First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge (Nong Khai-Vientiane) — Attraction in Nong Khai Province

= Crossing to Laos as a foreigner with your own car. Highly suggest applying for a Lao visa online and also filling out the digital arrival card to save you a lot of time. Two copies of Thai TM 2 & TM 3 form Copy of car blue book (all pages with data) Purple car passport and copy of all pages with data Make sure you know where the Vehicle Identification Number (chassis number) is located on the car as Thai customs will ask to see it. One passport photo for Laos visa if you haven't applied for an electronic visa beforehand. Drive up and park and take all your car documents, copies and passport to the immigration desk for exit formalities. Once completed they will direct you to the customs booth. Show them the documents stamped my immigration and the car passport and then drive the car up to the gate for inspection where you will need to show them the VIN/chassis number pay 40bath and are cleared out of Thailand. Make sure you keep the simple customs form and second copy of TM2&TM3 to show on your return. Drive across the bridge and park on the Laos side. Sort out visa formalities easy if you have applied for an electronic visa beforehand or you will need to apply at a separate counter and pay 1700baht or in USD. Proceed to Laos customs and register the car (paid 250baht). Make sure you tell them which border crossing you will return to. We returned to a different border crossing than we specified and had to pay 3,000baht penalty or have to drive all the way back to the once specified on the customs document! Laos customs check your car and you enter Laos. You should purchase insurance for Laos (available immediately on the right as you past customs). I paid 250baht for 14 days cover. Take some small bills of baht 20/100 for fees. Drive into Laos remembering they drive on the right side of the road. This makes overtaking interesting and my partner was the lookout if it was safe...

My perspective from a US Citizen visiting for a day. Traveled from Thailand through Nong Khai. If arriving by car, Thailand vehicles must pass a rigid safety inspection and apply for a Car Passport. We opted to park at a nearby stall (100 Baht per day) and take a Tuk Tuk (40 Baht) onto the entrance area.

There are many people who will approach you to help "you through immigration and customs", say no and do the forms yourself. To enter Laos, you will need two things. No cost two-part Immigration form and Visa. For those that did not apply for eVisa (myself included), there is window 1-2 for Visa on arrival which cost $40 USD (or 1600 Baht) new current banknotes only. Make sure you have exact US Dollars as they don't make up "the price difference" and get the Single or Multiple entrance Visa suited for your stay.

With that said, submit cash, VOA form and wait at window 3. Once received double check the Visa date and get any change... You're ready to walk through customs. No need to stop for anyone else aside from custom inspector to show Visa. There is a Friendship Bridge bus (30 Baht each way) this fee is paid to the driver which leaves every 10 minutes or when bus is full. The bus trip takes less than 5 minutes and welcome to Laos!

When returning to Nong Khai from Laos there is one exit immigration stamp needed 20 Baht and one immigration/declaration form needed to enter Thailand. Bus is still only 30 Baht to cross. There are no tolls or extra fees for drivers to pay to drop off passengers.

4 star rating due to Thailand Passport Control, as only two inspectors working on a Saturday afternoon with lines more than an hour with no relief. Good luck and enjoy!

Tip: Prepare eVisa prior to planning a trip 3-5 business days. Give your group an hour for immigration to Laos and hour and half return to Thailand. Try to plan entering and exiting in...

A lot of people use this bridge as a “visa run” staging post so they simply cross from one side to the other, turn around and then come back.

However, if you are crossing the bridge to travel either from Laos to Thailand or Thailand to Laos then this is the alternative to flying. Be warned that the number of days entry you will be granted is usually less if you are entering by land than if you are flying so be sure to check the date stamped in your passport by immigration. You do not want to overstay in either country as the penalty can be costly.

In a short space you will exit and enter two countries so there is a lot of queuing up. First you will be required to exit one country and be stamped by immigration. Make sure you have your departure card (the other half of the arrival card you used when you entered the country). After you have gone through the departure formalities you will take a short drive over a surprisingly small bridge and line up for the entry procedure on the other side. If you have not already arranged your visa you will need to look for the “visa on arrival” office to complete that first. This is the same for both countries.

When you are entering and exiting Laos there is also a border crossing fee that needs to be paid in cash at a ticket window. You will be given a card that is then placed in a turnstile similar to using a subway ticket. It all seems a bit odd and overworked but that’s the way it’s done.

Entry and exit paperwork is available just outside the immigration buildings if you need blank ones.

The whole thing works pretty smoothly, assuming you have your departure and arrival paperwork completed and cash (kip, baht or USD) to...