border runs is upto you but you have to be aware of the final day your allowed to do them,
from bkk or cm you can do border runs quite cheaply yourself by going on a bus -
as mentioned 1250 baht from bkk to cambodia all in.
i pay under 1000 baht when i goto burma from cm.
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there are 2 types of 3 entry tourist visas - either ones valid for 6 months from issue or 3 months from issue,
ask the embassy which type they issue - if it's only a 3 month type don't bother and apply for a 2 entry tourist visa instead.
most embassies give out 6 month types which means you'll be able to stay for almost 9 months
depending on how early you apply for the visa determines your maximum length of stay in thailand,
if you apply say 10 days before you come to thailand that 10 days will be taken off one of the first two entries :
enter thailand 60 days + 30 day extension (optional)
do a border run get next 60 days + 30 day extension reduced to 20 days
do another border run get next 60 days + 30 day extension.
so if you apply for your visa 10 days before your due to arrive you'll be able to stay 260 days.
you maybe able to apply a day or two before your due to arrive depending on how your applying.
the optional extensions cost 1900 baht and are done inside thailand.
when this all runs out you can goto a neighbouring country and get another tourist visa and start again or maybe you can apply for a different type of visa depending on status, or as you said you can just keep going to a border every 15 days.
if you can get a 3 entry tourist visa valid for 6 months that's a good as you can hope for, if it's only valid for 3 months then drop down to a 2 entry .
which embassy are you applying from ? do they do a postal service ? or can you do it in person ?
to activate each 60 day entry you have to leave thailand and re-enter some people just exit and re-enter 10 mins later some people spend many days outside thailand it's upto you, the extensions are done inside thailand at any of the immigration offices and the dates for doing those are anytime during the 60 days ( most people do the extensions around day 50 of your stay - the 30 days gets added on so you can't lose days) .
if you goto a burma border you will have to pay 500 baht to enter burma,
if you goto cambodia the price if 20 or 25$,
if you goto malaysia it's free,
if you goto laos it will cost you 35$.
is this your first time to thailand ? most people tour around and then decide where to settle.
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get a squeegy floor mop, they are similar to a car winscreen wiper ,
you don't have to get every last drop of water removed after a shower, small amount of water soon evaporates here.
if that's not suitable then get another layer of tiles put down with a slight slope,
difficult to advise without seeing it
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Bangkok to Cambodia around thb 2,000by tour, doing by yourself is only recommended for seasoned travelers.
Chiangmai Mai to Mae Sai around thb1,000.-.
If you are from a qualified country you can get 15days visa exempt stamp.
And for how much longer can u stay then?
I'm looking for at least 60 days + 30 each time if that's possible
if you have a tourist visa in your passport you get 60 days entry with option to extend 30 days,
if you don't have any visa then you only get 15 days,
if you need to get a tourist visa locally you don't goto the border you have to visit a thai embassy and apply.
how long do you want to stay in thailand for in total ?
if you want to stay a long time you should apply for a 2 or 3 entry tourist visa from the thai embassy in your home country before you goto thailand .
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you can apply anytime now,
if your applying for a visa by post safer to do it as soon as possible incase there's a problem.
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you don't have to do it around the 8th feb you could do it 90 days before your return flight if you wanted.
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ok no worries i didn't read your post fully, depending where you live you only need to leave thailand the once and you have flexability on which date you choose.
ankor wat is a popular place to visit to combine a mini visit or just find the most convenient to where you live.
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where do you live in thailand ? you can goto :
laos 35$ to enter,
cambodia 20-25$ to enter,
burma 10$ or 500 baht to enter,
malaysia free to enter.
either do a land crossing or flying in, just remember to write your visa number on the arrival card and make sure you get a 90 day stamp .
as mentioned you can leave thailand for several days or just 5 mins upto you.
you may also want to look into your future border runs and work out what days they fall on,
what are you going to do when the year runs out ? extend ?
i think you can get 15 months from a 1 year visa if you do another border run just before it expires but if your going to extend in the future and stay in thailand long term you need to find out the best way to do it.
