Phuket-Penang By Car ?

[Janelle]

Just wondering if anyone had driven from phuket to Penang ?

How long does it take and is it a safe and easy trip ? I plan on doing it alone with 2 kids so safety is priority. I do understand that at the boarder there is a plate change and a fee of some sort ?

Cheers

[starkey_rich]

Easy drive.You can do it in one go but with 2 kids I would advise a stop over.

You need your Thai plate translated into English at the Land Transport office.

Once across the border you have to purchase Malaysian Insurance at the booths on your right hand side.

If your car is company owned you need a letter from the company stating you are allowed to take the car out of the country.Also your blue book

[merijn]

Don't forget that your windows are not allowed to be dark tinted in Malaysia. They will check this at the border.

[eezergood]

Don't forget that your windows are not allowed to be dark tinted in Malaysia. They will check this at the border.

and if they are?

what is considered dark?

[phuketrichard]

just drove down last month

9 1/2 hours Kamala to the Mingood hotel in Georgetown, We left about 8 am and was inPenanag by 7 ( 1 hour later) on the way back we left in the afternoon and stopped in Hat Yai

easy drive

BEFORE you go u need go to the dept of transport ( where u do ur car registration) and get a letter to take ur car into Malaysia, just go up upstairs and tell then your going to Malaysia and they will ask for ur blue book, and ur passport, ( u need copies ur visa page an page with ur picture)

If u do not have the english stickers of your cars plate you can get them at the border (100 baht each)

insurance was 800 baht for my honda civic

I have English style plates for my car but they would not accept them even thou i was told at the Phuket transport office they are valid.

The lady at the Malaysia office was a real ass an told me i could not take my car in cause my windows were tinted to much also would not tell me where to get insurance.

anyway went and got insurance and went back and there was a guy this time, he said NO windows too tinted an took his hand held meter an my windows were 28% and the legal limit is 50%

told him ok i will take off tint and he walked back to office, I went after him and said is it ok? an he said no, anyway after 5 minutes he said go.

There are supposedly places on the Thai side before the border where u can get insurance( on the left hand side) an do the paper work so i suggest you look for them.

Customs on the thai side was nothing an no paperwork ( unlike going into Laos or Cambodia) Malaysian immigration you don't even get out of ur car but pass ur passports over. Customs was nothing.

Make sure u have Malaysian money as there are toll roads,

Gas is 10baht/lt cheaper and there are stations 5 minutes after the border and same coming back.

We took the bridge over to the island an the ferry back ( coming back the ferry is free)

Edited April 16, 2013 by phuketrichard

[SeanPhuket]

Soudns like it could be fun! Enjoy and let us know how it went!

[PattayaPhom]

10 years ago and drove through without even getting Malaysian entry stamp. Realised and had to drive back for our stamps. Rented csr and no papereork needed. Times have changed

[MacChine]

Tinted windows are a hazard and some that drive around in Tland are practically blind. Front windows, too.

I have to say, thanks to its Colonial past, probably, Malaysia is far more responsible regarding safety. It's like night and day crossing the border as far as the road markings, speed limit enforcement, etc..

I've made this trip a couple of times, and will be making it this weekend to get a new visa.

Seems I always get off the track though and it takes me about 11 hours. It's a brutal, stressful drive too, no highways just the divided hwy, and sometimes not even that.

Lotsa speeding and otherwise typically poor drivers, look out for no lights on the back of Motosai- epidemic.

With kids, make it a two day trip and stop at the Emerald Pool or hot springs (early morn is best or else jammed )

Edited April 17, 2013 by MacChine

[digitalchromakey]

just drove down last month

9 1/2 hours Kamala to the Mingood hotel in Georgetown, We left about 8 am and was inPenanag by 7 ( 1 hour later) on the way back we left in the afternoon and stopped in Hat Yai

easy drive

BEFORE you go u need go to the dept of transport ( where u do ur car registration) and get a letter to take ur car into Malaysia, just go up upstairs and tell then your going to Malaysia and they will ask for ur blue book, and ur passport, ( u need copies ur visa page an page with ur picture)

If u do not have the english stickers of your cars plate you can get them at the border (100 baht each)

insurance was 800 baht for my honda civic

The lady at the Malaysia office was a real ass an told me i could not take my car in cause my windows were tinted to much also would not tell me where to get insurance.

anyway went and got insurance and went back and there was a guy this time, he said NO windows too tinted an took his hand held meter an my windows were 28% and the legal limit is 50%

told him ok i will take off tint and he walked back to office, I went after him and said is it ok? an he said no, anyway after 5 minutes he said go.

