Visa Run To Kuala Lumpur

[happydays]

I’ve just returned from KL with a 1 Year Non-Immigrant B Multiple Entry Visa & as it all went relatively smoothly I thought it would be useful to share my experience. First of all though, a disclaimer – the documents which I took with me (listed below) only apply to my own particular circumstances – it is essential that you consult with a reputable lawyer before you go, to ensure you have all the necessary paperwork.

Background

An accountant in Surat Thani set up a Thai company for me about 2 years ago. She deals with the company accounts & taxes. I bought some land on Koh Samui in the name of the company & built some houses which I now rent out. I got my first Non-Im B (single entry) in October 2005 in Singapore & my second Non-Im B (multiple entry) in December 2005 in Penang. A lawyer on Samui deals with my work permit & I pay income tax on a notional salary of B31,000/month.

Embassy

The opening hours for visa applications are advertised as 09.30 to 11.30. We arrived at 09.30 and there was already a long queue outside so my advice would be to get there early, perhaps 09.00. Also, there is no shelter while you are queuing so an umbrella would be good protection from rain or sunshine. Once you reach the entrance a guard will give you an application form & then you enter a small compound. I filled in the form before proceeding into the main office where another guard gave me a numbered ticket (number 45). I later saw that people who had been behind me outside had tickets with lower numbers than mine, so I guess the trick is to get your ticket before filling in the form. My number finally came up about 11.30 and the staff went through my paperwork. I had forgotten to include a copy of my passport but was able to get a copy made at a hotel opposite the embassy and hand it in without having to queue up again. The visa cost MR500 (about B5,000).

Passports can be collected the next day between 11.30 and 12.30 – once again there was a long queue but inside the compound this time with more shade.

Documents

The paperwork that I handed in with my application form was as follows:

1. Original passport + signed copy of main page

2. Original work permit + copies of pages with entries, unsigned – the original was returned after inspection

3. 2 company tax documents (with receipts) stamped with the company seal – they are labeled with 3 Thai characters followed by 50 & 51 respectively

4. Latest company accounts stamped with the company seal

5. Last 3 months personal income tax forms with receipts

6. Company registration document stamped with the company seal

7. Another company registration document which has to be renewed every 3 months (sorry I don’t know the name) stamped with the company seal

8. List of shareholders stamped with the company seal

9. Covering letter stamped with the company seal – this has to be signed by the Managing Director which happens to be me so I signed my own letter!

10. 1 passport size photo

Take your company seal with you just in case.

Hope this is useful.

[frawal]

Thank you for all these useful informations!

I thought that from now on we could only get a Non Immigrant B, 1 year, Multiple entry in our home country?

It is good to know we can get it in KL.

Does anybody know if they still give it in Penang?

[khunphil]

Background

An accountant in Surat Thani set up a Thai company for me about 2 years ago. She deals with the company accounts & taxes. I bought some land on Koh Samui in the name of the company & built some houses which I now rent out. I got my first Non-Im B (single entry) in October 2005 in Singapore & my second Non-Im B (multiple entry) in December 2005 in Penang. A lawyer on Samui deals with my work permit & I pay income tax on a notional salary of B31,000/month.

***/***

Hope this is useful.

Hi,

Can you tell me what kind of company it was ? Limited Partnership or Compamy Limited ?

Just because I am just like you, except my company is 7years old now, and always had no problem having a NON B multiple.

This is quite good news, even if many have said that this is no more possible to have a multiple Non B in KL. I think this should be possible, but maybe you are checked much more than before.

Thanks for your post,

Philippe

[Thai-Spy]

Embassy

The opening hours for visa applications are advertised as 09.30 to 11.30. We arrived at 09.30 and there was already a long queue outside so my advice would be to get there early, perhaps 09.00. Also, there is no shelter while you are queuing so an umbrella would be good protection from rain or sunshine. Once you reach the entrance a guard will give you an application form & then you enter a small compound. I filled in the form before proceeding into the main office where another guard gave me a numbered ticket (number 45). I later saw that people who had been behind me outside had tickets with lower numbers than mine, so I guess the trick is to get your ticket before filling in the form. My number finally came up about 11.30 and the staff went through my paperwork. I had forgotten to include a copy of my passport but was able to get a copy made at a hotel opposite the embassy and hand it in without having to queue up again. The visa cost MR500 (about B5,000).

Passports can be collected the next day between 11.30 and 12.30 – once again there was a long queue but inside the compound this time with more shade.

This corresponds very closely to the recent experience of one of our associates. From his notes:

Suggested arrival time for application is 08.30 as this will put you in the first dozen or so applicants even on the busiest of mornings. These early birds tend to be very respectful of arrival order so you'll have a place in the queue to log in at the guardhouse even if you don't actually have a number yet. There's a 7-11 a bit farther up Jalan Ampang (i.e. farther from the Ampang Park LRT station) about 5 minutes walk from the Embassy if you need a drink, but there's no hot coffee there.

Crossing Jalan Ampang at street level if you need copies is very dangerous due to traffic flow during rush hour. There's a pedestrian overpass available, again in the direction of 7-11. If you don't have the required photos, you can get them done in the small shopping plaza near the Ampang Park station. However these shops don't open until 09.00 as a rule.

By being in the first group into the compound at 09.00 and the consular services section proper at 09.30 you should be done with the application process by 10.15 or 10.30 at the worst. Business visa applications typically take no more than 5 minutes for people who have their paperwork in order.

Overall however the rate of service seems to have slowed down though not through any fault of the RTE-KL staff. Because of the changes in regulations for tourists, there are now more people applying for tourist visas. As many of them are new to the process and have incomplete paperwork, they slow things up at the service counters.

Collection of the passport and visa is done at the guardhouse. If you arrive at ~12.15 there are no crowds. Just show your cash receipt with the application day's queue number attached and the guards will give you back your passport.

[happydays]

Can you tell me what kind of company it was ? Limited Partnership or Compamy Limited ?

It's a limited company