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Can I re-enter Thailand through the Nong Khai border with a visa after being advised against it?

Visa rulesNong Khai borderRe-entry into ThailandImmigration adviceVisa exemptionVisa issuesEntry denialTourist visaIndian passport
Feb 14, 2024
9 months ago
Chom ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
Follow up from my previous post regarding the nong khai border.

Today I exited Thailand via the nong khai border. The immigration lady said “oh last day of extension. Spent long time here. If you want to enter Thailand again then take flight, don’t enter through here”. Do they have a system to flag you that din’t let this person enter through land border or something?

So I guess visa exemption won’t be possible now. I wanted to understand that if I get an actual visa from the Vientiane embassy, then can I attempt to enter through this border?

I really don’t want to fly back because I have heard that people have been denied entry at the airport even if they had valid tourist visas.

I need to enter Thailand because all flights back home also go via bkk 😕

Indian passport.
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The user recently exited Thailand via the Nong Khai border and received advice from an immigration officer suggesting that re-entry via this border may not be possible and that flying into the country might be a better option. The user is concerned about the implications of this advice and inquires about the possibility of re-entering through Nong Khai after obtaining a visa from the Vientiane embassy. Several commenters suggest that re-entry is possible despite the officer's warning, emphasizing the role of the individual immigration officer in the decision-making process. They note varying experiences with entry at different points and highlight that having a valid visa does not necessarily guarantee entry but may improve chances. They also discuss the potential challenges and strategies related to visa runs and border crossings.
Pertti *************
Friend did border run by him self and officers told cannot come back but he just made bold u turn after poipet border and Cambodia visa in passport and came back and no problems. Who knows what happens next time but there is always what if even with visa holder👍 Many seasoned people live now laos and Cambodia because it's cheaper and not so money oriented like thailand.. Going visit my friend to laos who lived here before 20 years just border runs but he relocated to laos and got visas sorted out he's own. I think it's easy to live here but realize that without work and decent income possible nowadays.
9 months ago
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Jan ******************
The lesson here might be to use a professional visa company. Not heard of a whole minivan denied to do visa bouncing. The price is also reasonable.
9 months ago
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Andy **********
@Jan *****************
 I've been told these visa/border bounce companies do an assessment first, and will only take you if it's guaranteed they can get out country and back in again.
9 months ago
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Chom ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Andy *********
 yeah, I also think that.

I have got the sticker visa today from the embassy. Will probably try the border tomorrow or the day after…fingers crossed.

Laos is fun too. Haha
9 months ago
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Andy **********
@Chom *****
 chok dee krap 🙏
9 months ago
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Jan ******************
@Chom *****
 🤞🏻
9 months ago
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Jan ******************
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Etincelle **********
@Jan *****************
 The lesson here is to use the proper visa for your stay.
9 months ago
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Jan ******************
@Etincelle *********
 Visa runs and border bounces have been a huge industry in Thailand for decades and many people below 50 years sometimes has to be a bit creative if they want to spend long time in Thailand
9 months ago
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JP *******
@Jan *****************
love the guys that are so helpful.

Just retire and get a visa 😂

I never hear them offering up 800k to anyone!
9 months ago
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JP *******
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Chom ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Jan *****************
 perhaps you are right. I think what ticked off the IO was that I was leaving on the very last day of the extension.
9 months ago
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Chom ******
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Bart **************
There are many problems with this officer's advice.

Suppose this woman had a point. Then, how would flying back to Thailand make any difference compared to entering by land? In both cases you find yourself against an officer who will weigh your travel history, let you in if you seem a genuine tourist, and is supposed to dig a little deeper or even refuse entry if not. That's the case when you fly and that's the case if you come by land. Now, suppose the woman was even right here. Suppose flying DOES yield you better odds of entering. Then she is still not supposed to tell you that. If it would be true, it would not be any more than an observation, but the policy is (of course) that these different officers treat people in equal situations equally. There is no "you flew so you must be a genuine tourist"-bonus part of that equation.
9 months ago
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John **********
@Bart *************
 It appears a fairly common response from immigration officers denying entry at a land border. In reality all their saying is I'm not letting you in, go away. And to reduce arguments they throw in you can fly in, but that isn't saying you will get in by air, it's more try it and see. Flying in my view has lower odds of being allowed to enter, particularly at any of the main airports
9 months ago
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Chom ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@John *********
 what I fail to see is that if you actually have a visa from the embassy, then the land border asking to fly through the doesn’t really make sense.

My understanding would be that if the land border refuses you entry even with a visa, then pretty much the airports would do the same.

Considering that people say that nong khai is one of the easiest borders for visa run, I am inclined to trying nong khai border again.
9 months ago
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John **********
@Chom *****
 pretty sure there was a recent post on here where the guy was refused at that crossing for similar reasons to you, went back and tried again the next day and sailed through. Just depends on the immigration officer
9 months ago
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Chom ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@John *********
 do you happen to remember if he tried on visa exempt or an actual tourist visa?

