Visa runs are necessary trips for expats and long-term visitors of the kingdom of Thailand.

Visa runs are necessary trips for expats and long-term visitors of the kingdom of Thailand.  It does not need to be far from Thailand; just crossing the border would be enough to be able to comply with the procedures for extending multiple entry visas or to secure a new type of visa. There are various ways to do this visa run.  Perhaps the easiest is to have a flight to Singapore, Penang or Kuala Lumpur from Phuket.  Since these routes have direct flights to Phuket, it is most convenient to take this method. If you intend to secure a new visa, it is advised that you stay a couple of nights across the border.  It is most preferred that you go to the Thai embassy early morning and submit your documents for processing.  That can be done by a reliable visa agent or by yourself.  This would make ample time for processing so that visa can be available the next afternoon.

When you are just extending your existing visa (e.g. multiple entry visa), you can opt to have border runs.  Taking a border run like in Ranong is less complicated since you can just cross the Thailand boundary through boat and visit Hat Yai or Myanmar.  Through Hat Yai, you can get easily get to Malaysia.  You may also take a cruise going to Penang or Langkawi and explore Malaysia.  Many choose these mentioned alternatives as most westerners can easily access Malaysia without the need of a visa through Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.  They can just get a day pass upon arrival on these mentioned locations. However, if you wish not to go through the hassle of thinking which visa run method best works for you, you can contact agencies offering visa run services.  Common visa run trips include a bus tour to Thailand’s borders.  It involves a brief boat ride to Kawthaung, a small Burmese town, where you will have to pay 400 Thai Baht or $10 for the day pass. 

All in all, this might consume the whole day for going to Ranong from Phuket and back. Those who wish to make visa run a little vacation trip, the better.  That way, it will become less of a duty and become more of a luxury.