There are supposedly places on the Thai side before the border where u can get insurance( on the left hand side) an do the paper work so i suggest you look for them.

Customs on the thai side was nothing an no paperwork ( unlike going into Laos or Cambodia) Malaysian immigration you don't even get out of ur car but pass ur passports over. Customs was nothing.

Make sure u have Malaysian money as there are toll roads,

There are 3x Insurance places in the single story row of shops on the right just a few metres over the border as you get into Malaysia; they will also do the stick on black and white alphanemeric plates plus the Malaysian Highway Dept that inspects the windows/car and issues your permit is located at the same place.

Paperwork wise you should get theTemporary Export Document at Thai Customs before you cross and you should also get the vehicle checked back in when you return to Thailand - takes only a couple of minutes each way but parking is a drama - just park illegally and be quick!.

[phuketrichard]

yes but i was referring to BEFORE the Thai border as they don't hassle u as much about the tint on ur windows. This is where all the Thai's do it as most of their cars are tinted.

NOT on the right side after the border

AS to the temp export doc, have only obtained that going into Laos and Cambodia, I asked about it when we drove to Malaysia an they said not needed.

traveling with my Cambodia gf she had to go to a different place than i did for Thai immigration coming back so it was parking illegally an jumping over the barricades back and forth :-)

as to stressful, i found it an easy trip and nice roads in Malaysia well posted. Never saw a cop in Malaysia

I only have trouble going through Trang, seems i always end up in circles for 15 minutes or so :-)

Edited April 18, 2013 by phuketrichard

[SeaVisionBurma]

I only have trouble going through Trang, seems i always end up in circles for 15 minutes or so :-)

..and you wouldn't be the first. No matter how many times I drive through that town, I end up on an endless loop somewhere

[Gonsalviz]

Don't forget that your windows are not allowed to be dark tinted in Malaysia. They will check this at the border.

and if they are?

what is considered dark?

The Malaysians have a light meter to measure the dark. No way to know except it is not very much tint allowed.

[Gonsalviz]

Tinted windows are a hazard and some that drive around in Tland are practically blind. Front windows, too.

I have to say, thanks to its Colonial past, probably, Malaysia is far more responsible regarding safety. It's like night and day crossing the border as far as the road markings, speed limit enforcement, etc..

I've made this trip a couple of times, and will be making it this weekend to get a new visa.

Seems I always get off the track though and it takes me about 11 hours. It's a brutal, stressful drive too, no highways just the divided hwy, and sometimes not even that.

Lotsa speeding and otherwise typically poor drivers, look out for no lights on the back of Motosai- epidemic.

With kids, make it a two day trip and stop at the Emerald Pool or hot springs (early morn is best or else jammed )

The tint laws are to protect the police when they stop a car. They can see the activity inside the vehicle.

[Janelle]

Thanks very much for all of the information provided. It's is all very helpful and I will definitely be putting it to use.

I must say, I have checked this web site out before and was disgusted by the replies I had seen to people's questions. The lack of courtesy and respect shown to people had disgusted me and scared me off the site. This is the first time I have used the site and you crew are a step (or 10) above the quality of people who I have seen reply to other people's honest questions. Please be the people who reply to MY next question !! Regards janelle

[eezergood]

good luck with the trip!

[Jaybonnaza]

Recently did a trip

4.5 hours to trang

3 hours to border

Stayed over the border and drove to penang in 5/6 hours

[phuketrichard]

it took u 5-6 hours fro the border to Penang? were u walking??

Phuket ( kamala)-Krabi 2 1/2

Krabi to Trang 1 1/2

Trang-Hat Yai via Phatthalung 2

Hat Yai to Penang 2 1/2

that's averaging less than 110 kms/hour

I did the whole route from Phuket to Penang in 9 1/2 (That includes getting lost in Trang for 15 minutes and stopping for lunch/gas and border.

The max for tint in Malaysia is 50% mine was 28% ( he used the meter.)

Next time i will not bother to stop, ( get my Malay Insurance before the border) so am not hassled

[animatic]

Any particulars about taking a motorcycle over?

I assume the insurance and plate translation transport stuff is the same.

I have no tinted helmet unless I want it.

Haven't decided specifically, but a 4-5 day bike trip is often fun.

[LivinginKata]

The last 3 off topic posts removed.