Ask question

Is the Friendship Bridge border crossing strict for re-entering Thailand after a long stay on a tourist visa?

Thailand Visa Rules Tourist Visa Immigration Friendship Bridge Border Crossing COVID Extensions Border Crossing Experiences Udon Thani Nong Khai Laos Visa Application

Aug 23, 2022

2 years ago

ORIGINAL POSTER

Hi all! I've been in Thailand for 8 months on a tourist visa + multiple COVID extensions, and I'd like to go to Laos to apply for a new tourist visa at the Thai embassy and then come back a few days later. I'm concerned about the possibility of being turned away at the border when I try to come back in because I've already been here awhile. Therefore, my question is this:

Does anyone know if the Friendship Bridge border crossing (north of Udon Thani and Nong Khai) is known for being particularly strict or lenient about this stuff? Anyone else who has stayed a long time have recent experiences of being allowed back in (or not) at that crossing? Thank you :)

628

views

0

likes

23

all likes

18

replies

0

images

7

users

TLDR : Answer Summary

The user, who has been in Thailand for 8 months on a tourist visa with COVID extensions, is concerned about potentially being denied re-entry when crossing the Friendship Bridge into Laos for a new tourist visa. The discussion includes advice on essential documentation (proof of funds, onward travel, and accommodation) to avoid entry denial, insights on border officer interactions, and contrasting experiences from various individuals regarding the strictness of the crossing post-COVID.

Maxim ***********

I've enter from both Nong Khai and Mukdahan around 10 time each since 2010, on either tourist visa or visa exempt entry (quick bounce), and it was never an issue. Most friendly border to enter. Nothing is ever asked, no proof of, nothing. I never ever showed any of the "3 proof of", this is usually reserved to air entry. What

@Brandon ***********

is describing by land is probably only true for certain nationalities that get quizzed often, but for G7 countries like me (Canadian), and other rich nations, you don't get ask anything by land unless they want to fuck you over in Poipet, for example.

Like

Reply

Brandon ************

@Maxim **********

Any of those entries before 2020 or afterwards without a covid extension in your passport are irrelevant to the question. The situation is not the same as it has been historically. It's better to be overprepared than turned away at the border.

Like

Reply

Maxim ***********

@Brandon ***********

How many people have done a Laos border run post-Covid? Did you hear any story in this group? I would like some evidence before saying that it's difficult to enter. སངས་རྒྱས་ མཁའ་འག྄ོ། is from Myanmar (I think?), so obv he's not gonna have good things to say about the process since Burmese are discriminated against in Thailand.

Like

Reply

Brandon ************

@Maxim **********

So you're saying throw caution to the wind and don't prepare for anything. Even though the requirement for entering Thailand is to be able to show 20,000 baht and have onward travel, whether they check it or not.

Like

Reply

Reply to

Brandon ************

Reply

Av **********

Looks better if you fly to another country like Singapore etc and stay gone a couple of weeks at least.

Like

Reply

སངས་རྒྱས་ ***********

Getting a tourist visa in Laos is also not as easy as you expect it would be. Bad experience for me jus a month ago

Like

Reply

Maxim ***********

@སངས་རྒྱས་ **********

You are Burmese, right? People from Myanmar, Pakistan, India, Africa or Middle East have it much tougher. Your passport will determine how difficult it is. Should not be like this but discrimination is real.

Like

Reply

སངས་རྒྱས་ ***********

@Maxim **********

I am from BHUTAN bro and usually it's easy for us . I understand what you mentioned

Like

Reply

Reply to

སངས་རྒྱས་ ***********

Reply

Elton *******

@སངས་རྒྱས་ **********

Can you elaborate? Planning to go soon.

Like

Reply

Cait *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@སངས་རྒྱས་ **********

oh no, what happened? And did you do it at the friendship bridge border crossing in Nong Khai, that we are discussing here? Or somewhere else?

Like

Reply

སངས་རྒྱས་ ***********

yes at the friendship bridge

Like

Reply

Reply to

སངས་རྒྱས་ ***********

Reply

Terary **********

I think you will be fine. If you do get question by an immigration officer, be very respectful, let them know how much you think their country is great. Dress respectfully.

Also, have all your paperwork in order.

Nong Khai is the only other place I have been quested by an IO. They were cool about it though.

Like

Reply

Brandon ************

Just make sure you have the 3 proofs, which will cover any easy reason for them to deny you entry.

1) Proof of cash. 20,000baht or the equivalent in a major currency. This must be CASH and cannot be a bank statement, banking app, credit or debit card.

2) Proof of onward travel. A ticket showing you are traveling out of Thailand within the 60 days of your new tourist visa.

