Thai Visa from Vientiane, LaosGetting your Thai visa from Laos takes a bit more effort than getting it from Malaysia! The cost is usually 1000 Baht for a 2 month tourist visa. However, between the 25th June 2009 and March 2010, was free and in mid April, 2010, the government decided to extend the free visa until March 31st, 2011. See this page for more information on this. To first enter Laos, you must have a Laos visa. You can get a 30 day visa for Laos at the border crossing or at the airport. The cost in February, 2009, for Americans, British, Germans and a few other countries is $35 US ($1 US extra at the weekend/late afternoon/early morning). For Canadians, it's about $42 US. Many other countries have to pay $30 US. However, if you don't have any US Dollars, the cost is 1,500 Thai Baht ($44 US). (I'm not sure if Canadians have to pay more than this....) So change some dollars - but many money changers in Thailand won't sell you US Dollars! Some do, but don't rely on changing money at the last minute.
More frustrating is a notorious scam where tourist buses and tuk-tuks (noisy 4 wheel contraption!) stop a few kilometers from the border in Thailand and expect you to hand over your passport to buy the visa there, rather than at the border. I've heard stories of people being charged 500 Baht for this. If you're paying in baht this way, the total cost might be 2,000 Baht rather than the 1,200 Baht ($35 US) you really should have to pay. What's worse, often on a paid tourist bus service from Bangkok to Vientiane, they'll pressure you into paying the extra money. If questioned, they might say it takes too long to get the Laos visa at the border and the bus won't wait for you to take you the last 15 kms from the border to Vientiane city! Actually, on my 3 crossings over the last few years, it's never taken longer than 10 minutes to get the visa at the border. My advice: be strong - say you've bought the bus ticket already. Many tourists will pay the money, often, I think, because they're tired from the 10 hour bus journey but also because they presume this is the correct procedure. Generally I find Thai people very honest and reasonable with money. This is an exception. Don't forget 1 passport photo (better have 2 to be safe) to give for the Laos visa (you can get a photo on the Thai side of the border if you don't have one). The border's open from early morning to early evening every day. Additional costs include 20 baht for the bus journey across the long Thai- Laos Friendship Bridge over the wide Mekong River and an extra 10 baht charge on the Laos side. There are money changers at the border but you can't buy US dollars. Actually there's no urgency to change money as Thai baht and US Dollars are widely accepted in Vientiane. Best to change at some point though as restaurants in Vientiane charging in the Laos currency, the Kip, won't always give a favorable exchange rate if you pay in dollars/baht. After entering Laos, there's a bus you can catch for the 20 minute journey to Vientiane. It costs about 50 Baht. It's cramped and hot and will leave you at the Southern bus terminal which is a kilometer or 2 from most hotels and guesthouses. See the Vientiane page for a map of Vientiane with the bus stations and guesthouses. For a brief guide to the city with pictures, head to the Vientiane Travel page. Many taxis and 3 wheeled motorbike people carriers will be touting for your business at the border who can obviously take you directly to your accommodation in Vientiane. A fair price seems to be 200 Baht but there are 'official' signs asking for considerably more. Many travelers make new friends and share the cost of the transport. The Thailand Consulate in Vientiane is about 3 kilometers from most hotels. See the map for its location. (top right hand corner of the map). The new address (it changed location in January, 2009) is:
Actually the original building remains as the Thai Embassy - the new building where you have to go is the Consulate. To apply for your Thai visa, you need to arrive between 8:30 and 11:30 in the morning, Monday to Friday. You'll be able to pick up your passport the next day between 1pm and 3pm. (Monday to Friday). Unfortunately, hundreds of people are doing the same as you so there are long waits. There's a ticket service so it's orderly - make sure on both visits that you receive your queue number from the guard at the gate entrance.
The form for the visa application for Thailand should be available to freely take near to the the counter. You'll then need to fill out the form and wait for your number to be called. Make sure you have 2 photographs and a copy of the photo page of your passport (there's a copy machine inside the consulate that you can use). You'll need to put a detailed address and phone number of where you'll be staying in Thailand. Try to remember to have this information ready. If not, it's best to ask one of the other travelers to copy where they're staying! Some were asked by the officials to fill out this section - others weren't (click here for more information about this). Once your number has been called and you've handed in your form, you'll need to hold on to your ticket number - there's another wait for you to pay! Once you've waited for your number again (this time in an air-conditioned building) and paid, you'll receive a receipt which you'll need to show the next day to collect your passport.
The first day, I waited about 2 hours. The second day, about an hour. I was there on a Monday - apparently the busiest day because of the build up of people over the weekend. A nice way to travel to the consulate is by bicycle, which you can hire from lots of places for about 10,000 Kip a day (a little over $1 US). Motorbike drivers will want about 15,000 - 20,000 Kip (about $2 US) from near the river where most hotels and guesthouses are. Once you have your Thai visa, you can make your way straight to the border. Share vehicle taxis outside the consulate charge 50 baht a person - I waited less than a minute!
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