The problematic part of being refused entry is that then you have to go back to laos where they need to cancel your exit stamp.
9 months ago
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John **********
@Chom *****
 pretty sure he was on visa exempt
9 months ago
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John **********
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Bart **************
@John *********
 I thought land borders were generally more difficult but admittedly I've never been in the situation myself.

The problem I see with flying is that a denial has consequences: you fly back, you pay for that, you also paid for the first flight but in the end you find yourself back where you originally took off. Trying at a land border is not nearly as harmful.
9 months ago
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Bart **************
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Christopher *************
Well they certainly have a system and it works. Get the tourist visa and fly into BKK if you have a visa and an onward ticket there should be no problem. After all if they give you a visa it is a licence to enter.
9 months ago
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John **********
@Christopher ************
 the fact he's been given a visa by a Thai consulate means little to immigration
9 months ago
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Christopher *************
I have never had a problem in 48 yrs of visits.
9 months ago
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JP *******
@Christopher ************
 what’s the longest time you have been in Thailand just using back/forth tourist visa border run combinations?

I initially entered Bkk on 60 day TV and 1 30 day extension.

I must leave at the end of the month. I’m in Nong Khai so I will take the bridge, but Monday is a holiday and I can’t stay that long in Vientiane so I plan on just doing a land exempt 30 day this time.

It’s just exhausting doing the countdown every 30-60 days and expensive.
9 months ago
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Christopher *************
The longest time was 7 months and there was a problem the Malaysia side on the last one. , 27 yrs ago. Got visas ever since.
9 months ago
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Christopher *************
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Chom ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@John *********
 that’s my worry, specially at the airports.
9 months ago
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Chom ******
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Chom ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Christopher ************
 so your suggestion would be to not try nong khai again even with the visa?
9 months ago
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Andy **********
@Chom *****
 Mukdahan is another Lao to Thailand friendly border.
9 months ago
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Christopher *************
Yes, get a flight to BKK and enter through a very busy place where you will be just like most people clearing immigration.
9 months ago
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Christopher *************
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Jonathan **************************
One other thing:

Whether you get to re-enter depends ultimately on which imm officer you're in front of.

If this imm officer told you this *at the exit booth*, then you'll be dealing with someone different at the entry booth.

You *can* still try today. You may be denied, at which point you can try another entry point. They may also let you in, but after a long grilling, and emphasise your need to get a long-term visa or leave.
9 months ago
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Chom ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Jonathan *************************
 so it would make sense to try at the nong khai border, right?

Also, if Thai immigration denies me entry then would I again need to buy the visa in Laos to enter Laos? Or does it work differently?

And could you please explain what exactly does a different entry point mean?
9 months ago
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Jonathan **************************
I can't say for certain whether you'd need to buy a Lao visa again.

Usually Nong Khai is the easiest, most highly-recommended place for doing border bounces, for people who haven't used up their allowance of two in a calendar year.
9 months ago
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Jonathan **************************
A different entry point means one of the other border crossings. Examples:
9 months ago
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Chom ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Jonathan *************************
 so the biggest challenge would be to renter Laos I guess.

Other than that, I guess that if they flag me in the system or worse - put a rejection stamp then all borders would be the same.
9 months ago
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Chom ******
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Jonathan **************************
If you fly home via BKK, you don't actually *enter* Thailand. Since you're just transferring flights, you don't go through passport control.

Also, you absolutely *can* try to enter with your visa again at Nong Khai. If you're denied entry there, you still can *try* another entry point.

Whether you get denied when you come back to Nong Khai depends, basically, on which individual immigration officer you end up in front of.

As to the likelihood that said officer will question you about what you're doing here or potentially denying you entry, that depends on how long you've been here on back-to-back tourist visas & visa-exemptions.

The more you have, the greater the likelihood. Some people are able to do it for over a year or even two years, others get questioned after just two or three.
9 months ago
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Darren *******
@Jonathan *************************
 they only wouldn't enter Thailand if they had a transit in Bangkok. By the sounds of it the OP doesn't, so he'll be entering Thailand in order to get his flight to India.
9 months ago
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Jonathan **************************
My mistake - I forgot that sometimes people need to transfer between airports and not just fly in at Suvarnabhumi and then straight out from the same airport.

In that case, however, I'd imagine that immigration would be happy with his onward ticket to India?
9 months ago
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Darren *******
@Jonathan *************************
 based on his previous posts about spending about 4-5 months in Thailand last year and most of this year already too, he probably wants to have the flight out, 20k THB, and proof of accommodation to hand.
9 months ago
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Jonathan **************************
Yep, and also the 20K Baht.

Though if he's literally flying to India the very same day, then I'd say accommodation wouldn't be necessary
9 months ago
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Darren *******
@Jonathan *************************
 unless his plans have changed then he's planning on another 2 weeks in Thailand before heading back to India
9 months ago
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Chom ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Darren ******
 yes the plan is to stay in Thailand for 2 weeks before I fly out.

I also have a Thai local with me and I was staying at their place so I didn’t bring all of my luggage with me as well.

I have the tickets booked already. I just submitted my documents today at the Thai embassy here and will get my passport back on 16th.

Would it make sense to go to nong khai border with the sticker visa regardless?
9 months ago
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Chom ******
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