How many days overland border crossing Vientianne-Nong Khai?

[oz457]

Hi all,

 

I'm on a Visa on Arrival and my 30 days will run out on Feb. 2nd.

I'm planning a trip to Laos via the Friendship Bridge in Nong Khai. I'll stay a couple of days in Laos, before heading Back to Thailand over the Friendship Bridge again into Thailand.

As a Belgian citizen, when returning to Thailand, will I get 15 days or 30 days Visa On Arrival when getting back to Thailand?

Depending on the number or days, I will have to stay longer or not in Laos, as my return flight is on the 28th of February.

 

I am so confused, some people tell me it changed again to 30 days, others tell me it is still 15 or 14 days.

 

Someone have a recent experience?

 

Regarding the Laos visa, can I still get the visa at the border, or should I apply in forehand? What is the current price for a Laos visa. I guess just a picture is required? (this is knowledge from experience from border crossing of 10 years ago. I have no idea if something has changed about this matter ever since, just askin...)

 

Thanks for any help.

Edited January 18, 2020 by oz457

[Matzzon]

Don´t worry. You will get 30 days.

 

[Caldera]

Belgians get 30 days visa exempt (it is not a visa on arrival) when entering Thailand.

 

Regarding the visa for Laos, you can still buy it on arrival at the Friendship Bridge, but now you also have the option to get it online beforehand.

[ubonjoe]

You do not qualify for a 15 day visa on arrival.

You can get a 30 day visa exempt entry by air or land that can be extended for 30 days at immigration for a fee of 1900 baht.

You can get a visa on arrival on entry to Laos or online (https://laoevisa.gov.la/index). The fee is $35 US (+ $15 online).

[Assurancetourix]

The Lao visa is 30 US dollars; a photo is appreciated otherwise it will be 1 US dollar more; but the photo is more secure.
you can very well turn around immediately as soon as you have crossed the Laotian border and the Laotian visa is on your passport ;, in the minute, the second even ! and cross the border, cross the bridge and you will pay 1900 baht at the Thai border for 30 additional days.

But you can also go visit Vientiane for 1 or 2 days; it is a pleasant city with beautiful monuments and a traffic all in all not huge and not stressed motorists as in Thailand.

[oz457]

Thanks for the reply. The online visa application for Laos is $ 119. What is the current price at the border. I see it sais only $ 30 when applying at the border. Is that correct?

[ubonjoe]

13 minutes ago, oz457 said:

Thanks for the reply. The online visa application for Laos is $ 119. What is the current price at the border. I see it sais only $ 30 when applying at the border. Is that correct?

How did you get the $119 number.

On the official site I posted a link to it shows the following.

The fee on the site is $35 plus $15 for the fee.

Other sites states it is $30 for a visa on arrival which would only be $45 for the online visa but they could increased it to $35 for the standard visa on arrival. I checked some of the countries that are not listed and it showed $45 for them on the e visa site.

List from this site. https://www.laos-guide-999.com/laos-visa-on-arrival.html

 

 

 

[wjcdavies]

How many times have you done land border “run” in the past 12 months?

[phuketrichard]

2 minutes ago, wjcdavies said:

How many times have you done land border “run” in the past 12 months?

Irrelevant as ur allowed 2 visa exempt land border entries/calendar year

[FARANG KIWI]

This week I went across @ Chiang Khong - Laos Visa on arrival was 900 Baht.

 

However I went across on a Weekend Day.

 

There was an extra 20 Baht for each bus trip per person plus a 20 baht overtime fee for weekend \ after hours.

 

The Laos visa is valid for a 30 day stay.

 

 

[Vietem]

I went Nong Khai to Vientianne the other week. I got an online visa, thinking it would be quicker (you print the visa letter at home after uploading passport details and a JPEG photo), but I still had to hand my passport in at the window and wait like everyone else. It was also $50, so more expensive and no real benefit time-wise.

[SunsetT]

If u cross either way at Vientiane at the weekend there is an extra $1 overtime fee on the Laos side. One photo is required.

[MarcB]

From my experience, it's better to buy the Laos visa at the border.

It's no hassle. Just fill in the provided application form, add 1 pic, and pay.

Fastest queue days are Tuesday and wednesday.

 

It's quoted as 35$ for Belgians.

In Thai Baht you have to pay 1,500

It's a difference of a few hundred Baht.

When you pay in USD, they give you an unfriendly look and let you wait to collect it for like half an hour.

If you pay THB, it's all friendly done in 10 minutes.

 

When you come back to Thailand, you get a 30 day visa exempt stamp.

It's free.

If needed, you can extend it after 30 days for 30 more days at immigration in thailand for 1,900 baht.

[brianthainess]

21 hours ago, Vietem said:

I went Nong Khai to Vientianne the other week. I got an online visa, thinking it would be quicker (you print the visa letter at home after uploading passport details and a JPEG photo), but I still had to hand my passport in at the window and wait like everyone else. It was also $50, so more expensive and no real benefit time-wise.

Isn't it a benefit by not losing a whole page of your passport ?  it is also a benefit if traveling to Cambodia as you only pay the official fee and not one made up by their immigration.   

