You’ve been having the best damn time in Thailand. The nightlife in Bangkok blew your mind, Chiang Mai taught you how to eat, and Pai charmed your pants right off your ass with it’s smooth vibe. Now you’ve only got two weeks left to explore the south beforeyour Thailand visa expires…
sounds like it’s time for a visa run.
This is How to Get your Thailand Visa
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
We had a lot of questions we needed to answer before we could start planning our Thailand visa run.
(spoiler alert: We’re going to answer all of them.)
1| Do I even need a Thai visa?
2| Where do we go?
3| How do we get to the Thai Embassy?
4| What documents do we need?
5| Do I need an appointment?
Lumphini Park in Bangkok, Thailand
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There are a few key facts about Thailand Visas we should probably lay out.
+ You can only get a 60 day Thailand tourist visa by applying for one at a Royal Thai Embassy. Here’s a list of Thai Embassies around the world.
+ Passport holders of many countries can get a 30 day visa exemption at an international airport. (this means that if your country is on the list, you can stay for 30 days without getting a Thai tourist visa in advance.
+ Every Thailand embassy is different, and they all have their own set of advantages and disadvantages.
+ In MOST CASES you can extend your Thailand visa once, for an additional 30 days (even if you have the 30-day visa exemption).
+ If you’re over the age of 50, you can apply for a Thai Retirement Visa. Find out more here.
Silver Temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Where’s the best place to go?
As we have said before, every embassy is different and comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
The best place for you to get your Thailand visa depends largely on where in Thailand you’re going to be traveling from, as well as your budget.
If you’re in the north, you can fly out of Chiang Mai or Bangkok.
In the south, your best bets for cheap flights are either Krabi or Phuket.
The cheapest flight we found was from Krabi to Kuala Lumpur for about $80 round trip.
Pro Tip:
Use Skyskanner.com's Destination : Everywhere function to find out the cheapest places to fly from your origin city.
Krabi, Thailand
After reading many-a-blog-post on this subject, here’s how we ended up narrowing down our options and eventually selecting
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as our embassy of choice for a visa run.
Most countries require visas to enter, they can be expensive. This ruled out Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar…
Malaysia offers a free 90 days visa exemption
Flights to Phenom Penh, Cambodia were more expensive than to Kuala Lumpur
Although some blogs said Penang, Malaysia was the easiest, flights to Kuala Lumpur were MUCH cheaper than to Penang.
Note: Should you happen to decide Penang, Malaysia is the best option for you, here’s a very thorough blog post from Tieland to Thailand about how it’s done.
Find a place to stay in Kuala Lumpur
Do I need an appointment?
As of 2020, all applicants now need an appointment. To make an appointment click here. Check here for the form and info from the embassy.
How to Get to the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Luckily we found an AirBnB that was within a 10 minute walk from the Thai Embassy. It wasn’t the cheapest option for sure, but it was super convenient, and in our down time we were able to take advantage of the pool and gym, and relax in the spacious apartment.
Here’s the link to the AirBnB apartment we stayed at in KL. If you don’t have an AirBnB account, feel free to click here for a $35 discount.
If you're coming from another part of the city. You can take the Metro to one of the nearest stations, either Ampang Park or Damai.
If you're coming from ChinaTown: 11 mins by car | MRT 32mins
From Bukit Bintang: 8 mins by car | MRT 40mins-hour
From KL City Center: 6 mins by car | MRT 21 mins
Bangsar: 19 mins by car | MRT 50 mins
Dataran Merdeka: 15 mins by car | MRT 38 mins
Brickfields: 14 mins by car | MRT 44 mins
The Embassy is open for visa applications Mon-Fri from 9:30 to 11:30.
Best to get there before 8:30 to avoid waiting in a long line for processing. The line stacks up pretty quickly.
**2020 Update** As of January 2020 you must make an appointment for your visa application
You can pick up your visa on the next working day between 2:30 and 4:30. Again, get there EARLY!
Street Food in Chiang Mai, Thailand
What are the Thailand visa requirements?
Write this list down. You’ll need each and every one of these documents. If you’re missing even just one you’re gonna have a bad time. Even still, I’d plan for an extra day just in case. (We were lucky we did.)
