Trip To Penang

[chingy_]

im planning to take a trip to penang to get a tourist visa, Air Asia have a flight to Penang so i want to take an advantage of it, there are a few question i like to ask before im heading out to the unknown, i have never been to penang before, this will be my first trip, any help is appreciated.

im single under 50, not working, have a GF

planning to apply for a double or triple tourist visa, if i cannot i'll settle for a single, how hard is it to get a double or triple tourist visa?

do i need any papper work for a tourist visa?, as far as i know i don't think i need any, just fill out the form and turn in to them.

is there a form i can dowload from the web to apply for tourist visa, i like to do it ahead of time to save the trouble?

location of the thai consulated/ address/ street/ etc...?

open and close hour for applying a visa?

open and close hour for pick up visa?

how many day waiting for visa? i assume one business day

how much cost for visa?

is there any hotel close to the Thai consulate/embassy , i would like to have a decent hotel, nice and clean atleast a 3-4star hotels? pricing if you know? or a webpage i can see?

planning to be there atleast 3-4 day, any interesting place to go hang out? no hooker bar please, im traveling with my GF.

im pretty sure there are more question i would like to know, but can't think of any other than this, if anybody have any advice to give pelase do so, im all ears.

thank-you for your time

[mbkudu]

George Town, Penang is in my opinion a beautiful relaxing place. I never looked forward to visa runs but once I got to George Town I always enjoyed myself. It is an old colonial style island so you will see many old beautiful French and English buildings. There are also many lovely old style Chinese buildings as well. The racial

mixture is quite varied; Malay, Indian, and Chinese mostly and everyone is quite friendly and speak English. Outside of town there are also nice beaches; not as nice as the South in Thailand, but still very relaxing. The nightlife is very tame

compared to Bangkok. Mostly small bars. There is one main road that has a lot of

foreigner frequented bars, restaurants and hotels. I think it is Jalan Penang; Jalan

means road.

Any taxi driver can take you to the Thai Consulate in about 10-15 minutes. The buses are nice to sight see on but are slow and come infrequently. Have fun!

[bartender100]

You are not asking for much,anyway here goes.

The flight with AA does not get in till the afternoon,I suggest to go to the tourist street Chuila Leibh(something like that)as soon as you arrive,and go to on of the small travel shops that say "visa sevice" outside.

All you need is two passport photo's,you don't even have to fill the form in just sign it,double entry tourist visa no problem,4 months with a border run in between,cost is 200 rinnget+ 20 R for the service,saves you having to go to the consol your self.

They cannot do this till the next day,collection the day after that in the afternoon .To late to get the AA flight back to bkk.

Some visa service ofer one day service an extra 60R.

As you don't have to go to the consol your self,you can stay anywere within your budget.Do a google,city bayview hotel about 120R,

http://www.awd.ws/penang/citybayview/ good location

Most of the bar are ok,not the same scene as thailand,I rec Soho bar,or slippery senoritas if you are youngish.Or take a taxi to the beaches and stay there while you wait for visa.

More advice

http://www.virtualtourist.com/f/138ff4/

Hope this is of some help

[mbkudu]

That's the name of the road I couldn't remember, Chulia. Cheers.

[lopburi3]

That's the name of the road I couldn't remember, Chulia. Cheers.

Chulia is ok for money exchange, tours or visa service but would highly recommend avoiding it for any hotel stay if you want 3-4 star quality. Penang street is much better for that and I always liked Hotel Continental myself (with wife) and it ran about 1,000 baht.

As said Georgetown is very interesting to walk or trike around, especially just before dusk when the trees fill up with chirping birds (the flying kind) and it is a little cooler.

Consulate is in residential area so if you go yourself have taxi wait (but agree on fare - should be little or no charge for few minutes it takes but best to agree first).

[chingy_]

im not to much favor of tourist services, i like to do thing myself and try to get the job done right. but thank-you (bartender100) i'll put it in a consideration, who knows, i might need them if thing don't turn out the way i plan, the one day service sound good tho, can they actually do that within a day?

i'll take a look into those hotel you all recommended, i was thinking about spending 1000-1500 a night on hotel, just wanna have some relaxing time while im there with good hotel services.

few of you mention about taking a walk around town, sound good to me, that i will do.

can you feel me in the open and closing hour for applying visa and pick up visa, malay time would be fine, and how much it cost for the single tourist visa/ double tourist visa.

if i don't use the services would i have any problem getting a double tourist visa at the consulate?

one other thing is there a website i can download the application or form for tourist visa/ or does anybody have a extra copy that i can copy from

[lopburi3]

Believe application is 0900-1200 Mon-Fri closed all holidays. Pickup is next business day after 1300 or 1400 (should be able to find info with Google search). Not sure of current cost but same as other places but be sure to have Malay currency as they don't accept Baht. You should be able to obtain the same visas that an agent gets.

