Visas for SE Asia

Zubes

For these countries :- Thailand Laos Cambodia Vietnam

Does anyone have experience with getting visas for these countries? Thailand seems decent enough to get a visa for, but the other countries (like Laos) I'm not too sure about where or how to apply for a visa.

Also, what timeframe would one be looking for in order to get all these visas stamped on your passport?

Thanks,

BuffyBot

Moved to Independent & Youth & Student Travel.

Zubes - you'll find a ton of similar threads on this forum with lots of information

ibh

No visa for Cambodia or Thailand as you just get the visa by pying 20 bucks at the airport.

You will need one for Nam. 2 options are the 14 day Visa which can be got in an hour or so in Bangkok at the Vietnamese Embassy. The other is a 1 month (i think!!) and this takes a bit longer so you should apply from here and get it.
I only decided when i was in Bangkok to go so i got the 2 week Visa, so i don't know about the longer one.

Don't know what the deal is for Laos but i'd say it's as easy as the others.

G'd Luck..

niborm

None needed for Laos but you do need a passport sized pic or two and about 25 dollars iirc. Don't let the scammers near the border posts tell you they'll sort your visas. They are full of sh*te and charge you a fee for something you don't need.

Larianne

You need passport photos for Cambodian visa as well. Otherwise they try and sting you for photocopying!!!

Doop

Only one u need to worry about is Thailand... and it depends how long your going for, i think its under 30 days you can get on arrival anything over that u need to get a visa from the consulate in dublin they're in Churchtown, but you cant go into them you have to post in your passport, think it takes about 10 days. not sure, check their website....

http://www.thaiconsulateireland.com/index.htm

The other visas you can get when your over there, most of them are 'on arrival'.

Have a good trip.... jealous! :cool:

Larianne

Doop wrote: »

Only one u need to worry about is Thailand... and it depends how long your going for, i think its under 30 days you can get on arrival anything over that u need to get a visa from the consulate in dublin they're in Churchtown, but you cant go into them you have to post in your passport, think it takes about 10 days. not sure, check their website....

http://www.thaiconsulateireland.com/index.htm

The other visas you can get when your over there, most of them are 'on arrival'.

Have a good trip.... jealous! :cool:

you need a visa before you arrive in vietnam.

irelandsown

Just looking at the Thai consulate website

Q. I plan to visit other countries around Thailand and I plan to be in Thailand for less than 30 days. However my
airline ticket shows more than 30 days in Thailand. Do I need to apply for a visa?
A. Yes. If your airline ticket shows more than 30 days you must apply for a visa before entering Thailand even if
you plan to obtain an airline or rail ticket to a third country upon arrival in Thailand.

This is what I will be doing. Does this mean I need a Double Entry Visa which costs 80 euro?

lemon_of_old

Hmm, I'm in a similar situation as Irelandsown. Will be landing in Bangkok on 1st of October, travelling north, heading through Laos, then Cambodia, then re-entering Thailand to fly to Oz on 21st Dec. How does this work?

Larianne

They have become stricter on visas and having evidence of onward journeys out of Thailand within 30 days.

Either get a double entry visa or look up airasia.com and buy yourself a cheap ticket out of Thailand so to show to authorities on arrival. Once you leave within 30 days you shouldn't have a problem returning to Thailand as you'll have your onward ticket to Australia.

Maybe ring up the Thai embassy or go in to it just to make sure.

mazken

I got my thai visa from the thai consulate in Dublin. It was really efficient. Sent off my form and passport on a Monday and got my passport back on Wednesday. I got a double entry visa, cost 80 quid, but like yourself I'm flying into and out of Bangkok and want to take in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Haven't applied for a Vietnamese visa, figure we can sort it out in Bangkok...seems too much hassle to get one sorted in Ireland before we leave!

lemon_of_old

I looked up some flights from Bangkok to Phnom Penh using Airasia and they're about E40 or so which is dead on,thanks for that Larianne. I'll probably do that.
How long does the visa cover you for Mazken? There'll be 80 odd days between when I enter Thailand and fly out to Oz if I choose to get the double entry visa instead.

