Bangkok Visa Run Service

A visa run is a common procedure for many expats who need to extend or activate their Thai visa to allow them to further their stay in Thailand. There are a number of companies that operate visa run services and the premise of their business is essentially the same. For a fee of around 2000 Baht they will take you to either a Thai/Cambodia or Thai/Laos border where you can stamp out and back into Thailand, thus activating your new visa.

Visa Run Services

Visa Run Services leaves every morning from the parking lot of the Tesco/Lotus, next to On Nut BTS Station. They travel via 9 passenger mini-van to the Ban Laem border which takes approximately 4 hours. I like the Ban Laem border because it is much smaller and quieter than the Aranyaprathet border. No meals are provided but they do give you a coupon for lunch at the casino at Ban Laem, however a warning that the lunch at the casino is not very appetizing.

Claudio, the owner seems to be very knowledgeable about the ever changing Thai visa laws so if you have a problem with your visa or passport I think he can help you. I was a little disappointed that both times I used this service there was no one at the border ready to assist us and we were more or less left on our own to figure out the crossing procedure.

Pros:

• Knowledgable Owner
• Departs Everyday

Cons:

• No staff support at the border
• 9 passenger mini-vans are cramped

Quick Thai Visa Run

Quick Thai Visa Run leaves every Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays from the Baanrai coffee shop on the corner of Sukhumvit 63, right next to BTS Ekkamai. They also go to the Ban Laem border crossing and seem to alternative between a large luxury tour bus or a 9 passenger mini-van depending on how many passengers they have. A nice touch with Quick Thai Visa Run is that they provide lunch on the bus and the staff do an excellent job of taking care of you once you reach the border.

When this company uses the larger tour bus it is my favourite visa run service because I find the larger tour bus provides a much more comfortable ride, more leg room and reclining seats, compared to the smaller mini-vans over the bumpy and uneven Thai roads.

My only complaint with Quick Thai Visa Run is you never know when they are using the larger bus or the smaller mini-vans and I’ve also found the general manager not to be the friendliest or most helpful guy if you have questions about your visa or passport.

Pros:

• Large comfortable tour bus
• Free lunch on the bus

Cons:

• Sometimes use small mini vans
• GM isn’t very helpful

Jack Golf

Jack Golf is one of the better known visa run services having been in business now for over 10 years. They leave every morning at 5:00am in front of the 7-11 at Sukhumvit Soi 12. The uniformed staff are excellent and work hard to take care of your every step of the way. Jack Golf uses a large and comfortable tour bus and goes to the very busy Aranyaprathet border crossing. The good news about leaving so early in the morning is that you are usually back in Bangkok around 2:00pm. Lunch is not provided on the bus but you are free to enjoy the buffet at the casino at Aranyaprathet, but as with the other service I find the food mediocre at best.

Jack Golf is the most organized of the three services I’ve used. Their staff work hard to make your trip as enjoyable and as easy as they can, although their comedy announcements need a bit of polish. An added bonus is that their large tour bus has onboard toilet facilities. My only complaint about their service is the Aranyaprathet border that they go to. It is a very busy and larger border and it is easy to get lost, especially when you are making your way back to the Jack Golf bus from the casino.

Pros:

• Organized staff
• Large comfortable tour bus

Cons:

• 5:00AM departure (but coming back at 2:00pm is nice)
• Aranyaprathet border is busy and crowded