US Visa Renewal

[stoneman]

My wife's 10 year US visa expired about 6 months ago, and given the current political situation, I thought it might be prudent to get it renewed...

I was not thrilled about having to make the trip to BKK and put up with the chaos at the American Consulate...So I contacted the US Embassy in Lao and found it would be much simpler to get her renewal there...Filled out the DS-160 on line and followed the procedures...The only hang up with using the US Embassy in Lao is that you must deposit the visa fee into a specific Lao bank before you can schedule the appt...So we did a drive to the bridge,,crossed into Lao...caught a taxi into Vientiane...deposited the money,,,had lunch...and back to the bridge...and home to Udon...Total time...less that 5 hours...

Appts are only made on Tuesday and Thursday...8 - 9 - 10 AM and only 25 maximum each hour...We arrived at the embassy and there were only 3 people in line...nothing like the craziness in BKK...Interview was completed in less than 1 1/2 hours...The visa can be picked up the next day after 3 PM...We stayed the night in Vientiane...lovely hotel on the river and lots of very good restaurants...Wednesday morning got a taxi and did the cultural tour of Vientiane and then picked up the visa and went to the bridge...

Much less hassle and less expensive than flying to BKK....

[Lone Star]

Good info.

The same was true for me at the consulate in Chiang Mai. Quick and easy. No hassles.

[semperfiguy]

My wife's 10 year US visa expired about 6 months ago, and given the current political situation, I thought it might be prudent to get it renewed...

I was not thrilled about having to make the trip to BKK and put up with the chaos at the American Consulate...So I contacted the US Embassy in Lao and found it would be much simpler to get her renewal there...Filled out the DS-160 on line and followed the procedures...The only hang up with using the US Embassy in Lao is that you must deposit the visa fee into a specific Lao bank before you can schedule the appt...So we did a drive to the bridge,,crossed into Lao...caught a taxi into Vientiane...deposited the money,,,had lunch...and back to the bridge...and home to Udon...Total time...less that 5 hours...

Appts are only made on Tuesday and Thursday...8 - 9 - 10 AM and only 25 maximum each hour...We arrived at the embassy and there were only 3 people in line...nothing like the craziness in BKK...Interview was completed in less than 1 1/2 hours...The visa can be picked up the next day after 3 PM...We stayed the night in Vientiane...lovely hotel on the river and lots of very good restaurants...Wednesday morning got a taxi and did the cultural tour of Vientiane and then picked up the visa and went to the bridge...

Much less hassle and less expensive than flying to BKK....

Stoneman, I'm not sure of the timeline in the processing of the online documentation, including the deposit in a Lao bank for the visa fee, but could you have gone to Vientiane and made the deposit on early Monday, gone back online and made the appointment for Tuesday or Thursday and then spent the night(s) until the interview and saved having to cross the border two separate times? For those of us that don't have a multiple entry on our Non-Immigrant O-A visas based on retirement, then we'd have to purchase two 1000 baht re-entry permits and pay two $35 visa fees at the border in order to cross over twice. In other words, do you see any way that you could have shortcutted the process?

[Lone Star]

Stoneman, I'm not sure of the timeline in the processing of the online documentation, including the deposit in a Lao bank for the visa fee, but could you have gone to Vientiane and made the deposit on early Monday, gone back online and made the appointment for Tuesday or Thursday and then spent the night(s) until the interview and saved having to cross the border two separate times? For those of us that don't have a multiple entry on our Non-Immigrant O-A visas based on retirement, then we'd have to purchase two 1000 baht re-entry permits and pay two $35 visa fees at the border in order to cross over twice. In other words, do you see any way that you could have shortcutted the process?

Do it in Chiang Mai and avoid BKK and the border.

[Charlieb]

Has anyone reinstated a U.S. Green Card after being out of the country for a few years? It has been a little over two years since the wife was back and I am told if out over a certain period it has to be reinstated>

Procedures?

[stoneman]

My wife's 10 year US visa expired about 6 months ago, and given the current political situation, I thought it might be prudent to get it renewed...

I was not thrilled about having to make the trip to BKK and put up with the chaos at the American Consulate...So I contacted the US Embassy in Lao and found it would be much simpler to get her renewal there...Filled out the DS-160 on line and followed the procedures...The only hang up with using the US Embassy in Lao is that you must deposit the visa fee into a specific Lao bank before you can schedule the appt...So we did a drive to the bridge,,crossed into Lao...caught a taxi into Vientiane...deposited the money,,,had lunch...and back to the bridge...and home to Udon...Total time...less that 5 hours...

Appts are only made on Tuesday and Thursday...8 - 9 - 10 AM and only 25 maximum each hour...We arrived at the embassy and there were only 3 people in line...nothing like the craziness in BKK...Interview was completed in less than 1 1/2 hours...The visa can be picked up the next day after 3 PM...We stayed the night in Vientiane...lovely hotel on the river and lots of very good restaurants...Wednesday morning got a taxi and did the cultural tour of Vientiane and then picked up the visa and went to the bridge...

Much less hassle and less expensive than flying to BKK....

Stoneman, I'm not sure of the timeline in the processing of the online documentation, including the deposit in a Lao bank for the visa fee, but could you have gone to Vientiane and made the deposit on early Monday, gone back online and made the appointment for Tuesday or Thursday and then spent the night(s) until the interview and saved having to cross the border two separate times? For those of us that don't have a multiple entry on our Non-Immigrant O-A visas based on retirement, then we'd have to purchase two 1000 baht re-entry permits and pay two $35 visa fees at the border in order to cross over twice. In other words, do you see any way that you could have shortcutted the process?

I thought that sounded like a great idea and was hoping to be able to do exactly that,,,but...after I went to Lao, paid the fee and then got onto the system to make an appt...the first available appt was 3 weeks later...I still think that with a little more correspondence and/or telephone calls to the Embassy, what you are suggesting just might be possible...I had several phone conversations with them concerning questions about the 160 and setting up the appt and they were ver cooperative...Would be worth a try...

[FrazeeDK]

extended stay from the U.S. for a U.S. Green Card holder can result in the USCIS finding you have "abandoned" your U.S. Residency.. Here's their article on it. https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/after- ... -residence