Larianne

mazken wrote: »

Haven't applied for a Vietnamese visa, figure we can sort it out in Bangkok...seems too much hassle to get one sorted in Ireland before we leave!

Yes you are better off waiting until you get to Asia when applying for your visa for Vietnam as you have to give specfic dates for the visa. ie if you say you're going on 10th September, the visa will be valid from that day for 30days no matter if you enter the country on the 16th September.

irelandsown

lemon_of_old wrote: »

I looked up some flights from Bangkok to Phnom Penh using Airasia and they're about E40 or so which is dead on,thanks for that Larianne. I'll probably do that.
How long does the visa cover you for Mazken? There'll be 80 odd days between when I enter Thailand and fly out to Oz if I choose to get the double entry visa instead.

There are flights on Air Asia for 50 euro.

1 Guest @ 799.00 799.00 THB
Airport Tax 700.00 THB
Insurance Surcharge 50.00 THB
Administration Fee 225.00 THB
Fuel Surcharge 850.00 THB

Total Package Price
2,624.00 THB

Have you seen any cheaper? Wont be showing up for it though as I'll be heading from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang before then anyway.

Thanks for the advice Larianne.

mazken

lemon_of_old wrote: »

How long does the visa cover you for Mazken? There'll be 80 odd days between when I enter Thailand and fly out to Oz if I choose to get the double entry visa instead.

It's a 6 month visa so you'll have plenty of time
Forgot to say that the visa is valid from the date it is issued so there's no point in applying for it too early, but if your timeframe is 80 days that won't be an issue for you.

cupthehand

Hi all, I was wondering has anyone ever got a visa in China for Vietnam either in Guangzhou or Nanning. I will be in both for a day en route and was wondering will I have enough time to get one.

Also am I right in thinking Irish passport holders don't need a visa for Hong Kong (only staying 2-3 days)

All help will be greatly appreciated

OriginalSinner

Thailand - if you fly into the country you will get a 30day visa exemption stamp. Travelling through land borders has been reduced to 15 days in order to stop visa runs. The travel agent we used was on Soi Rambuttri. Don't remember the name!

Laos and Vietnam - both can be obtained through travel agents in Bangkok. We gave our passports, went off to Kanchanaburi for a couple of days and had our passports back with Visas for both countries. Price depends on the length of time you want to stay in each country.
You can get a visa for Laos at the border as far as I know. But you DO need Visas for these countries.

Cambodia - Visa can be obtained at the border for 20-25USD. You'll prob be ripped off a bit. I think we paid 24USD for a 20 dollar Visa.

cupthehand

cupthehand wrote: »

Hi all, I was wondering has anyone ever got a visa in China for Vietnam either in Guangzhou or Nanning. I will be in both for a day en route and was wondering will I have enough time to get one.

Also am I right in thinking Irish passport holders don't need a visa for Hong Kong (only staying 2-3 days)

All help will be greatly appreciated

Just a pointer I'm travelling by rail from Hong Kong All the rest of my visa's can be taken care of easily, this Vietnam one is the only one that's proving to be a lil problematic, I'll probably have to end up flying down to Sydney and sorting it out there (I'm currently in Brisbane)

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Visas for thailand are currently free. If you provide evidence of your itinerary they'll give you a double free, otherwise you'll set a single free and you can get another one when you er-enter thailand.

cupthehand

cupthehand wrote: »

Just a pointer I'm travelling by rail from Hong Kong All the rest of my visa's can be taken care of easily, this Vietnam one is the only one that's proving to be a lil problematic, I'll probably have to end up flying down to Sydney and sorting it out there (I'm currently in Brisbane)

Sorted now, consul has been back to me, (even at this late hour!!), visa's can be easily obtained by post within 3 working days for AU$70

Benny_Cake

If you're going to be passing through Cambodia on your way to Vietnam you should get your Vietnamese visa sorted there.The consulate in Sihanoukville is apparently the fastest for visas,we organised ours through our guesthouse in Phnom Penh and had them the following day.

SV

Is it possible to stay in vietnam for longer than a month?
well, I should say is it possible to get a longer visa?

I'd really like to go there for 6months+ (not working) but it doesn't seem possible from what I've read