Malaysia And 'infinite' 90-Day Stays

[MrWorldwide]

I know Thailand cracked down on this some years back, but I havent seen any reference to foreigners being turned around at any of Malaysia's entry points because they have exceeded any rule re visa exemption stamps. A conversation with a lady on a flight from Penang to Swampy in 2010 left me wondering if Malaysian immigration simply doesn't care - she was travelling with her daughter who, despite having been born in Malaysia didnt qualify for a Malatsian passport as neither parent was a permanent resident. Dad had a working visa (lucky man, fwir ..), but the women of the family had to fly out every 3 months. I dont know whether they made an exception for the family because they had a Malaysian address, but the child was at least 3 years old - that's a lot of stamps in a toddler's passport ...

Happy to hear from anyone who has more info on this, but on the surface it seems a lot more lenient than the Thai rule. No question that Malaysia is a more expensive destination than Thailand, particularly for tourists, but I've never seen a Malaysian Immigration official give my passport anything more than a cursory glance before hammering that 90-day stamp and waving me on my way. 'Welcome to Malaysia - now get your butt to the hotel and start pushing up our GDP !'

[gamini]

I lived in Malaysia for many years on a tourist visa . When my visa was about to expire I drove to Singapore and back.

You could live permanently in Penang this way crossing over by minibus once every three months into Thailand and back. There never has been any restrictions on the number or frequencies of tourist visas

[MrWorldwide]

Thanks gamini, but I assume you mean the 90-day stamp, rather than a full-page visa in your passport ? Technically, the former is a visa exemption.

Historically, Penang could have been a lot closer to Thailand than is currently the case.

n 1785, the British obtained the island of Penang from the Sultan of Kedah. The channel between the island and the mainland of Peninsula Malaysia became the border between British territory and Kedah, and therefore Siamese, territory.

On 6 May 1869, Great Britain and Siam signed an agreement known as the Bangkok Treaty of 1869 where Siam ceded a piece of territory on the mainland opposite Penang to Great Britain. The territory became known as Province Wellesley (known as Seberang Perai today).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia%E2%80%93Thailand_border

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seberang_Perai

Of course, retaining Butterworth and surrounds as part of the Kingdom would have been impossible once the surrounding provinces were returned to Malaysia. I know further political discussion isnt in our best interests, so I'll leave it there.

[gamini]

Thanks gamini, but I assume you mean the 90-day stamp, rather than a full-page visa in your passport ? Technically, the former is a visa exemption.

Historically, Penang could have been a lot closer to Thailand than is currently the case.

n 1785, the British obtained the island of Penang from the Sultan of Kedah. The channel between the island and the mainland of Peninsula Malaysia became the border between British territory and Kedah, and therefore Siamese, territory.

On 6 May 1869, Great Britain and Siam signed an agreement known as the Bangkok Treaty of 1869 where Siam ceded a piece of territory on the mainland opposite Penang to Great Britain. The territory became known as Province Wellesley (known as Seberang Perai today).

http://en.wikipedia....Thailand_border

http://en.wikipedia..../Seberang_Perai

Of course, retaining Butterworth and surrounds as part of the Kingdom would have been impossible once the surrounding provinces were returned to Malaysia. I know further political discussion isnt in our best interests, so I'll leave it there.

Yes I meant an exemption stamp. Interesting information about Penang that I did not know. A big loss to Thailand!

[pauleddy]

Does anyone know anything more about the "un-official" position re Malaysia? (not meaning a working visa for a teacher!)

The MMSH scheme means buying a house/car and getting registered. However, a friend has a Malaysian partner and has been doing the 3-month visa in-out for 4 years. He never has a problem. He just flies to Bangkok every 3 months.

Is a blind-eye now almost official? Or has anyone been turned away due to 14 malay visas in the passport?

Thx

Eddy