Border run to Myanmar at Ranong border possible?

[Bountyhuntr]

Hi all,

 

I am wondering what the current situation is at Ranong / Myanman border for doing a in/out visa run, is it safe to do so? I remember one point in time it was and then it wasn't, thanks all.

[elviajero]

Visa runs are currently ok at that border.

[Bountyhuntr]

2 minutes ago, elviajero said:

Visa runs are currently ok at that border.

Thanks! Do I have to obtain a visa for Myanmar prior to going (ie E-Visa) or can I get the visa on arrival there at the border?

 

Edited April 8, 2019 by Bountyhuntr

[elviajero]

Just now, Bountyhuntr said:

Thanks! Do I have to obtain a visa prior to going (ie E-Visa) or can I get the visa on arrival?

You don’t need a visa in advance. They will simply stamp you in and out of Myanmar and won’t issue an actual visa.

[Bountyhuntr]

4 minutes ago, elviajero said:

You don’t need a visa in advance. They will simply stamp you in and out of Myanmar and won’t issue an actual visa.

I'm at a UK vitizen, and on the Uk website it states I need a visa prior to travel.

 

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/burma/entry-requirements#visas

Edited April 8, 2019 by Bountyhuntr

[elviajero]

8 minutes ago, Bountyhuntr said:

I'm at a UK vitizen, and on the Uk website it states I need a visa prior to travel.

 

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/burma/entry-requirements#visas

You’re only doing a visa run. If you want to enter and travel in Myanmar you need a visa.

[Bountyhuntr]

7 minutes ago, elviajero said:

You’re only doing a visa run. If you want to enter and travel in Myanmar you need a visa.

Well I am entering Myanmar so normally the rule applies, whether you 'travel' or not. But alright I will take your advice, thanks.

[4evermaat]

14 minutes ago, Bountyhuntr said:

Well I am entering Myanmar so normally the rule applies, whether you 'travel' or not. But alright I will take your advice, thanks.

In this case they will give you their equivalent of a Visa Exempt:  Essentially a stamp in, and a stamp out of the country.

 

If you have maxed out your land border Visa Exempt entries (2 per calendar year), they may require an onwards plane ticket for the 3rd or subsequent one.   My friend went with Kiwi Orchard Tour, and was able to get it arrange quickly.  He was going to Laos next month anyway, so it wasn't a total loss and I think the ticket price was pretty good since the departure date was several weeks out.

 

I think in your case, this is your first land border Visa Exempt entry?  Nothing to worry about.

 

BTW, what kind of Thai Visa do you have now?  SETV, METV, SE/ME Non-immigrant?

Edited April 8, 2019 by 4evermaat

[Bountyhuntr]

4 minutes ago, 4evermaat said:

In this case they will give you their equivalent of a Visa Exempt:  Essentially a stamp in, and a stamp out of the country.

 

If you have maxed out your land border Visa Exempt entries (2 per calendar year), they may require an onwards plane ticket for the 3rd or subsequent one.   My friend went with Kiwi Orchard Tour, and was able to get it arrange quickly.  He was going to Laos next month anyway, so it wasn't a total loss and I think the ticket price was pretty good since the departure date was several weeks out.

 

I think in your case, this is your first land border Visa Exempt entry?  Nothing to worry about.

 

BTW, what kind of Thai Visa do you have?  METV, ME Non-immigrant?

 

Thanks for reply and further information. I had a single entry Tourist Visa, which I extended for 30 days which is about to expire. Yup will be first land border entry this year and I will not be using an agency/tour as I don't think it's required if you are already in the area?

Edited April 8, 2019 by Bountyhuntr

[Tomtomtom69]

1 hour ago, 4evermaat said:

In this case they will give you their equivalent of a Visa Exempt:  Essentially a stamp in, and a stamp out of the country.

 

If you have maxed out your land border Visa Exempt entries (2 per calendar year), they may require an onwards plane ticket for the 3rd or subsequent one.   My friend went with Kiwi Orchard Tour, and was able to get it arrange quickly.  He was going to Laos next month anyway, so it wasn't a total loss and I think the ticket price was pretty good since the departure date was several weeks out. 

 

I think in your case, this is your first land border Visa Exempt entry?  Nothing to worry about.

