Hello All❣️
I just wanted to share our Mae Sai border experience. My husband and I both had education visas, our extension of stay was due to expire 11/NOV. On Monday 4/NOV we went to our school to obtain the documents to cancel our extension of stay. We went to immigration next and the process was very simple, there is a visa cancellation section at the main front desk. They took our documents and passports and asked us to have a seat as they processed them. We were not given a number, they called our names once complete. The entire process took about 30 minutes.
On Tuesday 5/NOV we took the Greenbus to Mae Sai. I purchased our tickets through the Greenbus app and paid at 7-Eleven (892฿ for 2 roundtrip tickets plus 83฿ taxes/fees). We saved 500฿ with the X-Class seats as opposed to VIP (everyone received bottled water, VIP received a snack and the seats are wider).
The schedule we chose is not for the faint of heart😂
Our arrival bus was scheduled 8:00-12:45 we arrived at 13:10. Our departure bus was scheduled for 14:30 so we were blessed with no traffic, no lines and no wait❣️
When we arrived we took a Rot Dang (red truck) to the Friendship Bridge (it was packed and made a lot of stops because they are still public transportation). The exit of Thailand was simple. We received our entry stamps for Myanmar (when asked we stated we were going shopping), paid 500฿ each, crossed the street and received our exit stamps. Entry to Thailand was also simple, after completing our arrival/departure cards we received our stamps and entered the Kingdom at 14:00. We took a Rot Dang back to the bus station and arrived in Chiang Mai at 19:30.
Our TM. 30 report the following day was smooth as usual, 15 minutes maximum.
SN: The Greenbus receipt you receive from 7-Eleven is your 1st bus ticket. When we got to the bus station we went to the Greenbus desk to confirm this and they directed us to the proper section of the terminal. On our return the Greenbus desk in Mae Sai took the receipt and printed tickets for us.
In case you are curious (like me) the step to cancel your extension of stay is required if you ever plan to get another extension of stay in the future. We were told that you may be able to get a visa but will likely be denied an extension if you did not do an extension cancellation in the past.
I strongly recommend Poy-Sian (menthol inhaler meant for vertigo) for motion sickness on the bus.
TLDR : Answer Summary
This post details a user's experience with cancelling their education visa extension and completing a border crossing at Mae Sai. They explain the process of obtaining the necessary documentation, the efficiency of the immigration cancellation, the travel arrangements via Greenbus, and the border crossing experience into Myanmar. The user also emphasizes the importance of cancelling the extension prior to border runs to avoid complications in future visa applications.
