The road along the Mekong in Nakhon Phanom proper is where you will find most if not all of the government offices and about the midway point of the Mekong prominade you will see a long line of trucks waiting at the Port house for the ferry across to Laos.

Trade between Laos and Thailand is very high and the ferry across the Mekong is evidence of that. The Port operates 6 days a week from sun up till sundown. Most days there at least three ferries in operation taking anywhere between 5-10 trucks and cars each trip.

Now, you might think this is a great way to go over and explore Laos as I did but the crossing can be complicated for the falang. Although the Nakhon Phanom Immigration offices are directly across the street from the customs house there is no immigration checkpoints on either the Thailand or Laos side. The closest route across the border to Laos that has an immigration checkpoint is in Mukdahan via the Friendship 2 bridge.

Even though there isn’t an immigration checkpoint at the ferry dock in Nakhon Phanom all is not lost if you are planning on living or spending a considerable amount of time here. You can apply for a crossing permit through the immigration office that, if granted, will allow you to cross the Mekong into Laos via the ferry. From what I understand the permit can take up to three months to obtain because of the paperwork involved. No only does Thailand have to approve the application but it then needs to be sent to Laos for their approval.

I have heard differing prices on the application for permit but 3000 baht seems to be the number that comes up the most.

So, if you are considering using Nakhon Phanom for a visa run you may want to re-think your plans and head across to Laos from Mukdahan, which is only 20 minutes away,  where there are immigration checkpoints. Apparently some people got the information that they could use the ferry because while I was in Nakhon Phanom last time I saw a few falang trying their best only to be turned away.

Tomorrow I’ll write more about the Immigration office in Nakhon Phanom as it was without a doubt one of the easiest and fastest immigration experiences I have had while in Thailand.

The road along the Mekong in Nakhon Phanom proper is where you will find most if not all of the government offices and about the midway point of the Mekong prominade you will see a long line of trucks waiting at the Port house for the ferry across to Laos.

Trade between Laos and Thailand is very high and the ferry across the Mekong is evidence of that. The Port operates 6 days a week from sun up till sundown. Most days there at least three ferries in operation taking anywhere between 5-10 trucks and cars each trip.

Now, you might think this is a great way to go over and explore Laos as I did but the crossing can be complicated for the falang. Although the Nakhon Phanom Immigration offices are directly across the street from the customs house there is no immigration checkpoints on either the Thailand or Laos side. The closest route across the border to Laos that has an immigration checkpoint is in Mukdahan via the Friendship 2 bridge.

Even though there isn’t an immigration checkpoint at the ferry dock in Nakhon Phanom all is not lost if you are planning on living or spending a considerable amount of time here. You can apply for a crossing permit through the immigration office that, if granted, will allow you to cross the Mekong into Laos via the ferry. From what I understand the permit can take up to three months to obtain because of the paperwork involved. No only does Thailand have to approve the application but it then needs to be sent to Laos for their approval.

I have heard differing prices on the application for permit but 3000 baht seems to be the number that comes up the most.

So, if you are considering using Nakhon Phanom for a visa run you may want to re-think your plans and head across to Laos from Mukdahan, which is only 20 minutes away,  where there are immigration checkpoints. Apparently some people got the information that they could use the ferry because while I was in Nakhon Phanom last time I saw a few falang trying their best only to be turned away.

Tomorrow I’ll write more about the Immigration office in Nakhon Phanom as it was without a doubt one of the easiest and fastest immigration experiences I have had while in Thailand.