 

BTW, what kind of Thai Visa do you have now?  SETV, METV, SE/ME Non-immigrant?

don't think they'll let him back in if he has exhausted his 2 per calendar year visa exempt land based entries. If he wants to return for subsequent visa exempt entries, he would have to fly in.

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, Bountyhuntr said:

I'm at a UK vitizen, and on the Uk website it states I need a visa prior to travel.

 

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/burma/entry-requirements#visas

If you want to travel within Myanmar, you need a Myanmar visa. However, for a visa run, you only need a Myanmar border pass, available for US$10 (crisp, clean bills) on arrival at Myanmar immigration (or more for those who prefer to pay extra).

[Bountyhuntr]

Ok thanks guys

[WyrldTraveler]

I used the border crossing into the Duty Free area at Mae Sot ages ago when I needed one, as I needed to 'leave' the Kingdom; no visa was required as I never 'entered' Myanmar.

[orchis]

I did that this week from Bangkok :

-Night bus to Ranong (vip 24 seats) arrived at 6 am;

mototaxi to Andaman Club pier

-Thai immigration exit (questions about exit flight, asked to see booking, I said I didn’t have any/ remarks about 2 borderruns per year/showed me some posted information about this - I agreed with everything he said until he ran out of English words and sent me on my way);

-get boarding papers from Andaman Club staff; same building different staff;

-boat to Andaman Club Hotel on Myanmar island;

-arriving there you pay 950 thb for everything (no need for your own photocopies or Myanmar immigration fee/ includes boat transfers)

-processing Myanmar immigration, same desk;

-return boat;

-stamp back into Thailand at immigration desk, same officer, same annoying little speech but has to stamp you in ????

-some motortaxi will be lingering on the parking lot or take Andaman Club van that will drop you in town or at bus station (100 thb).

Edited April 13, 2019 by orchis
spelling

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, orchis said:

-Thai immigration exit (questions about exit flight, asked to see booking, I said I didn’t have any/ remarks about 2 borderruns per year/showed me some posted information about this - I agreed with everything he said until he ran out of English words and sent me on my way);

Be aware, the flight is a published-requirement they can demand.  You may also be asked to show 10K Baht in cash (visa-exempt) or 20K Baht if doing a border-bounce with a Multi-Entry Visa.  All should be prepared for the possibility of not being allowed to do this w/o those, as these are "real rules" - not to be confused with the unpublished "past time in country" hokum being cited at some airports.

 

The warning about 2x/calendar-year visa-exempts by-land is actually a favor to those who are clueless.

[orchis]

Nah, it’s not a favor, it’s a regulation and I was well aware of it, and I got what I wanted, nobody stopped me.

[simon43]

You never need to worry about not being allowed back into Thailand by Ranong immigration ==> for the simple reason that they will not stamp you out of Thailand if they are not prepared to let you back in, because they know that unless you already have a Myanmar visa, you will not be allowed to travel within Myanmar, (and thereby exit Myanmar from eg Yangon), should they (Ranong immigration) not allow you back in. 

 

You would be condemned to spending the rest of your years pacing the waterfront at Kawtaung and staring wistfully at the verdant hills of Ranong across the water...... ????

[4evermaat]

On 4/8/2019 at 9:57 PM, Bountyhuntr said:

Yup will be first land border entry this year and I will not be using an agency/tour as I don't think it's required if you are already in the area?

 

You should be able to go yourself.  But since you must take a taxi there anyway, I recommend Kiwi Orchard right outside the Ranong Bus station.  ฿950 for the andaman club + ฿300, and she will ensure you get there and back

[ubonjoe]

13 hours ago, orchis said:

I did that this week from Bangkok :

-Night bus to Ranong (vip 24 seats) arrived at 6 am;

May I ask why went to all the way Ranong to do the border hop?

There are much closer crossings to Myanmar from Bangkok than Ranong.

[Bountyhuntr]

5 hours ago, 4evermaat said:

 

You should be able to go yourself.  But since you must take a taxi there anyway, I recommend Kiwi Orchard right outside the Ranong Bus station.  ฿950 for the andaman club + ฿300, and she will ensure you get there and back

TY for recommendation buddy. So total 1250? If I go myself it's like what, 100-150 boat each way and 10 dollars at border, around 700b right?

[Bountyhuntr]

Do Thais need to pay the $10 for the border pass as well? I don't think they do right as they can enter without a visa period.

