Tourist Visa Attempt in Kuala Lumpur (AVOID)

[KevWaters]

My 30 day stamp exemption was about to expire so I flew to Kuala Lumpur from Bangkok on a Wednesday night to get a Tourist Visa early the next morning.

The Thai Consulate is easy to find and get to compared to the ones I have been too (VIentiane, and now Penang) but it is a 1.5 km walk from the LRT (similar to the BTS) station. I arrived 15 minutes before opening at 9.15am and there were 21 people in front of me. On entry, I was impressed to see that it was all done in the same air conditioned room and the three staff were moving through the numbers swiftly. It was also FAR less crowded than the consulate in Vientiane. Sadly, this is where all praise ends.

Once I got to the counter I was asked for proof of my transport out of Malaysia. I explained that I was going to visit Penang first and then by the bus ticket from there, but that was not good enough. They insisted that I buy the bus/plane ticket before they will take my application and gave me 30 minutes to do so if I wanted my application to be submitted on that day (printed ticket or receipt only). I taken off my flip flops and ran the 1.5km to the LRT (funny sight for sure, but those broken paths are pretty painful on the feet too). From there I changed once and ended up at the bus station where I could buy a ticket for the following night to Hat Yai. I then raced back bear foot to arrive back bang on the 12pm deadline soaked with sweat and shaking it off like a dog. They told me I was too late, but then agreed to accept my application. 20 minutes later they called me over and told me they would need receipts for where I was staying in KL.They told me to come back tomorrow with the receipts, but I didn't want to miss the bus that I had just booked. I was angered by this but remained calm and told them they should have told me before. They agreed to give me another 30 minutes to go and get hotel receipts for the two nights. Again I sprinted as fast as I could and taken the LRT to Central where the affordable places are and paid for another night at the place I stayed the night prior, before returning to the consulate 40 minutes later to find they had just closed for lunch.

I waited for 1 hour 30 mins until they reopened and I think they could tell how frustrated I was as they just accepted it. I sat down again relieved and when they called me back over I was expecting the problems to be behind us, but no...they were not. They then asked where I would stay in Thailand once I arrived and to provide written proof of address in Thailand. Tourists often don't have a fixed address. I have been staying with a friend for the 4 days I have been living in Bangkok so I could not provide formal proof of a fixed address for them. They could not provide me with an alternate solutions to this problem. They just told me to call the consulate from the phone box down the street and then come back tomorrow. They refused to speak directly to them, and they couldn't tell me how they could know what the consulate told me unless they spoke directly with them. At the same time as this request I was also asked to provide ticket proof of my journey out of Thailand at the end of my stay. I told them that Tourists didn't plan so far ahead and I did not know where I would be doing yet.

I told them that the last two requests were not even on the list of required documents that they were showing me but they pointed to a part that says the consulate have the right to ask for ANY documents that they want. I would understand that, as long as it was foreseeable and made sense. First of all, why would I need to prove I am staying in a hotel in Malaysia, and prove that I will leave. I don't even need a visa to enter Malaysia, and I wouldn't be buying a Visa for another Country if I was going to stay!

I told them I needed the Visa today because I had already acted on their command and bought the bus ticket out of Malaysia at 600 Baht, and another night in a hotel that was no use unless I could get the Visa the next day. No way was I re-submitting my application on Friday in KL and waiting until Monday to be rejected. I did make a joke of it at this point and ask if they needed any food or drink receipts too.

So, as I could only get a Transit Visa from them and not a Tourist Visa, I left and headed for Penang taking the 1,600 Baht loss on the chin. The guard at the entrance joked about it and told me that Penang will be much easier.

The Penang Consulate was much harder to find as the nearest bus stops over 1km away from it. Knowing this, I hired a scooter on arrival at the City centre at 9am and went straight over there. The one way roads made it a much longer journey than it should have been. When I arrived at 9.30 there was no queue and I filled in the form and gave it straight to the desk. Done in around 5 minutes, but being a Friday this means I will go back on Monday to pick it up.

