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For South East Asia, I only have been Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore and pretty much the total number of foreign countries that i have been to so far. I don't think i have been scammed each time i crossed the border. Maybe i have been, but i didn't realize.

I went to Laos with my family 10 years ago. We went to visit pakse city. I remembered that we needed to do some paper works at the border and paid some money to enter the country as all of us didn't have passport that time. I didn't remember how much money we paid. Maybe we were scammed to pay more than the actual fee. It was long time ago, so i couldn't really recall about it.

Four years ago, I went to Vietnam for the first time. I needed to pay 20 dollars each way at the Vietnam side, as i didn't have passport that time. 20 dollars was for permission letter for entering the country. Even though i had already paid the money i still had to present my ID and i needed to keep my ID the whole time i was in Vietnam. I think for those Cambodian live along the border might be able to get into the country easily as they do know their way around.

I recently traveled to Malaysia and Singapore. I flew into Malaysia and got my 30 days visa at the airport. I didn't pay anything and also wasn't asked anything at all. I felt that Malaysian immigration officers are friendly. I guess that was because i am from Cambodia, the member of ASEAN and can enter the country for 30 days for free.

I crossed into Singapore by land and it was not really nice experience. I was given the strange look and asked a lot of questions, after i told the immigration officer that i was traveling on my own and alone, then later i needed to walk into a big machines in which my whole body was scanned. They were hesitate to give me the 30 days visa that i should always get as a resident from one of the ASEAN countries. However, at the end i was granted the visa and didn't pay a penny.

Indeed, i don't think i have been scammed at the border crossing. I would love to read your all experiences on border crossing scams in SE-Asia, especially in Cambodia. I already heard some of them, but i want to hear more.

Happy New Year to All

Samouth

Samouth wrote:
I crossed into Singapore by land and it was not really nice experience. I was given the strange look and asked a lot of questions, after i told the immigration officer that i was traveling on my own and alone, then later i needed to was into a big machines in which my whole body was scanned. They were hesitate to give me the 30 days visa that i should always get as a resident from one of the ASEAN countries. However, at the end i was granted the visa and didn't pay a penny.

Indeed, i don't think i have been scammed at the border crossing. I would love to read your all experiences on border crossing scams in SE-Asia, especially in Cambodia. I already heard some of them, but i want to hear more.

Happy New Year to All

Samouth

that is why i keep saying singapore is not a nice country to visit, immigration treats everyone like a criminal, if you dress too poorly they think you are an illegal immigrant, if you dress too richly they think you are a drug lord.

p.s. if you are caucasian, it is much smoother

ive never been scammed at the borders, other than the "taxi drivers" that say they will take me direct to my hotel in Siem Reap but then drop me off on the outskirts conveniently enough where their tuk tuk driver friend is waiting to take me the rest of the way (for added $$) that happened twice

the dreaded poipet border i still hear of people often being scammed by fake visa buildings, even as recently as the other week, where their bus from bangkok took them to some fake building,
but ive never had any problems, some have tried and failed, and often get through the other side from arriving at the border in 20mins, i usually befriend a few first timers to help them across as well, but theres plenty of information online about the scams

been through the KK>trat border as well with little to no problems at all either and no scams

The only shocking border is Poipet... it's a city of thieves feasting on the foolish at the border. The Vietnam-Cambodia border (between PP and Saigon) is excellent; well maintained, well managed and while the bus company tried the "$5 fee, we arrange your visa" no-one fell for it. Other than that, nobody has ever even tried to grab cash. Northern Cambodian borders to Thailand were brilliant. Thai-Lao border between Nong Khai and Vientiane was a little slow but perfectly OK.

As for airports? Saigon is the worst. They demanded more than $100 for a passport photo and even with an hour's worth of haggling we only got them down to $20. This should be finished now that they offer visa waiver. Phnom Penh comes in a close second with a straight up request for extra money followed by trying to hand me a $20 bill in change which looked like it had wiped the arses of everyone in immigration; it was replaced immediately (though begrudgingly) when I told them to give me a different one.

there used to be many borders and i am sure there are still, where you paid extra or you don't cross,
its part of traveling and nothing to get upset about or lose any thought over
no reason to complain either as ur wasting ur time

IN past 10 years i have never overpaid for visas or been "scammed" at borders

TheGrinchSR wrote: Phnom Penh comes in a close second with a straight up request for extra money

I'm calling bullshit on this.

Personally I've never heard of anyone paying more than the official rate for their visa at PP airport.

Are you talking about an offer to process your visa before all the people in front of you in the queue for a fee?
If that is the case then you have simply been offered an extra service in exchange for remuneration albeit a service I disagree with.

lurcio wrote:

TheGrinchSR wrote: Phnom Penh comes in a close second with a straight up request for extra money

I'm calling bullshit on this.

Personally I've never heard of anyone paying more than the official rate for their visa at PP airport.

Are you talking about an offer to process your visa before all the people in front of you in the queue for a fee?
If that is the case then you have simply been offered an extra service in exchange for remuneration albeit a service I disagree with.

Not BS.

They wanted to charge me $5 each for the Gratis K-Visas for my kids.

Then when being processed by Immigration, he asked if I could give him a tip.

I, of course, paid nothing. However, my wife paid after I had walked away.

Cambodia LOL so they get locals>>
every time we drive in, my GF always has to pay 100 Baht to have them stamp her Cambodian passport.
For westerners, have only heard that you need pay $1 if no photo which to me seems more than fair as no photo they could refuse you the voa

Thailand
they offer ( sometimes in Phuket) a 100 baht no line to go thru immigration> is this a scam or only VIP service?

Laos
there is a after hour ( 5 pm) or saturday /sunday surcharge of $1

lurcio wrote:

TheGrinchSR wrote: Phnom Penh comes in a close second with a straight up request for extra money

I'm calling bullshit on this.

Personally I've never heard of anyone paying more than the official rate for their visa at PP airport.

Are you talking about an offer to process your visa before all the people in front of you in the queue for a fee?
If that is the case then you have simply been offered an extra service in exchange for remuneration albeit a service I disagree with.

No, I'm talking a request for extra money as in; "Have you got $5 for me?" It's not a scam, you can (and I did) say no but it's a request for extra money all the same. If he was offering to move me to the front of queue for $5 - I'd normally have paid it but as I was first in the queue; that would have been a foolish offer. I quite regularly pay to queue jump; something that is absolutely a standard in the Arabian Gulf and formalized through their marhaba (means "welcome" in Arabic) services. Pay $10 and don't queue. Pay that and a nice Filipina takes you through immigration and then goes to fetch your luggage for you and you can stand outside and smoke and hail a taxi.

TheGrinchSR wrote:The only shocking border is Poipet... it's a city of thieves feasting on the foolish at the border. The Vietnam-Cambodia border (between PP and Saigon) is excellent; well maintained, well managed and while the bus company tried the "$5 fee, we arrange your visa" no-one fell for it. Other than that, nobody has ever even tried to grab cash. Northern Cambodian borders to Thailand were brilliant. Thai-Lao border between Nong Khai and Vientiane was a little slow but perfectly OK.

As for airports? Saigon is the worst. They demanded more than $100 for a passport photo and even with an hour's worth of haggling we only got them down to $20. This should be finished now that they offer visa waiver. Phnom Penh comes in a close second with a straight up request for extra money followed by trying to hand me a $20 bill in change which looked like it had wiped the arses of everyone in immigration; it was replaced immediately (though begrudgingly) when I told them to give me a different one.

I've crossed at Poipet more times than I can count. Never been scammed.