[astral]

That's the name of the road I couldn't remember, Chulia. Cheers.

Chulia is ok for money exchange, tours or visa service but would highly recommend avoiding it for any hotel stay if you want 3-4 star quality. Penang street is much better for that and I always liked Hotel Continental myself (with wife) and it ran about 1,000 baht.

As said Georgetown is very interesting to walk or trike around, especially just before dusk when the trees fill up with chirping birds (the flying kind) and it is a little cooler.

Consulate is in residential area so if you go yourself have taxi wait (but agree on fare - should be little or no charge for few minutes it takes but best to agree first).

Patrick at the hotel continental can also handle your visa application for you.

[email protected]

[chingy_]

im heading out this coming monday the 21st of june, will be there for 5 day, can anybody help confirm there is no holiday in malaysia next week, there are no holiday as i know off.

greatly appriciated

chingy

[lopburi3]

Quick Google search shows Sunday the 20th is Fathers Day in Penang but no other holidays next week.

[chingy_]

thank lop, i did some searching also, look good for next week, i was wonder does anybody know where i can download a visa application for penang consulate, or it doesn't exist.

this sound kinda silly but im gonna try to apply for multiple entry tourist visa(12month), it doesn't hurt just to ask for it right, if they give they give, if they don't they don't, i'll settle for 2 entry tourist visa.

anymore recommended hotel..

[bbetty]

Hi....can you report back how you got along with this trip to Penang. I plan to do the same [apply for double entry tourist visa] and I want to find out if it's as easy as it sounds.

Cheers,

betty

[rainman]

Would be interested in how the Penang Embassy was for you as well, since i may go there for my B visa.

[LivinLOS]

Re long stay tourist visas...

Do they allow you to have the same 'rights' as B and O visa's (eg drivers licence / Phone lines / banks abilities / etc) ???

If so when you obtain a multiple entry visa do you get 60 day max (with 30 day extentions for 1900 Baht ??) or 90 day max ??

Are 12 months tourist visas possible if not what is the likelyhood of a 6 month ??

When getting to the end of the tourist visa can you do a final run prior to its end (similar to a B or 0) where even though you have only a few days on the visa left you gain another full 90 day entry permit ??

Lastly (sorry for so many questions) I had heard through the grapevine ( read probably innaccurate) that if you get a longer term tourist visa that when it expires you must leave the kingdom for a period of time (not a daily visa run) something that would effect my ability to stay and need a few weeks or longer out of the country is not acceptable if this is true.

Proving finances required to stay as a long term 'tourist' is no problem.

[Micke]

Rainman: It's a consulate, not an embassy.

Chingy and LivinLOS: I have never heard of a multiple entries tourist visa. There is no such thing. BUT, I have heard of 3 entries. I am not sure if it's possible to get this in Penang. But a double shouldn't be any problem.

If you are a long stayer you should apply for a non immigrant visa. In the past, nobody seemed to care if you didn't do that. But nowadays things aren't what they used to be.

Of course not everyone can get this type of visa, therefore I have an idea... See my questions further down.

As for the rights: no, you need a non imm. to get a license and to buy a condo / motorbike / car in your name. As for the phone line I am not sure, I suspect a non imm is not enough. You will also need a work permit. To get a credit card you will also need that. But if you just would like to open a savings account you should be able to do that on a tourist visa, despite the official information telling that tourists cannot open an account anymore.

Regarding the last question in LivinLOS's post, I have also heard that you can have at most three tourist visas in a row (this is not exactly what he wrote, but I suppose that was what he meant). This is something I have never heard that they have ever enforced. But, suppose they will do this, I'm wondering what will happen. Maybe you will be forced to return to your home country? Who knows? But I was thinking that after that third tourist visa you just pass the border, anywhere, and get a 30 days permit. Suddenly it is possible to get a new visa, because this is not your fourth visa in a row, but the first... Do you get it? Anybody thought about that loophole? Would it be possible? You are actually cheating the system!

But a Thai in Europe with just a tourist visa would certainly have to go back to Thailand after extension of the visa is used up (mostly only one is given by the authorites).

I have another question. I for myself would like to get a non imm O based on marriage, multiple that is. Since that visa now seems impossible to get in the nearby countries, I would like to know if I am breaking the law if I send my passport by courier mail to a consulate in Europe that still issue this kind of visa. I would be in Malaysia or Indonesia when I send the passport overseas. When I get to the Thai immigration, will they accept this visa? Or, in the worst scenario, will I be in deep shit because I have made something illegal? IS it illegal? I didn't send the passport to the European consulate when I was on Thai soil... Anybody thought about that? If this is possible, there would be no need for the services offered in Penang anymore.