[4evermaat]

On 4/14/2019 at 3:31 PM, Bountyhuntr said:

....If I go myself it's like what, 100-150 boat each way and 10 dollars at border, around 700b right?.....

Two different piers in Ranong for border runs.

 

You are thinking of Saphan Pla to Kawthaung. The crispy new looking $10 USD (no rips, creases, or marks) + getting your own longtail boat to/from Kawthaung (I think it is ฿400-450 but they will leave right away).  You must remember to make your own copies of passport or bring your own before you leave.  

 

On 4/14/2019 at 3:31 PM, Bountyhuntr said:

TY for recommendation buddy. So total 1250? ....

Andaman Resort has its own pier.  The ฿950 is the total round trip fee:   Air conditioned yacht or speedboat Andaman Pier to/from Andaman Resort

free access to the pool or game room if you want to stay for a few hours.

 

All copies are done by Andaman staff on the Thai side and they have their own immigration booth on-site on both sides, (Air condition, restroom, and ATM on the Thai side) so it's more of an "all inclusive" experience and more recommended port.

 

The ฿300 baht is for Kiwi Orchard to get you to the pier and back from the bus station or market area.  And help from Kiwi getting it all arranged for you.  So 1250 total.

 

On 4/15/2019 at 12:14 PM, Bountyhuntr said:

Do Thais need to pay the $10 for the border pass as well? I don't think they do right as they can enter without a visa period.

 

The Andaman Club it is free for Thai kids, and Thai adult nationals pay a whopping ฿100.  And they can do some sort of border pass thing where they can just use their ID + a signed form to cross.  When they return, they just hand in the form.

 

At Saphan Pla, I'm not sure if they must use their Thai passport to cross, but there is no Myanmar visa fee at Kawthaung.

 

[4evermaat]

On 4/14/2019 at 10:00 AM, ubonjoe said:

May I ask why went to all the way Ranong to do the border hop?

There are much closer crossings to Myanmar from Bangkok than Ranong.

Where would you recommend?

 

Cost?

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, 4evermaat said:

Where would you recommend?

The Ban Phu Nam Ron crossing in Kanchanaburi.

I think the Mae Sot crossing is also closer plus it is possible to fly to Mae Sot to do the crossing.

[Bountyhuntr]

On 4/16/2019 at 1:37 PM, 4evermaat said:

Two different piers in Ranong for border runs.

 

You are thinking of Saphan Pla to Kawthaung. The crispy new looking $10 USD (no rips, creases, or marks) + getting your own longtail boat to/from Kawthaung (I think it is ฿400-450 but they will leave right away).  You must remember to make your own copies of passport or bring your own before you leave. 

 

 

Ty for reply. A boat is 50b for a Thai so I would say max 100b / each way for a foreigner ???? I guess it's doable for a total of 520b (320b / for 10 dollars)

Edited April 17, 2019 by Bountyhuntr

[4evermaat]

On 4/17/2019 at 2:42 PM, Bountyhuntr said:

 

Ty for reply. A boat is 50b for a Thai so I would say max 100b / each way for a foreigner ???? I guess it's doable for a total of 520b (320b / for 10 dollars)

 

 

The boat that you can get for ฿50 will wait until it is full.   Also, it may have neighboring migrant nationals onboard.   So the way their boats get stopped at checkpoints is different than if a boat is 100% foreign nationals (Western tourists).  They might get held at the checkpoint longer or talked down to a bit before being allowed to continue.  Not all the time, but I've seen....well......   The Western tourists are usually a quick spot-check and then that boat will continue.   

 

You need to get that $10 from a foreign national, SuperRich, etc before heading to Ranong.   They are hard to find.  Those that have them it will be ฿450.  Again, it must be crispy new (no marks, creases, or tears).  They might accept $20, $50, $100 now....not sure how the change would be.   I remember one time several years ago when the new bills came out and some tourists wanted to use $20 bill (for two people) and he was denied.  And then he tried to buy from one of the visa tour runners at the pier.  They wouldn't accept it.  So he had to pay like ฿900 (in baht) to get his $10 bills.

 

If you do it at Saphan Pla vs Andaman club purely for the cost savings, I think it is maximum ฿200-500 depending on if you have your own $10 bill and if you take 50 baht boat vs ฿400 baht.

 

Up to you.   Let us know how it all works out.