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Why spend the night on a bus? Nok has three comfortable, daily non-stop flights to Udon Thani that take little over an hour. From the Udon airport THAI and Nok operate shuttles that delivers you directly to the Nong Khai crossing at Friendship Bridge. Nok's roundtrip fares to Udon are much cheaper than Lao Air's to Vientiane, which usually involves a plane change in Luang Prabang.
I am in Vientiane now. This charming, hospitable, and laid-back town is by far my favorite Asian capital--boasting the best French food outside France!
flying to udon is more expensive than the bus 7000 baht compared to 1800 baht.
the mini bus from the airport to the border is good though.
i'd recommend flying to udon and taking the bus back for first timers on a time and money budget.
luang prabang is a nice place to visit to combine the trip but need to decide which way to travel - if it's your first visit i'd recommend travelling along the river instead of flying, and seeing more of the country.
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Cm to luang prabang ?? How long dies this take? If going to Laos from cm just to get a 15 day overland visa exempt where is the quickest exit entry point?
if your just going to do a 15 day stamp then goto burma not laos , burma crossing is at mai sai and laos is chang khong.
they are both about the same distance from chiang mai but burma is cheaper at 10$ or 500 baht compared to laos at 35$.
most people goto mai sai from chiang mai for a border run.
there's a new bus service from cm to luang prabang but i haven't used it yet - i think probably takes around 2 days ? or a day and a half ?? it goes via chiang khong and enter laos from the north .
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What time does the CM ARCADE TERMINAL BUS GOES? Is there any other way to go directly to the nong khai?
I am afraid to stay longer in laos cuz its bored there and take my visa on the next day.
I want only to stay in laos for 2 days and back to CM.
ANYONE CAN RECOMMEND THERE trips?
you can either get the night bus which leaves at 20:30 or fly to udon thani with nok air, either option you can do the trip in 2 days but if you buy return tickets and something goes wrong you may lose a bit of money,
i think the easiest way is to book a return flight and make sure you book the return flight for late in the evening.
the bus is cheaper but you may not get to the consulate before midday.
maybe a good compromise is to fly there and get the bus back.
flying there will get you to the consulate earlier and the bus back is cheap and leaves late giving you plenty of time.
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when you go into that small office with the curtain for a door , you'll pay the 10$ or 500 baht and you need to say if you want to go shopping in burma or not , if not they will hand you back your passport and you can head back into thailand.
you could enter burma for the day - you leave your passport with the officials and they give you a card/receipt.
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BUT, the airline might NOT let you onboard since you don't have a ticket OUT of Thailand within th 30 day Visa Exempt limit.
Suggest either get a visa, or alternatively, book a flight out of Thailand within your 30 days.
FYI, I noticed that AirAsia has some real cheapies on "promotion" from Hat Yai to KL. Non-refundable, it seems, but still under baht 1,000 oneway. Check it out. Might be cheaper than a visa.
Mac
air asia don't make a full refund but you can simply claim back the airport tax minus a 200 baht fee,
those flights cost 920 baht and 900 baht is claimable tax,
to claim you have to wait until after the flight and claim online,
i claimed it back once and got the money returned to my credit card approx. 5 weeks after the flight.
i wouldn't recommend booking a flight unless you definately can't check in, chances are with a 33 day return flight they may not worry too much also there maybe something you can sign with the airport to say you'll pay for any fees - ask to speak to a manager if the check in clerk seems inexperienced.
if your flight gets in late to bkk maybe you could wait and walk through immigartion just after midnight to save 1 day ?
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the 150 baht is a fee from the thai banks for using their atms's , to avoid this charge you can go inside some branches with your passport and ask for a cash advance - some branches have a small hand held device for making the transaction.
i have a nationwide flexaccount and they charge me 2% and one pound per transaction.
Triple Entry Tourist Visa
in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
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it's probably worth you going to a thai embassy in laos while your there and get a new double entry tourist visa,