Regards,

Mike

[chingy_]

Chingy and LivinLOS: I have never heard of a multiple entries tourist visa. There is no such thing. BUT, I have heard of 3 entries. I am not sure if it's possible to get this in Penang. But a double shouldn't be any problem.

you are right mick, there are no such thing as a multiple tourist visa(12month), yes you can get 3 entry tourist visa i have done it many time, but this trip im gonna try to get 4entry (12month) maybe pay a little extra cash or a little sweet talk or just some plain bullshitt, and see where it lead, worst to the worst i'll just take what ever they give me ,

Do they allow you to have the same 'rights' as B and O visa's (eg drivers licence / Phone lines / banks abilities / etc) ???

not on a tourist visa, other visa you might can get around it.

If so when you obtain a multiple entry visa do you get 60 day max (with 30 day extentions for 1900 Baht ??) or 90 day max ??

tourist visa, 60day max 30 extended, after you need to get out of the country and walk back.

When getting to the end of the tourist visa can you do a final run prior to its end (similar to a B or 0) where even though you have only a few days on the visa left you gain another full 90 day entry permit ??

i don't think it work the same with other visa. not that i can think of.

Lastly (sorry for so many questions) I had heard through the grapevine ( read probably innaccurate) that if you get a longer term tourist visa that when it expires you must leave the kingdom for a period of time (not a daily visa run) something that would effect my ability to stay and need a few weeks or longer out of the country is not acceptable if this is true.

not true i have done 2entry tourist visa in Singapore after it expire i than went to malaysia and get 2entry in KL the very next day, and continue on LAOS and COMBODIA, etc... i don't think it really matter as long they give me tourist visa im heading right back to thailand.

But I was thinking that after that third tourist visa you just pass the border, anywhere, and get a 30 days permit. Suddenly it is possible to get a new visa, because this is not your fourth visa in a row, but the first... Do you get it?

why do think you're break the law about this question, you didn't do anything wrong, i went to Poipet for a 30day stamp when my 3entry tourisy visa expire, have urgen thing to do didn't have time so i decide to jump border, after that month was expire i went to KL and got tourist visa again.

I have another question. I for myself would like to get a non imm O based on marriage, multiple that is. Since that now is impossible to get in the nearby countries, I would like to know if I am breaking the law if I send my passport by courier mail to a consulate in Europe that still issue this kind of visa. I would be in Malaysia or Indonesia when I send the passport overseas. When I get to the Thai immigration, will they accept this visa? Or, in the worst scenario, will I be in deep shit because I have made someting illegal? IS it illegal? I didn't send the passport to the European consulate when I was on Thai soil... Anybody thought about that?

i have never done this before but i assum that as long as you're not in thailand and doing this, you shouldn't have any problem, you're not breaking any thai law, cause youre not in the country, i don't think they would know if you ever went back to home or not, i do not get a stamp on my PP when i return home to US, so how would they know if i went home or not.

i book the ticket and ready to go, but need some good 4star hotel to relax while im there near the thai consulate as possible, first day arrive have plenty of time to kill, so we just gonna walk around and see what hotel is fit to stay, does all the hotel are near of each other like Singapore orchid road?

[lopburi3]

I would like to know if I am breaking the law if I send my passport by courier mail to a consulate in Europe that still issue this kind of visa.

The Consulate should not accept a mail passport from outside their country unless officially responsible for the other country (like where no Thai Consulate and they take care of visas from that country). Any visa issued in error will not be valid if found out. If you use an address inside country for forwarding as your address it could be a serious offense in the country involved. If you do not have entry/exit stamps from Malaysia it can be easily found out.

In short; make the full trip if you must do this, but try to meet the extension requirements for the long term.

[LivinLOS]

As above the flaw to this plan is that there would be no Malay exit stamp and re entry stamp in dates that bracket your new visa application showing your exit and reentry to Malaysia...

I have also heard that passports that arrive in packages with international stamps (postage) are automatically refused so you need to relay the passport through a local contact in the country of the embassy... In short risky !!!

[Axel]

I would like to know if I am breaking the law if I send my passport by courier mail to a consulate in Europe that still issue this kind of visa.

You will have another serious problem. You mail your passport from Malaysia or Indonesia to Europe. While it is away, you stay in either country without p/port and cannot prove who you are, how your visa-situation inside this country is.

What do you do if the p/port does not come back to you?

[LivinLOS]

go to the consulte and declare it lost !!

