Can you you leave and re-enter Thailand on the same day at the Padang Besar border point?

[ThLT]

Is it possible? For visa exemption.

Is a one night stay in Malaysia needed?
 

(Could those who have recently done this border run share their experiences?)

Edited November 2, 2022 by ThLT

[visabouncer]

I suggest the requirements(and admin fees) are not the same for those who want to make a visa exempt entry and for those why already have a multi visa.

[still kicking]

I did this every 3 months but that was years ago I don't know the rules today

[ThLT]

20 minutes ago, visabouncer said:

I suggest the requirements(and admin fees) are not the same for those who want to make a visa exempt entry and for those why already have a multi visa.

Visa exemption.

[ThLT]

Hi @ubonjoe, would you know if a stay in Malaysia for one night is required or not, at the Padang Besar border point?

[visabouncer]

Maybe this could be helpful

They want 2k baht at the Wang Prachan border crossing which is very close to Padang Besar. Wang Prachan is actually a very silent border crossing. Almost no people. So collecting 2k fee is not a problem. But Padang Besar is relatively busy. Even if there are people that succeeded, I suggest one day the officer can become too shy to collect admin fees in the presence of a big crowd. So you can consider catching a taxi from Padang Besar to Wang Prachan(24km) while returning to Thailand.

[ThLT]

I did the border run at Padang Besar.

You need to stop at Padang Besar in Malaysia, not at Padang Besar in Thailand (there are two cities with the same name, but different countries, for some reason). You get stamped out in Padang Besar, Malaysia, get stamped in, then you buy a train ticket, and get stamped into Thailand. You get on the train and head back into Thailand. The train waits for everyone to go through immigration, so it can be even 1 hour late. 

[Stocky]

13 hours ago, ThLT said:

there are two cities with the same name, but different countries, for some reason

It was a single town in the Thai province of Monthon Syburi until the Anglo-Siamese treaty of 1909 when Thailand ceded Kedah and Perlis to British Malaya. This left Padang Besar straddling an international border.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 11/3/2022 at 6:30 AM, ThLT said:

Hi @ubonjoe, would you know if a stay in Malaysia for one night is required or not, at the Padang Besar border point?

You do have to actually enter Malaysia. Can't just get stamped out and back in again.

Why not stay for a couple days and have a look around? That's what I did- in Penang.

[Laphroaig27]

On 11/2/2022 at 4:06 PM, still kicking said:

I did this every 3 months but that was years ago I don't know the rules today

Me too. I'd done it many times by 2nd class fan sleeper. It was an easy runner back in the day. I think around 2010 things got tight as there was lots of monkey business, fake stamps, bad guys, perfect storm. Things became a hassle. By then I was done with it. Crossing Sadao is really easy overland. By train you need to wait in discomfort quite a long time I recall. Just go to Penang and take a break, get some good food.

[ThLT]

9 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You do have to actually enter Malaysia. Can't just get stamped out and back in again.
Why not stay for a couple days and have a look around? That's what I did- in Penang.

You can. I posted and explained it just a few post above yours. Obviously, you have to enter Malaysia if you leave and get stamped out of Thailand.

Edited November 8, 2022 by ThLT

[seajae]

We used to go to Ranong every 3 months, leave Thailand after going through thai immigration  to be stamped out and get on the boat and go over to the casino, hand over our passports to be stamped in & out, have a nice lunch and walk around a bit, walk back to the boat picking up our passports on the way, get back over to Ranong and go back through thai immigration to be stamped back in. Made for  a nice day out and was only for 4 hours or so, no overnight stay required.

[MarcelV]

Butterworth is a great place for a night or two. Beautiful city with some wonderful architecture and delicious street food.

[my friend I]

On 11/8/2022 at 1:19 PM, Stocky said:

It was a single town in the Thai province of Monthon Syburi until the Anglo-Siamese treaty of 1909 when Thailand ceded Kedah and Perlis to British Malaya. This left Padang Besar straddling an international border.

Before the new Padang Besar Malaysia station was built there was an immigration in Padang Besar Thailand where you took a short walk to the old station. Was much more convenient

 

There was a border wall. Smugglers used to sit on the wall and hand the goods to a motorbike rider who took off thru the rubber plantation. They were smuggling onions, cooking oil and cookies.

[my friend I]

The walkway between the Padang Besar Malaysia railway station and the Malaysian immigration and town has finally reopened.