+ Thailand Visa application form (download and complete beforehand)
+ Your passport
+ One signed copy of your passport photo page
+ Two passport sized photos taken within the last 6 months
+ Printed, confirmed flight into Thailand
+ Printed, confirmed flight out of Thailand
+ Printed confirmation of accommodation in Thailand (supposed to be for your entire stay, but we were approved with 15 days accommodation)
+ Thailand Visa Fees: 150MYR exactly. (about $35) No Dollars, No change. (and no refunds)
**2018 Update** We’ve heard they’re now also accepting Thai Baht as payment in addition to Ringgit.
Make sure you come with paper copies, not electronic documents.
(If you come unprepared you can print copies in the lobby of the hotel across the street for 1 Ringgit per page.)
Note: We were turned away on our first attempt because we didn’t take this list seriously.
We thought we could get away with not booking our accommodations and our flights out of Thailand until later.
Don’t make the same mistakes we did.
Should you decide to book something with the intention of cancelling later, like a hotel stay, for instance, we promise not to judge…
Pai, Thailand
The good news is...
that even if you blow it, and you aren’t approved for your visa, you can still go back to Thailand and get your 30 day exemption at the airport. Which, you can later extend for an additional 30 days. No big deal.
Phuket Sunday Night Market
TLDR:
If you’re in Thailand and you want to stick around for another 60-90 days, you can do a cheap visa run to Kuala Lumpur.
Write down the list of documents you need.
The visa costs 150MYR and can ONLY be paid with Malaysian Ringgit.
Plan to spend an extra day in case of fuck ups.
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58 Responses
Faith Coates
A really good informative post so refreshing to hear swear words…LOL…I for one appreciate the levity. The document list will come in very handy as well.
LocalNomads
Haha! I’m glad you enjoyed my natural language. It’s not like i’m writing in the NY Times. haha. Obviously not everyone will appreciate the use of colorful language, but I think it’s just how real people talk 😉
Rebecca
Useful to know should I ever go to Thailand from Malaysia. Bureaucracy can be a pain, but worth it!
LocalNomads
Malaysia makes it pretty easy to get your visa. That 90 days visa exemption is clutch.
Ugo Cei
You got some great info here and Kuala Lumpur is a great place to visit on its own.
katie
Thank you for sharing this, it is so hard to find information like this on the internet! Thai Visa rules are so complicated but this has been a massive help!
LocalNomads
I’m so glad this helped you! When we started looking into our visa options we realized the same thing, so we decided to put this post together so we could consolidate the information into one place. Thats why I included so many links 🙂
Michael
Last week, I went to KL and got a six month multi entry visa for Thailand. As long as you have all the paperwork for the application, it should work. I see a lot of posts saying this couldn’t be done anymore. Its just not true. It is possible
Glene
Please can you tell me how much the muiti entry was for Thailand ? I do have a ticket for going and leaving but I may want to go sooner leave and go back again ..
Do you think this will be a problem ?
Thanks Glene
LocalNomads
Hi Glene! Thanks for reaching out. We’ve never done a multi entry visa for Thailand. This blog might be useful though!
Rochelle
Hello! Thanks for the great post. With the flight out of Thailand, does it have to be within a certain time frame? I’m not sure on when I’m going to leave. Also, is this in reguards to a 30 or 60 day visa? Thanks heaps 🙂
LocalNomads
Hi Rochelle, I hope the article was useful for you! This article specifically refers to the 60 day Thailand visa. You can extend that visa for an additional 30 days within Thailand for a total of 90 days. If you only need to spend less than 30 days in Thailand, then you can just go for the visa exempt stamp at that airport. No visa needed. Your flight out of Thailand must be booked before you can get your visa. All you need is a flight out of Thailand to another country. You can usually buy flights for around $30 to neighboring countries. Then you can either take that flight or just skip it and book a different one later.
Ben
Hi guys, thanks for this article, the info be very helpful for my trip next month. I have a quick question regarding evidence of accommodation booked in Thailand: do you know whether the Thai embassy in KL will accept an AirBnb reservation, or do they insist on hotel/hostel reservations? Thanks in advance 🙂
LocalNomads
We had an airbnb reservation so you’ll be just fine. In fact we booked one with a flexible cancellation then cancelled it after we got our visa. Hope this helps!
Lynden
Hi.When i get my 60 day thai visa can i use it to cross the border overland at say Langkawi
LocalNomads
Hey Lynden! I’m pretty sure you have to fly in. But double check that. I know that they require to see your entrance ticket and your exit ticket when applying at the embassy. But I’m not sure if it has to be a flight in both directions.
Lynden
Thanks for the speedy reply,we have our tickets and all paper work sorted we are wanting to cross overland and not use the plane tickets and leave through another country but can’t find info if the 60 day visa will be valid on land border crossings into Thailand.
