Visa run, Padang Besar

[thaiasia]

I'm about to do a visa run soon, and I was wondering if it's possible to go to Padang Besar, enter Malaysia, and then just enter Thailand again right after? Or do I need to stay in Malaysia overnight before coming back to Thailand?

 

Anyone has any experiences?

Edited December 2, 2022 by thaiasia

[VinnieK]

Technically you are supposed to stay at least 1 night.

[RedArmy]

Lots of recent threads on Pedang Besar - If looking for a swift same day return, i would highly recommend you consider the Wang Prachan border crossing instead.

[Saigon]

2 hours ago, RedArmy said:

Lots of recent threads on Pedang Besar - If looking for a swift same day return, i would highly recommend you consider the Wang Prachan border crossing instead.

I'm actually interested in this land border crossing

for a border bounce. I heard that the IO would ask

you to pay 2,000B if you wanted to come back to

Thailand from Malaysia on the same day, though.

Edited December 2, 2022 by Saigon

[spambot]

Previous recent post and thread

 

[recom273]

4 hours ago, RedArmy said:

Lots of recent threads on Pedang Besar - If looking for a swift same day return, i would highly recommend you consider the Wang Prachan border crossing instead.

Looks like both those borders are making life difficult at the moment. It may be worth a look at Sadao, or Nathawi. 

[RedArmy]

1 hour ago, Saigon said:

I heard that the IO would ask

you to pay 2,000B if you wanted to come back to

Thailand from Malaysia on the same day, though.

You heard correctly but you don't have to pay, you could always take a taxi, pay for a hotel on the Malaysian side, taxi back in the morning - For those looking for a quick 1 hour out/in, its a no brainer.

[RedArmy]

27 minutes ago, recom273 said:

Looks like both those borders are making life difficult at the moment. It may be worth a look at Sadao, or Nathawi. 

2,000 baht will overcome any "Difficulties" - It is what it is, pay & achieve your goal, or cry about it & enjoy a night or 2 in Malaysia.

[BritTim]

6 hours ago, RedArmy said:

2,000 baht will overcome any "Difficulties" - It is what it is, pay & achieve your goal, or cry about it & enjoy a night or 2 in Malaysia.

... or research how to avoid these difficulties, perhaps (not sure these days) by using immigration at Padang Besar station rather than the road crossing. Has anyone tried this recently for a same day in/out?

[zzzzz]

14 hours ago, RedArmy said:

2,000 baht will overcome any "Difficulties" - It is what it is, pay & achieve your goal, or cry about it & enjoy a night or 2 in Malaysia.

when u include the cost to travel by car to the border /back and 2,000 baht

why not just fly to Penang??

[RedArmy]

5 hours ago, zzzzz said:

when u include the cost to travel by car to the border /back and 2,000 baht

why not just fly to Penang??

Obviously it's easier to fly but it all depends on the individuals history & how long they have already been in Thailand - For long term stayers, it's genuinely perceived that a land border crossing is the safest option as opposed to having to deal with Immigration at the airports.

[edwardandtubs]

22 hours ago, RedArmy said:

You heard correctly but you don't have to pay, you could always take a taxi, pay for a hotel on the Malaysian side, taxi back in the morning - For those looking for a quick 1 hour out/in, its a no brainer.

A lot of people are in such a rush they can't even spend one night outside of Thailand. I think they must be working on a tourist visa and can't get a day off work. 

 

I just did a quick in-out to Laos but as the cost of the visa was $40, it would have been cheaper to fly to Hat Yai then take public transport to Malaysia and spend the night there before returning. Next time I'll spend a few days in Penang. Why are some people so desperate to rush back to Thailand?

[gomangosteen]

29 minutes ago, edwardandtubs said:

A lot of people are in such a rush they can't even spend one night outside of Thailand.

Why are some people so desperate to rush back to Thailand?

I'm with you on that one; I'm not retired - just what do retired people 'do' all day that it's so desperate to come back the same day?

 

It's not as if the required dates aren't known well in advance, we take them as holidays - returned yesterday from KL having spent a week traveling, headed back to Malacca as hadn't been there since 2016; same ever since I've been here, trips within Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, never less than a week. 

[eastbaybob]

My last experience prior to the pandemic entering at Padang Basar was not good. I had a valid multiple entry Non Immigrant O visa but the female immigration officer there just absolutely hates people entering Thailand.  It’s bazar and I have never encountered such a horrible person in all my time in Thailand.  Thus, go anywhere but there.

[problemfarang]

On 12/2/2022 at 5:43 PM, RedArmy said:

You heard correctly but you don't have to pay, you could always take a taxi, pay for a hotel on the Malaysian side, taxi back in the morning - For those looking for a quick 1 hour out/in, its a no brainer.

is it cheaper than 2000 baht? hotel, taxi and food... 

[problemfarang]

On 12/3/2022 at 3:58 PM, edwardandtubs said:

A lot of people are in such a rush they can't even spend one night outside of Thailand. I think they must be working on a tourist visa and can't get a day off work. 

 

I just did a quick in-out to Laos but as the cost of the visa was $40, it would have been cheaper to fly to Hat Yai then take public transport to Malaysia and spend the night there before returning. Next time I'll spend a few days in Penang. Why are some people so desperate to rush back to Thailand?

 

i understand what you are saying and kinda agree with you

BUT i remember my non-o multi marriage visa 90 days. to drive from where i am to the nearest and friendly border is around 8 hours which is mukdahan. even that costs me almost 5000 baht.