In Summary, DO NOT GO TO KL FOR A TOURIST VISA, GO TO PENANG!!!! But if you do, make sure you wear Trainers and have had your morning coffee because they will do what they can to refuse you. I wasn't the only one on that day.

Edited June 7, 2015 by KevWaters

[Colabamumbai]

I would think that most real "tourists" coming to Thailand would have a ticket back to their home country and the Thai Government knows this also.

[CNXBKKMAN]

Top right hand corner of this page there is a search box. Always worth a search to see what the latest is on visas and consulates. Five or ten minutes of skimmimg the results will give an indication of which consulates to avoid.

[Maestro]

Removed a nonsensical post.

[Argus Tuft]

OP, there is a MyRapid bus which runs every few minutes from Ampang LRT station to the embassy along Ampang Road.

Costs 1 Ringgit.

Probably not helpful as you don't look to be ever going back to that embassy again, but might help someone else who doesn't fancy the marathon sprint in flip flops.

[technologybytes]

I agree with cnxbkkman, it's well known on this forum that there are easy and hard places to apply for a visa, and KL has been on the hard list for as long as I can remember.

A Consulate is always easier than a Embassy, the first mistake you made was to apply for a visa in an Embassy (KL). Penang has a consulate not an Embassy.

[thousandpercent]

Kev needs adult supervision.

[Argus Tuft]

Kev needs adult supervision.

Why?

Bit harsh innit?

[Mario2008]

1 flame post removed.

[eaglesflight]

I would think that most real "tourists" coming to Thailand would have a ticket back to their home country and the Thai Government knows this also.

Not everybody is a run-of-the-mill 9-5 wage slave with 2 weeks abroad to keep them sane every year. Some people prefer to live a more free range lifestyle. The constant jibes and schadenfreude on this forum regarding people's visa issues is really quite pathetic. Edited June 8, 2015 by eaglesflight

[gjoo888]

You wore flip-flops to an embassy? Did you wear shorts too? The way you dress may or may not affect your chances, but it sure can't hurt to dress properly.

[rct99q]

You are right. Not everybody is a 9-5 slave to the man worker. Some people are free and fly by the seat of their pants, yada, yada yada. Then sh@t like this happens and a poster gets all snippity. No flight plans, no hotel bookings, no this, no that, flip flops at the Embassy, probably wearing a wife beater as well. and low and behold no tourist visa. And people question why?But like hey dude your just hanging and chilling i know.

[fitnesspm]

Just go to immigration, no need to learn the country.

[VINCENT2012]

thailand is the third country visited in the world so they decided (thaksim started this) to look for good $$$$$ customers, they want real tourist with a return ticket since many years allready and only people with money, ..........they are fed up about all these bag packers from before....yesterday a guy call me and say i want a room for the month (could pay only 5000 baths) but for sure he will rent it for more time...then i said to him..sorry not enough and also... it depend more on what kind of visa you have first and after you can see what you want to do.....but here the people put the chariot in front of the bulls.....if i was that guy i would have leaved that ambassy, that nightmare and go to philipines or where ever they do accept my presence and my money.

sometimes it is not worth it to insist , the world is large and big, there is many places , don't wait for the thais to accept you.

scheck the country rules and do it the right way....dont try to do it the way you want only because u have lots of chances to loose

[nzexpat]

Just go to immigration, no need to learn the country.

What are you suggesting can be obtained from immigration without need to leave the country ?

More detail please

[TheRascal]

I would think that most real "tourists" coming to Thailand would have a ticket back to their home country and the Thai Government knows this also.

Nothing in the definition about tickets back to anywhere. You should probably contact the Oxford Dictionary and tell them it's time to update - you clearly know better.

tour·ist

ˈto͝orəst/

noun

1. 1.

   a person who is traveling or visiting a place for pleasure.

   "the pyramids have drawn tourists to Egypt"

   synonyms: vacationer, traveler, sightseer, visitor, backpacker, globetrotter, day tripper, out-of-towner;

   informalleaf peeper

   "the islands teem with tourists"

[Swedenlars]

I never had any problems in Kuala Lumpur nor in Penang. Just dress up properly, show them a flight ticket to Thailand. If possible also your flight ticket back home. As everybody should know by now that the Thais do not like tourists (especially those with filp-flops.....) entering Thailand by bus. So I am really wondering why you make such a big story out of nothing.