LocalNomads
Hmmm that is a tough one. I couldn’t find anything saying one way or the other… if you figure it out would you mind posting your answer here? I’m so curious myself. Sorry we couldn’t be of more help.
Ed Zein
Hey there 🙂
planning to visit KL on November. and I am applying for thai visa in KL. just two questions;
1) do I need to get a bank account statement to apply in KL for thai visa?
2) do I have to present confirmed and paid return tickets and accommodation?
regards,
Ed
LocalNomads
Hey Ed!!
1) nope, no bank account statements needed
2) yep, you need the confirmation pages for both flights and 1 accommodation. We booked a flexible Airbnb and then cancelled it once we got out visas.
Yanee
One more thing that we have to download application form and check list from the website at http://www.thaiembassy.org/kualalumpur/ because they are planning to not provide visa application and check list at the Embassy,its mean we have to download from their website
LocalNomads
Thanks so much for the info! I will edit the post to include your link!
Michael
Great informative post! I will be going to Penang soon for my visa run but I was also considering Kuala Lumpur as a destination. I think there are a lot of different countries where one can do visa run cheaply. I found of destination for visa run here http://onwardtravel.io/thai-visa. Love your blog! Michael
Lynden
Hi,
In reply to entering Thailand from Langkawi Island at Saturn using a single entry 60 day visa. It was easy, short ferry ride customs no problem, we had organised transport before we left Langkawi the driver made contact with us before we cleared customs now in Ko Samui and loving it. A port of entry is a port of entry as long as you have the correct prearranged visa in your passport. Thanks Lynden.
Amir
Great article. Is Airbnb reservation accepted by the embassy?
LocalNomads
As long as you’re booked for enough days you’re fine. There’s always the option of booking a room with flexible cancellation. 🙂
John
Hi, I found the link of how to apply for the visa in Kuala Lumpur, its really useful , I think everyone need to see these information:
http://royalthaiembassykl.webstriple.com/uploads/1/1/2/3/112349307/how_to_apply_visa.pdf
WAIW | Getting a Thai Visa in Kuala Lumpur | T.O.F.U. Magazine
[…] Vagabonds – Getting a Thai tourist visa in Kuala Lumpur Local Nomads – How To Get Your Thailand Visa in Kuala Lumpur Migrationology – How to Get a Thai Visa in Kuala […]
Celtik C
What if i return to Thailand from Kuala Lumpur without a visa? Can i get 30 day entry at airport and another 30 day extend from immigration office? Thanks.
LocalNomads
That shouldn’t be a problem. You can run into issues if you try to do this too many times in a row though. 🙂
Celtik C
I am in Bangkok now. Landed here like 1 week ago. I am going to fly to Kuala Lumpur before my 30 day ends. Staying in Kuala Lumpur for 3 days and going back to Thailand for another 30 day visa and then i am going to extend it for another 30 day at Immigration Office. You think that works? Thanks!
LocalNomads
That plan should work just fine. But, you can extend your visa this time too if you want. That way you don’t have to go to KL until another month.
Andy
Hi, great article, just done the visa yesterday/today 16/1 and everything went smoothly.
We got there at 08:30 and there were 35 people already waiting! Also worth a mention today we went back at 13:30 to wait for the 14:30 opening time. We were 10th in line!
Also they now accept THB for the visa, (works out 20 ringgits cheaper than paying 150 ringgits).
LocalNomads
Glad everything went so smoothly for you in KL. That’s insane, that there were already that many people there at 8:30! Thanks for the update and the info about the Baht, that is super convenient!
Happy Travels!
Verine Hee
Hi, i’ve confuse with something… The previous i read you said Malaysia offers a free 90 days visa exemption. But then you wrote + Thailand Visa Fees: 150MYR exactly. (about $35) No Dollars, No change. (and no refunds).
So is that free or chargeable? Please do advise.
Thank you very much!
LocalNomads
Ha Verine. Allow me to clarify 🙂 Malaysia offers a free 90 day visa exemption for entry into Malaysia. The Thailand visa fee is totally separate. Let me know if you need any further explanation!
Prithvi
You must mention which country, not all nationalities get visa free 90 day entry into Malaysia.
LocalNomads
Thank you for your comment, Prithvi. Don’t worry, I have linked to a list of countries that offer the exemption. All you have to do is click on the link that says “Visa Exemption” next to “Malaysia offers a free 90 days visa exemption” and you will be taken to the wikipedia page for Malaysian visa policy.