 

 i also remember my getting a new visa days. from savanakhet. i always arrive mukdahan 1 day before the day i want to cross the border. its just because i dont want to do things hurry. so i stay 450 baht in a nearby hotel. so maybe this doesnt count if you come the day you want to cross the border. Crossing the border, visa, bus and everything if i remember correct is around 1500 baht. well non-o multi visas are 5000, single 2000. TR is also 2000 or 1900baht. hotels are starting from 450-500. a good one is 600 and really nice ones are 1800. tuktuks or vans are usually around 100 per one way drive. normal food and all the stuff is another 500-2000 baht. 

 

with my gas for my car (2000 baht) and all getting a new visa is around 10K 

 

lets say you are not doing a visa but only stay a night. again it would be around 5000-7000. 

 

thats why people in a rush. its not about the time but money

 

Edited December 4, 2022 by problemfarang

[thaiasia]

Just got back to Thailand today. In Padang Besar, I was first told to stay in Malaysia for 3 days and then come back to Thailand (I tried to re-enter Thailand after being in Malaysia for about 15 minutes ????)

Someone who offered us a ride to Hat Yai went to talk to some people who just hang around the building and I was told that, for 2,500 thb, I can re-enter Thailand immediately. I know there would have been other options but just wanted to take the easiest route this time. I gave the money to that old man who first I thought was homeless.. After I paid, we both went back to the same immigration officer again, and they gladly stamped me in.

So, 2500 thb seems to be the current price ????

 

 

[edwardandtubs]

Is the train up to Hat Yai running normally again?

[thaiasia]

8 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

Is the train up to Hat Yai running normally again?

From Bangkok to Hat Yai, yes. But we could not book the train all the way to the border because there was some problem with the train tracks from Hat Yai to the border. The employees at Hua Lamphong could not say when it will be fixed.

[sadmoneysnow]

On 12/16/2022 at 8:50 PM, thaiasia said:

Someone who offered us a ride to Hat Yai went to talk to some people who just hang around the building and I was told that, for 2,500 thb, I can re-enter Thailand immediately. I know there would have been other options but just wanted to take the easiest route this time. I gave the money to that old man who first I thought was homeless.. After I paid, we both went back to the same immigration officer again, and they gladly stamped me in.

So, 2500 thb seems to be the current price ????

 

 

Hi, so you exited thailand, entered malaysia, exitied malaysia, then went to the Thai IO to get stamped in but they told you to stay in Malaysia for 3 days?

 

They told me the same thing when I did a visa run to Padang. I did not know you could bribe them though

[Saigon]

On 12/16/2022 at 8:50 PM, thaiasia said:

Just got back to Thailand today. In Padang Besar, I was first told to stay in Malaysia for 3 days and then come back to Thailand (I tried to re-enter Thailand after being in Malaysia for about 15 minutes ????)

That means that you'd better spend at least 2 nights in Malaysia, doesn't it?

Edited December 17, 2022 by Saigon

[Saigon]

20 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

Is the train up to Hat Yai running normally again?

I took a train from Padang Besar to Hat Yai last October.

[edwardandtubs]

35 minutes ago, Saigon said:

I took a train from Padang Besar to Hat Yai last October.

There was a terrorist attack a few weeks ago that closed the line. My question related to whether it was open again after that and thaiasia has helpfully confirmed that it isn't.

[thaiasia]

5 hours ago, sadmoneysnow said:

Hi, so you exited thailand, entered malaysia, exitied malaysia, then went to the Thai IO to get stamped in but they told you to stay in Malaysia for 3 days?

 

They told me the same thing when I did a visa run to Padang. I did not know you could bribe them though

Yes, that's exactly what I did.

 

There was a group of old men just sitting outside, I think they were playing cards. The man who gave us a ride to Hat Yai went to talk to them, and one of them said that for 2500 baht he will help me. I paid him, and then he and I both went back to the same immigration room again, and they stamped me in, no questions asked ????

[thaiasia]

5 hours ago, Saigon said:

That means that you'd better spend at least 2 nights in Malaysia, doesn't it?

Yes, 2 or 3 nights in Malaysia, and it would be a lot easier to come back to Thailand.

[thaibeachlovers]

Surely for 2000 or 2500 one can stay a night in Malaysia and experience something a bit different.

Everyone is in such a rush these days.

[jts-khorat]

1 hour ago, thaiasia said:

Yes, 2 or 3 nights in Malaysia, and it would be a lot easier to come back to Thailand.

The problem with Padang Besar is, that it is a really bleak place, not really worth spending much time in (of course this is only my opinion).

 

I guess people going there do this because they have either no money or no time to spend in Malaysia in the first place. Else, Padang Besar has of course a railway connection to get from there to other places in Malaysia, where spending time might be more worthwile -- but then maybe only 2 to 3 nights will not cut it.

[Saigon]

10 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

There was a terrorist attack a few weeks ago that closed the line. My question related to whether it was open again after that and thaiasia has helpfully confirmed that it isn't.

Thanks for the update. I'm actually planning to go to

Penang from Hat Yai sometime next week, and I do

hope that the train service will have gotten back

to normal again by then. Otherwise I'll take a bus

or a mini-van.

Edited December 18, 2022 by Saigon

[Saigon]

5 hours ago, thaiasia said:

Yes, 2 or 3 nights in Malaysia, and it would be a lot easier to come back to Thailand.

I will spend a few nights in Penang. I love the food

there! And the Thai Baht has still been strong against

RM, too!

Edited December 18, 2022 by Saigon