[phuketrichard]

2 hours ago, MarcB said:

From my experience, it's better to buy the Laos visa at the border.

It's no hassle. Just fill in the provided application form, add 1 pic, and pay.

Fastest queue days are Tuesday and wednesday.

 

It's quoted as 35$ for Belgians.

In Thai Baht you have to pay 1,500

It's a difference of a few hundred Baht.

When you pay in USD, they give you an unfriendly look and let you wait to collect it for like half an hour.

If you pay THB, it's all friendly done in 10 minutes.

 

When you come back to Thailand, you get a 30 day visa exempt stamp.

It's free.

If needed, you can extend it after 30 days for 30 more days at immigration in thailand for 1,900 baht.

$35= 1,057 baht  so 443 baht dif or  almost $15!!!

I've always paid in $ ( same for Cambodia)

[Vietem]

3 hours ago, brianthainess said:

Isn't it a benefit by not losing a whole page of your passport ?  it is also a benefit if traveling to Cambodia as you only pay the official fee and not one made up by their immigration.   

I still got a sticker in my passport, an in and out stamp and a ‘used’ stamp on the sticker, which totaled half a page. Like I said, time-wise it was just the same.

[MarcB]

20 hours ago, phuketrichard said:

$35= 1,057 baht  so 443 baht dif or  almost $15!!!

I've always paid in $ ( same for Cambodia)

Yeah like i said, a difference of a few hundred baht.

But thanks for letting us know you always pay in $

A really constructive post.

[Canuckabroad]

On 1/20/2020 at 5:10 AM, Vietem said:

I still got a sticker in my passport, an in and out stamp and a ‘used’ stamp on the sticker, which totaled half a page. Like I said, time-wise it was just the same.

That’s too bad. I don’t mind paying the extra fee for a Cambodian e-visa because it saves a full passport page, but there’s not any point on doing the same in Laos if they still give a sticker.

 

On 1/20/2020 at 11:44 PM, MarcB said:

Yeah like i said, a difference of a few hundred baht.

But thanks for letting us know you always pay in $

A really constructive post.

Do they care about the condition of baht currency?  In my experience, Lao border officials insist on new and crisp US dollars.  If they are at all faded, you might have to use a nearby currency exchanger (there’s always one standing nearby) to get newer bills.

[jackdd]

On 1/20/2020 at 12:43 PM, MarcB said:

It's quoted as 35$ for Belgians.

In Thai Baht you have to pay 1,500

It's a difference of a few hundred Baht.

When you pay in USD, they give you an unfriendly look and let you wait to collect it for like half an hour.

If you pay THB, it's all friendly done in 10 minutes.

I've always paid in USD and they have always been friendly and it was processed quite fast. Maybe there was another reason for your delay.

[fourpack]

I get the visa before hand at the Laos consulate in KK. Cost 1600bht but so much less hassle when you get there.

Straight to immigration booth and done.

 

[ubonjoe]

12 hours ago, Canuckabroad said:

That’s too bad. I don’t mind paying the extra fee for a Cambodian e-visa because it saves a full passport page, but there’s not any point on doing the same in Laos if they still give a sticker.

Others have stated they did not get a sticker when entering Laos with a evisa. They just went through a line for for the evisas.

Not sure what he may of done wrong to get a sticker.

[ubonjoe]

11 hours ago, jackdd said:

I've always paid in USD and they have always been friendly and it was processed quite fast. Maybe there was another reason for your delay.

That is good if you have the dollars. But not always easy to get smaller denominations to have the correct amount for the visa. I have been told no less than $50 at banks here.

 

[jackdd]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

That is good if you have the dollars. But not always easy to get smaller denominations to have the correct amount for the visa. I have been told no less than $50 at banks here.

 

Yes, banks suck as money exchangers, no idea why they even write this on their sign. If not completely out of stock, then they just have 100USD bills.

Usually there are proper money exchangers not far from the border crossings. There is for example a "Super Rich" in Nong Khai (but in the city, so a bit inconvenient if going by bus).

But even if this is too complicated, it's usually possible to exchange money directly at the border. When i did this the last time (a while ago, i don't know if they are still there), because i forgot to exchange money beforehand, it was possible to do this at the booth next to where you buy the bus ticket to go from Laos to the Thai side of the bridge. The rate was not as good as outside, but also not too bad, definitely way cheaper than paying 1500 instead of 30-35USD to the IO.

 

[Toosetinmyways]

Make sure when applying for your Laos evisa that you are on the .gov site not the .com site which charges a 45 dollar handling charge + the visa fee.

I had my visa on arrival form pre filled in and as you are stamped in to Laos when they issue you the visa I as was able to beat the evisa holders who have to queue through immigration.

[Vascoda]

On 1/20/2020 at 10:44 PM, MarcB said:

But thanks for letting us know you always pay in $

Does it mean somebody has to buy dollar in a currency exchage in Thailand?

[DrJack54]

4 minutes ago, Vascoda said:

Does it mean somebody has to buy dollar in a currency exchage in Thailand?

Travel to Laos and Cambodia always good idea to have USD on you. For border and air entries.

Vietnam bit different. Can pay visa on arrival even with baht. 

However vast majority pay in USD.