Laos checks out single visa

PHNOM PENH, 11 April 2013: Efforts by Laos to join the Thailand-Cambodia single visa scheme could take two to three years to succeed, according to a report in the Phnom Penh Post earlier this week.

Second secretary at the Lao embassy in Cambodia, Manoxay Vilayhane, told the Post that a Lao delegation visited Phnom Penh last week to meet with the department of foreign affairs to learn more about the scheme’s implementation and the revenue share on visa fees.

He said it would to take a couple of years possibly three for Laos to fully participate in the scheme.

Thailand and Cambodia jointly introduced the single visa scheme late last year as a pilot project that will ultimately include five countries of the Mekong Region and  possibly ASEAN countries that see the advantage of joining the scheme.

In the initial agreement the single visa was supposed to be developed to ease travel to Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam under the title “five countries, one destination.” Under the proposed terms there was reference to widening the scope to include other ASEAN nations.

Laos was the first to show interest and said it was sending a team to Phnom Penh to learn the process and how the two countries share visa fee revenue.

Cambodia Tourism Minister, Thong Khon, was positive that discussions were progressing, but was not aware of the visiting Lao delegation. Nevertheless, he welcomed the prospect of adding a third country to the scheme.

“We welcome other ASEAN members to join the single visa policy…if Laos is ready we are happy to work on this together.”

The delegation arrived in Cambodia last Wednesday and met with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs  to discuss how to move forward on the joint visa project. Earlier the Vientiane Times reported the Lao government was preparing to send a delegation.

The Thailand and Cambodia single visa was launched 27 December last year and issued by consulates and embassies. The process takes longer than a single-country visa as it also involves a check with the partner country and possibly cross checking for security purposes.

Usually, the first country of entry is contacted for the single visa, but in some instances just one of the two countries has an embassy,  which then procceses the visa regardless of the travel itinerary.

The visa cost and length of the stay is identical to the standard tourist visa and based on each country’s regulations. A Thailand tourist visa costs Bt1,000 for 60 days, while Cambodia charges US$25 for 30 days.

The scheme is not relevant to nationalities that already have visa-free entry for either Thailand or Cambodia, but it is useful for visitors who do require a visa for both Cambodia and Thailand by reducing the need to visit two embassies before the trip begins.

It is a  pilot project of a wider scheme called ACMECS Single Visa (Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy) involving Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar that originated in 2005, under the concept known as “Five Countries, One Destination”.

Sourced: Cambodia News