Dear Forum

We will soon be travelling to Vientienne from Thailand via 'Friendship Bridge' by bus travel.
What is the procedure for Thai nationals (ASEAN) vsiting Laos, what travel documents do they need, ie visa, etc, cost, and any limits on length of stay.

Thanx

Take A Wok, The only thing a Thai National needs is their Thai ID and a Border Pass,And Oh ! Yes some CASH to spend in the Duty Free Shops at The Bridge.....Found SOME Good Buys Myself !!!

Thanx 747! You are obviously the 'man on the ground', tell me can the application for border pass be collected on 'Freedom Bridge', & do they need phots, we are travelling by bus, will they arrange everything, or should I continue dreaming ...........

It depends on the bus company, usually the buscompany can arrange the paperwork, but you need to do it one day in advance.

You can also go to the bridge on a regular bus, there are a lot of small shops at walking distance from the bridge that can arrange the paperwork, there you can wait for it.

If the Thais have passports,it is easy to fill out the forms at the bridge,otherwise there are a bunch of visa shops close to the bridge that charge about 100 baht and w/o passports you need photos.All of it can be done at the shops.The best shops are across the hiway from the bus station on the road to NK,stay away from the ones with touts outside!

There is a time limit on these 'temporary' passports, though, for the life of me I can't remember if it is 3 days, 5 days or 7 days... Never stayed in Laos for longer than a couple of days so has never been really important to me..

I think it is 3 days on the Thai ID and 30 days on a passport!

BKKSTAN wrote:I think it is 3 days on the Thai ID and 30 days on a passport!

Yes Stan your correct, it is 3 days, which is fine if only going to Vientiane, but it should be born in mind, that a Thai, traveling on a border pass, is only allowed in the province which they entered,ie,; enter by friendship bridge, not allowed out of Vientiane province.