Savannakhet Laos visa run, update

[GorGuy RIP]

Hi,

WARNING LONG POST

I have just completed a trip across to Laos to sort out my visa and so here is my experience.

Mukdahan - Savannakhet, friendship bridge 2

Process and financial breakdown.

I chose to go by car - other options include bus/plane etc.

2 car parks on the Thai side;

1/  Undercover and secure, someone on site who issues you a ticket that you have to show when picking up your car.

2/  Open car park, no security.

Car park 1 - 250 baht, car park 2 - free.

I chose option 1 - 250 baht and secure parking.

[At the exit to the car park a nice man might offer to assist you through all the process up to and including you arriving at your hotel having lodged your visa, for the price of 1,500 baht - This is not a rip off, it costs him 900 baht to take his car over and it saves you taxi money the other side and the bus money over the bridge and helps you through the paperwork. For me I chose to do it myself]

If going with a Thai companion, first office on the left, they pay 40 baht, then go to the shop next door and get 3 copies of the document 6 baht.

Wander towards border, on LHS buy a bus ticket to take you over the bridge (50 baht each).

Go through immigration, NB - Ask officer in the immigration booth for an arrivals/ departure card for the return journey.

Get on bus, 5 minutes and you are over the bridge, jump off the bus, look to the first booth on your LHS "visa on arrival". Go to the booth, get a form and an arrivals/departure card for Laos - fill out form and give the nice man 1,500 baht for your Laos visa, one photo required (cost and length of visa depends upon what country you are from).

Your Thai companion goes to the building on the RHS, pays 50 baht.

Go through immigration.

Total cost so far;

Parking 250 baht

My bus trip over the bridge 50 baht

My Laos visa on arrival 1,500 baht

1,800 baht running total for me.

Thai companion, 40 baht paperwork, 6 baht photocopies, 50 baht bus, 50 baht on arrival to Laos. 

146 baht running total for Thai companion.

We are now in Laos - woo hoo !

Proper SUV taxis available, official taxi drivers wear pale blue shirts. Standard price to consulate 200 baht.

Into a taxi, and he asks if we want him to wait and take us to our hotel, the answer is YES (at all costs avoid the tuktuk mafia hanging outside the consulate).

Another 100 baht for him to wait and take us onto our hotel.

Arrive at consulate, brush off all approaches by tuktuk drivers.

Opposite consulate is a small open air shop offering photocopies and to make out forms. Pop over to see them and they make out my form for me, take photocopies including latest visa in passport and stick my photos (2 photos) onto the form. Total cost for all this, 100 baht.

Paperwork lodged at consulate, 2,000 baht (open 9am to 11am to accept new paperwork).

Brush off all approaches by tuktuk drivers and into the taxi to go to hotel.

Getting a bit hot today, so ask the taxi man to drop us at hotel, wait and take us to my favourite restaurant (recommended some time ago on this forum). Extra 40 baht to taxi man to wait and take us to restaurant.

Total cost so far;

Parking 250 baht

My bus trip over the bridge 50 baht

My Laos visa on arrival 1,500 baht

Taxi man 340 baht

Paperwork all sorted for me 100 baht

Thai consulate 2,000 baht

4,240 baht running total for me.

Thai companion, 40 baht paperwork, 6 baht photocopies, 50 baht bus, 50 baht on arrival to Laos. 

146 baht running total for Thai companion.

 

The return trip;

The next day...phone up taxi man who took us to hotel to come and pick us up at hotel, go to consulate (open 2pm to 4:30pm for passport pick ups), wait for us and take us to the bridge. 300 baht.

Pick up passport, get to bridge and exit Lao, for me free to exit, for my Thai companion 50 baht to exit.

Through customs and look to the LHS at the booth for a bus ticket 50 baht each to go over the bridge.

Over the bridge to Thai immigration, Thai companion through no problem. This is where me getting an arrivals/departures card at the Thai immigration booth on the way in plays a hand. While all the others on the bus are busy filling out their departure cards, I sail up to the immigration booth, no queue, straight through, because I have made out my card in the hotel earlier that day.

Walk to the car park, give over my ticket and pick up the car and we are done, apart from a couple of stops at the tree and flower places along the roadside (more flowers and trees for the garden !)

 

Total cost;

Parking 250 baht

My bus trip over the bridge 50 baht

My Laos visa on arrival 1,500 baht

Taxi man 340 baht

Paperwork all sorted for me 100 baht

Thai consulate 2,000 baht

Taxi back 300 baht

Bus back over bridge 50 baht

4,590 baht total for me.

Thai companion, 40 baht paperwork, 6 baht photocopies, 50 baht bus, 50 baht on arrival to Laos. 

Cost to leave Laos 50 baht

Bus back over the bridge 50 baht

246 baht total for Thai companion.

 

Additional costs, hotel for one night and food.

 

This is just my experience, up to date, just got back a few hours ago. 

Depending on your budget and preferred travel options you can spend more or less.

This was my chosen way of doing it and my costs.

I did it for the first time last year and posts by other BM's helped me, so I hope this post can help anyone thinking of going.

If any more details required, just ask.

 

All the best 

 

GorGuy

 

 

 

[Hin]

Thanks for the post. I am going May 7th, but will be flying into Vientiane with Thai wife. Hopefully it will be as painless.

Note: All you prices are quoted in THB. Did you pay with THB, or did you convert from Lao kip?