Also next time ask for 2 passports so that one can be used to get visa's while one is used as local ID !!

[Axel]

go to the consulte and declare it lost !!

Also next time ask for 2 passports so that one can be used to get visa's while one is used as local ID !!

Declare as lost would mean too much trouble, need a police report,

after received the new p/port need to go to the local immigration to get the (Malaysian) entries reconfirmed....

2 p/ports: Sometimes it works, yes. Not always, as the local consulate wants to be sure the applicant actually is in the area. In your home country this can be overcome, as there will be no entry-chop in the p/port. (I did it years ago, send my p/port with applications, pictures etc. to a business partner, who on my behalf went to the consulate, got the visa and send the p/poprt back to me). Used it than to travel to Thailand.

Legally, this contains a mis-declaration. I declared my address to be my partners business address and signed this to be true and correct. Well, it was a lie.

Anyway, if you manage to get a visa in e.g. UK, Germany or Denmark and hold a EU-passport, the Thai immigration will have no way to check if you actually visited such countries and usually are not interested to check this, at least when coming into Thailand by air.

[otherstuff1957]

Getting back to Penang - I stayed at the Hotel Oriental (or maybe Orient), just down the street from the Continental. A fellow who had stayed at both said the Oriental was cheaper and nicer. I think it's on the corner of Chulia Lebuh and Jalan Penang.

A nice bar is 20 Leith Street. Located, curiously enough, at 20 Leith Street. It had good food, cold beer and live music. It's located about one or two blocks from the Hotels Oriental and Continental.

I'd do the consulate visit myself. It's easy to do and I'm paranoid about letting other people have my passport.

[lopburi3]

Getting back to Penang - I stayed at the Hotel Oriental (or maybe Orient), just down the street from the Continental. A fellow who had stayed at both said the Oriental was cheaper and nicer. I think it's on the corner of Chulia Lebuh and Jalan Penang.

Cheaper yes. Nicer? No way. And I have never stayed in the new wing of the Hotel Continental.

The Oriental and Merchant I would rate about the same. Both very old, tired hotels with antique plumbing and rotted woodwork. But they were among the very few between guest house and business class hotels a decade ago. Today there is a wider choice available. I believe it also has an Indian restaurant in the basement which I found inedible (but some have considered a plus). Having had Delhi belly in Delhi many times I try to avoid that cuisine.

[chingy_]

The GF and i decided to stay at the GRAND CONTINENTAL hotel, for the first day its about 1500baht, if she doesn't like the hotel than we move to the next hotel, have any of you stay at the grand continental, any advice on the hotel.

[lopburi3]

Have stayed there with family. Small pool on roof is a plus. Indian management is a minus (tried to short change me at front desk). Small restaurant mostly Indian food and they also pulled overpricing twice (and kept it from register so management/customer would not know).

Stayed in a family type room and was large so no problem on that score. Short walk to Komtor shopping center but a fair distance from most tourist areas.

As stated in previous post I am not a fan of Indian cooking so you may find it better. You can always walk to Komtor for other choices.

[chingy_]

im not to favor of indian food either, the next choice down the list is

city bay view hotel

hotel malaysia

Berjaya george town hotel.

you guy been talking about oriental hotel, i saw on the map is it good or bad, the GF don't like icky, dusty, smelly kinda place

there are two hotel im confuss Grand Continental and a Continental hotel, are they the same, i can't find continental hotel on google only the other one.

can some one confirm that if i apply for a visa i can pick up the next day, and not 2 day later, just curious i read it some-where and it say that it take 2 day after drop off.

[sim]

Would be interested in how the Penang Embassy was for you as well, since i may go there for my B visa.

may I know on what requisit you apply for your b visa?

[lopburi3]

there are two hotel im confuss Grand Continental and a Continental hotel, are they the same, i can't find continental hotel on google only the other one.

Not the same. Hotel Continental is located at the end of Penang Road next to the Malaysia Hotel. It was never listed on internet and have always just arrived and got room. There was a major addition added a few years ago so should be clean and modern. Others have reported staying there recently so don't believe name has changed. It is one of the largest hotels in the city (even if in stealth mode on Google). But seems to book directly with businessmen or walk-ins rather than agents or internet.

I would call the Oriental icky/dusty/moldy myself but perhaps they have upgraded it since my stay years ago.

Visa has always been apply in morning, pick up next workday in afternoon and have not seen anyone post otherwise.

[s_kates81]

how about the hotels and guest houses at chulia street? how much for a night?everyone ever stayed there?which guesthouse/hotel is best over there?

[s_kates81]

which airlines are operating on Bkk-Penang route except air asia?and what are the prices?return fare.