This is one of the easiest visa runs that a person can possibly do from Bangkok. There are several ways to go about it as well. Because of the casinos at the border, there are a number of private companies making this trip on a daily basis. For now, let us consider the most common and easiest way to make this journey.
Buses bound for Aranyaprathet leave regularly throughout the day from the Mo Chit Bus Terminal. Many farang call this the Northern Bus Terminal because the buses from this station mostly head to points northward.
Once you have arrived at Mo Chit, you will need to get a ticket. There are a number of windows on the first floor that will be happy to sell you a ticket to Aranyaprathet. The are located near the main 7-11 on the ground level. There are a few windows around, and the signs are in Thai. Do not be alarmed, there will be someone around in the event that you get confused. When you get there, you will need to decide which bus to take. As there are a few options, it would be worthwhile to review them.
When you get to Aranyaprathet, there will be a few tuk-tuks around to get you off to the border if you are not spending the night. They will quote you a higher price than you need to pay most of the time. Not to worry ... just put on a smile and haggle down to something that is acceptable. It should range from 60 - 80 Baht for the journey to the border. Once you have the price figured out, just hop in and you are on you way.
In about 20 minutes, you will arrive in the middle of a large market filled with cheap knock-off goods among other things. From here, the border is a relatively short walk. It should take you about 5 minutes to get there. Surely, the tuk-tuk driver will point you in the right direction before he goes about his business.
When you get to the border area you will know immediately. You will turn left and see what can only be a border. Proceed forward and stay to your left. The right side is for those that are entering Thailand from Cambodia. You will be there soon! Walk forward along the left side, and you will come upon a set of glass doors that lead to immigration. If you have chosen a poor time to show up, you might very well see a line before you get to that door.
Do your best to pick the shortest line. Many casino buses might be coming in at the same time. These services cater primarily to Thai / Asian tourists. When I have encountered such a queue, I simply stood in line for a few moments. When the officials realized that I was the only farang around, I was quickly taken out of line and processed at an empty desk. If you are unfortunate enough to arrive at the same time that a few buses from Khao San arrive, you cannot possibly expect the same kind of fortune.
Either way, you will exit the rear of the building to the no-mans land that is the border. This is where the casinos are. You will be on the left side of the street as you exit, but keep in mind that the visa on arrival booth for Cambodia is on the right side of the road. You cross a small bridge and walk for a short while until you reach the visa on arrival booth. This is an interesting area with all kinds of activity. Locals are everywhere. People are busy selling things. All kinds of touts will likely approach you; however, if you keep you head on your shoulders and look like you know what you are doing it is helpful. There are two phrases that might help you to get the touts away. These both mean something similar to "no thank you" in the respective languages. They will have the same effect.
Khmer: da or koon |
Thai: mai ow khap |
It is when you cross the street (to get to the right side) going to the visa on arrival booth that you are most likely to encounter your first Khmer official. Of course, you know that you will be turning around and heading back after you have gotten into Cambodia. The official may try to get this information out of you. He may ask you where you are going. Do not give him any indication that you are on a visa run. Simply state something like "I am going to get my visa" or "I am going to Cambodia"! I try not to lie. You could try to say something like you are heading to Siem Reap, but he might see you on the way back out. If he throws the question at you about returning to Thailand that day, reply with some complex English very quickly! I have said "It is of no consequence whatsoever"! You are likely to get a blank stare. At which point the official may repeat the question. Simply respond the same way or with some variation of it. After 2 or 3 attempts, he will grow tired of the process and send you on your way. This may happen to you a few times in your attempts to enter Cambodia. I handle each one in the same way.
In the past, this border has been highly problematic for many travelers. The Khmer officials quite simply do not make a whole heck of a lot of money. They take every opportunity to make some extra money here and there. They have flat out refused to take dollars and charged 1000 baht instead to line their pockets. The fact of the matter is that $20 is the official fee. When I last crossed here in July 2007, I had no problems whatsoever. That being said, there are still problems from time to time. Just be friendly and try to get the proper fee. If you are really concerned that you will be ripped off completely, there is always the option of purchasing an e-visa to enter Cambodia before making the journey. This link will take you to the official site.
When you arrive at visa on arrival, someone will probably hand you the entry form. Sometimes there are opportunistic locals around who will try to "help" you fill the form out. Simply insist to fill it out yourself. It takes all of 2 minutes, if that. Take out your $20 bill and the form. Put them all together and take it to the window. You should not need to speak too much. If there is a long line, it has been worthwhile to me in the past to put an extra 100 Baht in with the documents which should expedite things a little bit for you if you are in a hurry. Otherwise, just wait until it comes out.
You have another walk ahead of you after you get your visa. Turn around from the window and hang a right going in the same direction you had been going before. You are the the thick of things now. There are many casinos, and it can be a little confusing because the walk is pretty far. Just keep walking along the right and you cannot miss the immigration shack at the end. Just head in there and fill your arrival card out. Give it to them and get stamped into Cambodia.
When you walk out, you will face a large traffic circle. Again, you are likely to be approached here. Touts will want to know all about where you are going and blah, blah, blah. Simply don't pay any attention to them. This is a good place to pick up some cheap ARA smokes if you happen to smoke; otherwise, there isn't a whole heck of a lot to do.
Now just head to the other side of the road to go to the exit immigration window. Hand them your passport, get stamped out, and head back through the mess that you just navigated to get here! Now you are on the right side of the road. Proceed forward until you are across from the visa on arrival booth. You can wave hello to the friendly official who tried to extort money from you earlier if you in face encountered him. You will need to cross the road to reenter Thailand, so do so.
Keep to your left and enter the Thailand immigration building. Now you are as good as gold. Fill out the proper paperwork, and backtrack the route you took to get here in the first place! There is some valuable information regarding this entry on the visa page that everyone crossing from Cambodia to Thailand should know.
Private Bus
Train