[Asiantravel]

I never had any problems in Kuala Lumpur nor in Penang. Just dress up properly, show them a flight ticket to Thailand. If possible also your flight ticket back home. As everybody should know by now that the Thais do not like tourists (especially those with filp-flops.....) entering Thailand by bus. So I am really wondering why you make such a big story out of nothing.

Nevertheless it does make you wonder why in some places they react this way? It's the same in Phnom Penh to some degree and yet you go to Savannakhet, in Laos and you could probably turn up in your birthday suit and they wouldn't care and they certainly don't ask for any of the documents the OP referred to.

[nzexpat]

I never had any problems in Kuala Lumpur nor in Penang. Just dress up properly, show them a flight ticket to Thailand. If possible also your flight ticket back home. As everybody should know by now that the Thais do not like tourists (especially those with filp-flops.....) entering Thailand by bus. So I am really wondering why you make such a big story out of nothing.

Nevertheless it does make you wonder why in some places they react this way? It's the same in Phnom Penh to some degree and yet you go to Savannakhet, in Laos and you could probably turn up in your birthday suit and they wouldn't care and they certainly don't ask for any of the documents the OP referred to.

Remember only one side of the story is told here.

Unless you were party to the conversation you have no idea what "documents" were actually requested .

[ubonjoe]

KL is not on my list of places to go for any visa. The are just to inconsistent in their requirements.

For tourist visas they have asked for financial proof that only a Malaysian or a resident could supply from some people. It think the ticket out of the country is a new one.

[IMA_FARANG]

Much easier to get a tourist visa in Penang than the Thai embassy to KL.

Just read the notice posted in Penang about tourists entering by a land border from Malaysia to Thailand and the possibility they will be asked to show 20K Baht in cash to enter Thailand at the land border.

The notice is posted right there where you apply for a tourist visa in the Penang consulate so you can see it easily as you pay your fee when you apply for the tourist visa.

And the return ticket is almost never required, what they usually want is a onward ticket "out of the country" not a return ticket to your home, just an onward ticket "out of country".

[Beetlejuice]

thailand is the third country visited in the world so they decided (thaksim started this) to look for good $$$$$ customers, they want real tourist with a return ticket since many years allready and only people with money, ..........they are fed up about all these bag packers from before....yesterday a guy call me and say i want a room for the month (could pay only 5000 baths) but for sure he will rent it for more time...then i said to him..sorry not enough and also... it depend more on what kind of visa you have first and after you can see what you want to do.....but here the people put the chariot in front of the bulls.....if i was that guy i would have leaved that ambassy, that nightmare and go to philipines or where ever they do accept my presence and my money.

sometimes it is not worth it to insist , the world is large and big, there is many places , don't wait for the thais to accept you.

scheck the country rules and do it the right way....dont try to do it the way you want only because u have lots of chances to loose

Exactly, spot on.

The main principle being; that tourists are not going to be the forever tourists and will eventually go home.

The authorities are only doing their job, by ending the visa hoppers and those of little wealth abusing the system, hustling around and always looking for loopholes as a means of remaining in Thailand.

Entering and leaving Thailand at will is no longer the pushover it used to be.

[kanook]

Thanks for posting your experience KevWaters. I hope the young guys on this forum are reading this, because it's happened to a few friends of mine. A friend was refused in Ho Chi MInh (Ed Visa). Two more were refused tourist visas in KL on separate occasions. When I told them it was risky to try to get their visa at these locations, they said they were sick of going to Laos. Everyone I know that went to KL or Vietnam for a visa and was refused knew that others had problems there, but they went anyway.

[lordblackader]

Don't wear flip-flops, don't wear shorts?

Seriously, what year is this?

Can't speak for KL, but never had a problem with visas, extensions, border crossings, any of the sorts wearing (OMFG) shorts and flip flops.

Then again I also don't look like a long haired hippie lout either.