Tommy
Found this very useful. In and out in a short time but turned up an hour early each day (at least 45 mins advisable). The above info is still generally good as of 3 May 2018 with the following changes:
1. Applicants must provide a printed and signed checklist available here:
http://www.thaiembassy.org/kualalumpur/th/services/66911-Tourist-(TR).html
I did not have this but the security guard who checks paperwork at the gate had copies. Unsure what would have happened if he was out of copies though!
2. Only 1 passport photo is now required
3. You can also pay in Thai baht but it is more expensive (1500 THB vs 150 MYR).
LocalNomads
Hey Tommy! Thanks so much for the updated info, and we’re so glad you were able to use our guide. We haven’t needed a Thai visa in a while now. People like you are the heroes of the blogging world!
Johnny
Thanks for the great article!
As a Canadian resident, can I just follow this checklist for the documents to fill out and bring? http://www.thaiembassy.org/kualalumpur/contents/images/text_editor/files/TR%20non%20list_kc%20(1)%20(3).pdf
OR do I have to complete the checklist of documents for ”
TOURIST VISA (TR) FOR APPLICANT FROM LISTED COUNTRY”?
Secondly, Do I need to show proof of a flight leaving Thailand? Or can it just be a bus ticket leaving to a neighbouring country?
LocalNomads
Hi Johnny! As a Canadian, I think you can just follow the checklist. As far as your ticket out of the country goes, you might be ok with a bus ticket as long as you’ve already got it. They were pretty strict about that part when we were there. If they don’t accept it I’d recommend booking the cheapest flight you can find just to cover your ass.
Christopher
Good day i’m in the phillipines now and have my flight on the 14th day of september going to kl but i want to have a thai visa is it possible to do it there and visit thiland? Thanks
LocalNomads
Hi Christopher,
Yes, You can get a Thai Visa in KL that’s exactly what we did. We spend about 4 days in KL dealing with the process. Take a look at the comments in the post for other people’s updates and experiences. And make sure you have all your documents lined up so they don’t decline your visa on the first day like they did for us. We ended up spending an extra day just getting our outgoing flights and accommodation booked to show the embassy proof. Good Luck! and Happy Travels.
Jessica
I have to say, it seems kind of silly that they make you leave the country and get a new visa just to return. What’s the point?
Johan
Yepp it’s idiotic, guess they want us to abuse the environment by taking unnecessary flights
(and waste money ofc)
Enrico
Hey guys, what about same-day-return flights Don Mueang->Kuala Lumpur->Don Mueang? Do you know about any restrictions? I just need an additional 30 days (30 days extension in Thailand has already been used) and I know a same day return flight is somehow prohibited between DMK and Siem Reap (Cambodia)!
LocalNomads
Sorry, I don’t know anything about this situation.
Suteesh
Probably the most informative step by step I came across! 🙂 I have a question though, what about the bit in the form about ‘name and address of local guarantor’ We don’t have one as we don’t know anyone there and are currently students (no employer) travelling. Will this affect us in any way?
LocalNomads
Thanks! As for your question, I’m not 100% sure… I don’t think the local guarantor would apply to you unless you were staying with a local person as opposed to a hotel or other kind of bookable accommodation. Hope this helps!
G
Hi~ I’m a malaysian student who is currently studying in Taiwan and will be visiting Thailand for a 33 days short exchange program. Since Malaysian passport is exempted from visa for 30 days, may I know if there’s any way for me to apply for an extend for 7 days in thailand? Or can I apply for visa in Taiwan’s thai embassy?
LocalNomads
Hi G.
I believe that you would be able to extend your stay in Thailand for an additional 30 days by visiting an immigration office. Last time we were there, there was a 900 baht fee.
You may also be able to apply for a thai tourist visa in Taiwan as well.
I think extending would be easier.
Claire
Brilliant guide! Thank you.
LocalNomads
Glad you were able to use this, Claire!
Lara
Please add that all applicants now need an appointment. Check here, the form and info from the embassy: http://www.thaiembassy.org/kualalumpur/contents/images/text_editor/files/1_1.pdf
Your post is really helpful and ranking high on google but we just used your article and found out about this too late 🙁
LocalNomads
Thanks so much for this information! I’ll update the post immediately/
Jeff Lockwood
As of January 15, 2020, the ONLY currency that the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur will accept is Malaysian ringgit.
LocalNomads
Thank you for sharing this information! I’ll update the post 🙂