3) Proof of stay. A hotel reservation for the first few days in Thailand.

With all of these it will be difficult for them to deny you entry.

Like

Reply

Cait *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Brandon ***********

thank you so much! Do you if it's also difficult to deny me entry with these if I simply do a border bounce instead of applying for a visa?

Like

Reply

Maxim ***********

Brandon is partially correct. It depend on your country of origin (your passport). As a Canadian, I've been entering both Nong Khai and Mukdahan at least 10 times each since 2010 (on tourist visa or visa exempt entry "quick bounce") and I was never ever asked for any of the 3 proof of. The worse they do is asking me what I'm doing in Thailand, to which I always reply that my Girlfriend is Thai, that's it. It's the same in Tachilek (Myanmar), I never got asked anything. Poipet is the only border that ever caused me any trouble. Your passport will determine how easy it is to get out and in Thailand.

Like

Reply

Brandon ************

it's much more risky if you try to re-enter visa exempt.

Like

Reply

Cait *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Brandon ***********

ok, thank you!

Like

Reply

Reply to

Cait *********

Reply

སངས་རྒྱས་ ***********

@Brandon ***********

I was in the same situation a month ago and this is your answer. They were very strict btw!

Like

Reply

Reply to

སངས་རྒྱས་ ***********

Reply

Thai Visa Advice and Everything Else

... members · 60% approval rate

The Thai Visa Advice And Everything Else group allows for a broad range of discussions on life in Thailand, beyond just visa inquiries.

Thai Visa Advice and Everything Else

View the Conversation

Thai Visa Advice and Everything Else

What are the risks of returning to Thailand from Laos with a single-entry tourist visa?

8 comments

4 months ago

What to expect when crossing the Thai border into Laos at Friendship Bridge no. 4 for a new entry stamp?

9 comments

4 months ago

What advice do you have for re-entering Thailand on a tourist visa after multiple stays?

49 comments

8 months ago

What challenges might I face when applying for a tourist visa in Thailand after several border runs?

47 comments

a year ago

What should I know about entry and visa overstays at the Nong Khai border crossing to Thailand?

19 comments

a year ago

What is the process for re-entering Thailand after a quick trip to Laos from Chiang Mai?

19 comments

2 years ago

Could I encounter issues when re-entering Thailand from Laos at Ubon Ratchathani?

5 comments

2 years ago

What is the best way to re-enter Thailand after a long stay on a NON-O ED visa to avoid immigration issues?

32 comments

2 years ago

What are the risks of returning to Thailand on a tourist visa after long stays and multiple visa exemptions?

20 comments

2 years ago

Are there issues at BKK Airport for travelers with a Thai tourism visa after long stays on visa exempt stamps?

6 comments

2 years ago

Is there a risk of being denied entry to Thailand if I've spent too much time in the country this year?

8 comments

2 years ago

Will I be rejected at Bangkok immigration after multiple COVID visa extensions and a history of overstaying?

8 comments

2 years ago

Can I re-enter Thailand after using COVID extensions and doing a border bounce to Laos?

9 comments

2 years ago

What advice do you have for entering Thailand after multiple visa extensions or runs?

1 comments

3 years ago

Can my friend apply for a new tourist visa after exhausting extensions in Thailand?

41 comments

3 years ago

What Are the Latest Updates on Leaving Thailand and Reentering Over the Friendship Bridge?

10 comments

5 years ago

What are the entry rules for Thailand when crossing from Laos, especially regarding visas?

12 comments

5 years ago

Will My Immigration History Affect My Entry to Thailand with a Tourist Visa?

7 comments

5 years ago

What are the challenges of obtaining multiple tourist visas for Thailand through Laos?

6 comments

5 years ago

What Should I Do If I'm Denied Entry to Thailand Due to Too Many Tourist Visa Entries?

7 comments

5 years ago

Is there a crackdown on tourist visas in Thailand affecting frequent travelers?

61 comments

5 years ago

Is it risky to re-enter Thailand on a multi-entry tourist visa with many stamps in my passport?

17 comments

5 years ago

What should I consider before applying for a Thai visa in Vientiane after multiple extensions?

21 comments

6 years ago

What should I expect at Thai immigration after multiple tourist visas and frequent entries?

39 comments

6 years ago

What are the chances of successfully completing a visa run to Maesai or Vientienne and re-entering Thailand?

4 comments

7 years ago

Data protection policy Terms and conditions Disclaimer Privacy policy Refund policy

The asq:thailand community, consisting of multiple Q/A groups with over 100,000 members, powers this platform. It is not an official government resource. Our members actively contribute to this resource, and while we strive for accuracy, we cannot guarantee its complete reliability. Assistance to travelers is provided as a community service.