Sure, don't turn up stinking to high heaven in ripped cloths, but for f sake, it's the tropics. If some of you old farts who can't get over the formalities of your old countries want to turn up in a long sleaved formal shirt, long pants, and dress shoes, good for you.

Me, and no doubt many others: sorry to tell you (and I say this as an Australian who grew up with hot weather) there is no way in the world I'm dressing up to that extent to visit immigration, or a consulate or embassy in the region.

Smile, be polite, be prepared most of all, and a pair of shorts (tidy, washed naturally) and flip-flogs/ thongs aren't going to make one bit of difference to how immigration treats you.

Edited June 8, 2015 by lordblackader

[ratcatcher]

I never had any problems in Kuala Lumpur nor in Penang. Just dress up properly, show them a flight ticket to Thailand. If possible also your flight ticket back home. As everybody should know by now that the Thais do not like tourists (especially those with filp-flops.....) entering Thailand by bus. So I am really wondering why you make such a big story out of nothing.

Nevertheless it does make you wonder why in some places they react this way? It's the same in Phnom Penh to some degree and yet you go to Savannakhet, in Laos and you could probably turn up in your birthday suit and they wouldn't care and they certainly don't ask for any of the documents the OP referred to.

"...in Laos and you could probably turn up in your birthday suit".

I imagine the Savannakhet consulate would prefer you at least had a lighted candle in your navel.

[KevWaters]

OP, there is a MyRapid bus which runs every few minutes from Ampang LRT station to the embassy along Ampang Road.

Costs 1 Ringgit.

Probably not helpful as you don't look to be ever going back to that embassy again, but might help someone else who doesn't fancy the marathon sprint in flip flops.

Cheers for the tip, but I didn't have time to wait around for that anyway. I never saw that bus on either of my four sprints up the road. A young lad like me doesn't need a bus for such a short distance when time is of the essence. It was a bloody good workout though for sure!

I don't know why Tourists are expected to dress like Businessmen, but for anyone thinking the dress sense (flip flops, jeans and polo shirt) had something to do with the refusal, I did already tell you in the OP that I was not the only one being refused. There were at least 4 others that I saw from the 22 before me (which is a lot considering that not all of the 22 were applying for Tourist Visa. from what I overheard, they didn't get past the Malaysian hotel receipt stage. That request still baffles me, it was never asked of me when I entered Malaysia, so why ask when I am trying to leave. It seems way out of context.

[KevWaters]

The bottom line is that it is best to avoid it at the moment if applying for a Tourist Visa just go to Vientiane or Penang. At Penang taken me 5 minutes to submit my application and 2 minutes to collect it. Not one question was asked. P.S. Thanks for the insight re. applying at the Embassy Vs. Consulate.

[fitnesspm]

Just go to immigration, no need to learn the country.

What are you suggesting can be obtained from immigration without need to leave the country ?

More detail please

From what I've heard from other Aussie's and foreigners, you can go to Immigration and renew your Tourist VISA there. You don't need to leave the country!

Mine needs to be renewed in 2 weeks so I'll soon find out.

I hear it cost 2,000 baht or maybe it's a bribe... I know if you get busted by the police, just bribe yourself out of trouble which I've already done. I guess it's the same with Immigration... I love this country

Edited June 8, 2015 by fitnesspm

[uptheos]

Thailand's a big country with a lot to see.

A person can spend many years being 'a tourist', if they want to see it all.

Therefore, they need visas......end of.

[ubonjoe]

Just go to immigration, no need to learn the country.

What are you suggesting can be obtained from immigration without need to leave the country ?

More detail please

From what I've heard from other Aussie's and foreigners, you can go to Immigration and renew your Tourist VISA there. You don't need to leave the country!

Mine needs to be renewed in 2 weeks so I'll soon find out.

I hear it cost 2,000 baht or maybe it's a bribe... I know if you get busted by the police, just bribe yourself out of trouble which I've already done. I guess it's the same with Immigration... I love this country

You cannot renew a tourist visa at immigration. All you can do is apply for a 30 day extension of your 60 day entry from one for a fee of 1900 baht.