[Bountyhuntr]

15 hours ago, 4evermaat said:

 

 

The boat that you can get for ฿50 will wait until it is full.   Also, it may have neighboring migrant nationals onboard.   So the way their boats get stopped at checkpoints is different than if a boat is 100% foreign nationals (Western tourists).  They might get held at the checkpoint longer or talked down to a bit before being allowed to continue.  Not all the time, but I've seen....well......   The Western tourists are usually a quick spot-check and then that boat will continue.   

 

You need to get that $10 from a foreign national, SuperRich, etc before heading to Ranong.   They are hard to find.  Those that have them it will be ฿450.  Again, it must be crispy new (no marks, creases, or tears).  They might accept $20, $50, $100 now....not sure how the change would be.   I remember one time several years ago when the new bills came out and some tourists wanted to use $20 bill (for two people) and he was denied.  And then he tried to buy from one of the visa tour runners at the pier.  They wouldn't accept it.  So he had to pay like ฿900 (in baht) to get his $10 bills.

 

If you do it at Saphan Pla vs Andaman club purely for the cost savings, I think it is maximum ฿200-500 depending on if you have your own $10 bill and if you take 50 baht boat vs ฿400 baht.

 

Up to you.   Let us know how it all works out.

I am currently doing Andaman with my Thai partner and had a lot of issues at immigration departure - After flicking through my passport for literally 5 minutes he asked what I was doing here, then started speaking to my partner in Thai and declined to speak English to me after I asked if he spoke English (ignored me) by that time I started to get frustrated and annoyed, and so was he. He also shown me a board stating requirements about flight tickets etc but I'm guessing that was only for a visa. He said tourist visa 10 times and stay here long time, finally said I can go this time - all of this wasn't said to me but my partner which ticked me off. 

 

My background is I'm on a 30 day extension of stay from a tourist visa started in late January, before that I was in the UK for 6 weeks. Prior to that I have been here for last 1.5 years on tourist visas and 2 yearly runs so he wasn't wrong. Typing on my phone so grammar is bad but thought I would let anyone know if they think about going that they might get some issues although I think this was stated by someone else too. I won't be doing it here again that's for sure. 

 

I probably could of handled the situation better, my attitude wasn't the best when it came to issues. 

 

Thanks for all info guys as usual. 

[stevenl]

56 minutes ago, Bountyhuntr said:

I am currently doing Andaman with my Thai partner and had a lot of issues at immigration departure - After flicking through my passport for literally 5 minutes he asked what I was doing here, then started speaking to my partner in Thai and declined to speak English to me after I asked if he spoke English (ignored me) by that time I started to get frustrated and annoyed, and so was he. He also shown me a board stating requirements about flight tickets etc but I'm guessing that was only for a visa. He said tourist visa 10 times and stay here long time, finally said I can go this time - all of this wasn't said to me but my partner which ticked me off. 

 

My background is I'm on a 30 day extension of stay from a tourist visa started in late January, before that I was in the UK for 6 weeks. Prior to that I have been here for last 1.5 years on tourist visas and 2 yearly runs so he wasn't wrong. Typing on my phone so grammar is bad but thought I would let anyone know if they think about going that they might get some issues although I think this was stated by someone else too. I won't be doing it here again that's for sure. 

 

I probably could of handled the situation better, my attitude wasn't the best when it came to issues. 

 

Thanks for all info guys as usual. 

Yes, they like less and less people living here on tourist visa or visa exempt.

 

And yes, I also get frustrated if Thai start speaking to my wife and totally ignore me, even worse for me since I speak Thai reasonably well.

[Bountyhuntr]

21 hours ago, stevenl said:

Yes, they like less and less people living here on tourist visa or visa exempt.

 

And yes, I also get frustrated if Thai start speaking to my wife and totally ignore me, even worse for me since I speak Thai reasonably well.

Yeah I knew I was going to have issues in the way he opened the window, didn't look happy to begin with. 

 

I knew he spoke English but on purpose didn't want to speak to me, I was asking for my passport back by that time as I couldn't be bothered with it.

 

When I came back from MyanmarI had a lady just say to get the correct visa next time and if I come again she'll ask for plane ticket but her attitude was fine and spoke politely, not like the other guy. Think he wanted to show off or prove something and didn't like that I knew the official rules. He said we knew too much apparently, right piece of work. 

[edwardandtubs]

There's a report on a blog from someone who took the 50 baht boat. They seemed to enjoy it.