Complete guide to visa runs from Pattaya
Poipet is the closest Cambodian border to Pattaya
For most long-term visitors to Pattaya and Thailand, a visa run is a necessary part of the process of staying in the Kingdom. Those who do not extend or renew their visas before the permission to stay date stamped in their passports are subject to fines that accrue at the rate of 500 baht per day.
Those who have overstayed their visas could also be imprisoned if stopped on the street and are not able to show a passport with a valid permission to stay stamp in it, although in practice this rarely happens.
Those actually requiring a new visa have several options open to them. Thai embassies and consulates in neighbouring countries such as Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Vientiane in Laos and Penang Island in Malaysia will issue visas upon receipt of the correct paperwork and fee for the particular visa required.
People wishing to activate additional entries on multiple-entry tourist or non-immigrant visas also have a number of options available to them. The easiest option from Pattaya is to travel to border crossings at Had Lek, Ban Laem or Aranyaprathet on the Thai-Cambodian border.
Ban Laem is the closest crossing to Pattaya and is located in Chantaburi Province. Several Pattaya based companies run daily mini-bus trips to Ban Laem. Prices vary between 1,800 and 2,500 baht per person and usually include the cost of the bus ticket, the Cambodian visa fee, lunch and bottled drinking water. These companies provide Cambodian entry and exit forms and assistance in filling them in. More on Cambodia visas.
The drive from Pattaya to Ban Laem takes around four hours and the minibus drivers usually stop once for a 10 minute break. The buses are timed to arrive just before lunch which is provided in the same building as a casino on the Cambodian side. There is a duty free shop here which allows visa runners to offset the cost of the trip with some cheap cigarettes or alcohol.
Cambodian visas cost US$20 or 1,000 baht
People travelling to Ban Laem with the Pattaya visa run operators need only pay the fee and take their passport, the TM6 departure slip and one passport size photograph with them. Those without a valid visa in their passports will be given a 15-day visa exempt permit to stay in Thailand at Ban Laem.
The border crossing at Had Lek is a convenient choice for people wishing to arrange their own travel. There are two buses a day from Pattaya to Trat. The buses pick up passengers at stops on the eastbound side of Sukhumvit Road. At Trat Bus Station there is a signboard indicating the departure bay for minibuses to Had Lek.
The minibus drops passengers close to the Thai Immigration Office at Had Lek. After exiting Thailand, visa runners then take a short walk across to the immigration post for Cambodia. Visas are available upon arrival and should cost US$20, yet the immigration officers often demand 1,000 baht. People wishing to pay US$20 need to be prepared to wait a while to get in at this price.
Once the visa and entry stamp have been added into their passport, travellers can then choose whether to go the casino, return to Thailand or take a motorcycle taxi to the town of Koh Kong. There are also infrequent bus services from the border crossing to the seaside resort of Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital.
Aranyaprathet is north of Ban Laem and is the location of a border crossing where visitors can cross over to the Cambodian town of Poipet. The crossing here gets very busy as Cambodian traders and shoppers head over to the enormous Rong Glua Market on the Thai side and gamblers from Thailand go to Poipet’s casinos. More on Poipet attractions.
Visa costs and requirements for Cambodia are the same as at Had Lek. Aranyaprathet is a little difficult to reach on public buses from Pattaya and will usually involve a change in Chantaburi or Chachoengsao. Privately operated mini-buses leave from a small shop near the Pattaya Tai-Sukhumvit Road junction.
Other options for overland Pattaya visa runs overland are taking the train down from Bangkok to Malaysia or a bus from Bangkok to Ranong and crossing over to Myanmar. People going to Vientiane for a new visa can take a train from Hua Lamphong Station in Bangkok to Nong Khai and from there the Friendship Bridge and Laos are a quick tuk-tuk trip.
Visa runners choosing to go to Malaysia can take the train from Hua Lamphong. It is possible to travel from Pattaya to Bangkok by train, but the one daily service is much slower than the bus and the train arrives in Bangkok too late for to get the train to Malaysia.
Tickets for the International Express to Butterworth in Malaysia, the location of the ferry port that serves Penang, can be reserved at www.thairailticket.com. The Georgetown Thai consulate on Penang accepts applications for new visas in the morning and applicants are then able to pick up their passports on the afternoon of the following working day. More on Georgetown.
People who do not need a new visa and are just activating a new entry can get off the International Express at Padang Besar Station on the border and either wait for the return train to come back or take a bus to the Thai town of Hat Yai.
Those needing to do a re-entry on a multiple visa can take a bus from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal to Ranong. From the port at Saphan Pla near the town it is possible to take a boat across to Kawthoung (once called Victoria Point) in Myanmar. Visa runners need a crisp $US10 bill to pay for their Myanmese visa.
The only snag with doing visa re-entries in Ranong is the nine-hour bus trip from Bangkok, but on the plus side the town is a pleasant place and there are deserted beaches and hot springs in the locality.
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