Hiring a car from Surat pier to Hat Yai for VISA run, need advise!

[fitnesspm]

I've just been told by Immigration today that I need to leave Thailand and come back to renew my Tourist VISA. So i thought I might do a VISA run by hiring a car to Hat Yai.I'm currently in Samui so I'm planning to wake up very early tomorrow or the day after once I have collected enough information!

A couple things i need to know...

1. Earliest (Samui to Surat) and latest (Surat to Samui) ferry time

2. Can I hire a car easily from Surat pier once I caught a ferry across? What time does the shop open and close?

3. Once I've driven down to Hat Yai and at the border, should i walk over (i hear you need Malaysian number plates by car). How does it work at the border?

Any more information would be great, it will be my first VISA run!

Edited July 20, 2015 by fitnesspm

[ubonjoe]

I cannot answer 1 or 2.

I think it would be easier to walk across the border than taking the car across since all you want to is a border hop.

I suggest you do the crossing at Pedang Besar instead of the main crossing at Sadao. Pedang Besar is a much friendlier crossing than at Sadao.

I think you will get better answers to questions 1 and 2.on the Samui Forum so I am moving your topic to there.

[fitnesspm]

ok, i think the first ferry is 5am? not sure if i can get a car at surat at 6am, can anyone confirm?

[Mole]

First ferry is at 5 in the morning.

http://www.seatranferry.com/en/services/timetable.php

You can rent a car from for example Budget, Herz or Sixt and drive onto the ferry and drive to the border.

I have never seen any car rental near the pier in Donsak.

I am baffled that you haven't bothered to gather any information about these things well in advanced. Even a simple google for ferry time table, you haven't been able to perform yourself.

Once you are at the border in Padang Bersar, just park the car somewhere near the border checkpoint, then get across the border to get your stamp, and maybe have a meal or something on Malaysian side, then just come back. It's about 1 km walk from the Thai side of checkpoint to the Malaysian side, but there are motorbike taxis which can take you across, and back again for a 100 or so bath.

Edited July 20, 2015 by Mole

[steelerian]

Definitely use Padang Besar, far easier than Sadao.

Dont need to walk across, just do it in your car. You dont need any Malaysian plates to do this.

I too have never seen any car hire at Donsak Pier.

1st ferry 5am, but you will need to book well in advance to get on this ferry with a car, same with the 6am and often the 7am ferry. Last ferry is either 6pm or 7pm, not quite sure.

At this point it would be far easier to just book with a visa run company, IMO.

Good luck!

[fitnesspm]

2 hours and counting.. some say 5,7 & 8....

thx! If I hire a car from samui, the ferry will cost allot more i'm guessing...?

not sure a 14 mile drive by tuk tuk will cost me to hire a car below...

http://www.kayak.com/Cheap-Don-Sak-Car-Rentals.71564.cars.ksp

Edited July 20, 2015 by fitnesspm

[steelerian]

ferry ticket for the car and yourself is approx 450 baht. ticket for walk on passenger is 150.

[metisdead]

An insulting non helpful post has been removed as well as a flaming reply:

7) You will respect fellow members and post in a civil manner. No personal attacks, hateful or insulting towards other members, (flaming) Stalking of members on either the forum or via PM will not be allowed.

[fitnesspm]

Definitely use Padang Besar, far easier than Sadao.

Dont need to walk across, just do it in your car. You dont need any Malaysian plates to do this.

I too have never seen any car hire at Donsak Pier.

1st ferry 5am, but you will need to book well in advance to get on this ferry with a car, same with the 6am and often the 7am ferry. Last ferry is either 6pm or 7pm, not quite sure.

At this point it would be far easier to just book with a visa run company, IMO.

Good luck!

My first time in Thailand!

I was told at Immigration today that I couldn't renew my visa a second time there and have to leave Thailand. It was due today...

Each day I waste researching is a fine I have to pay so yeh... ill just go with the visa run company for my first run and do it myself next time.

Anyone recommend any good visa run companies around Chaweng?

Edited July 20, 2015 by fitnesspm

[notmyself]

Anyone recommend any good visa run companies around Chaweng?

Not allowed.

[wayned]

Take the early morning bus from Samui to Hat Yai. When you get there take a taxi to the border and back, have him wait at the border. Spend the night in Hat Yai and take the early morning bus back to Samui. No hassle and no running around like a chicken with it's head cut off looking to hire a car. Avoid the vans!

[TDCNINJA]

PM sent

Edited July 20, 2015 by TDCNINJA

[ubonjoe]

Anyone recommend any good visa run companies around Chaweng?

Not allowed.

A suggestion is allowed. A blatant advert is not allowed though. Also no emails or phone numbera. A link to a website is allowed.

[notmyself]

Anyone recommend any good visa run companies around Chaweng?

Not allowed.

A suggestion is allowed. A blatant advert is not allowed though. Also no emails or phone numbera. A link to a website is allowed.

Sent a PM anyway. I fully agree with less blatant advertising. I'm in the UK at the moment, surrounded by kids. Can't access TV because they ask who that young girl is, on close to every screen I visit.

[PoorSucker]

Visa companies can be found on google.

https://www.google.com/search?q=visa+run+samui&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

There is also an option to fly from Samui to Penang with firefly.

http://www.fireflyz.com.my/

[notmyself]

There is also an option to fly from Samui to Penang with firefly.

http://www.fireflyz.com.my/

Book it early enough and you can get a return for a little over 6k. Couple of nights in Penang makes a nice change.

[TDCNINJA]

Easy Way Travel

http://www.easywaysamuitour.com/visa-run-at-malaysia-border-satun/

[notmyself]

Member SamuiJimmy wrote a concise post on how to do it yourself some time back. No idea what thread.

If driving then Songkla is a better option to Hat Yai unless you want to go shopping. You can drive directly north from there using the 408 then 401 coast roads which offer great views. 2 - 2 1/2 before and after lunch and you are in Donsak.

[samuijimmy]

Member SamuiJimmy wrote a concise post on how to do it yourself some time back. No idea what thread.

If driving then Songkla is a better option to Hat Yai unless you want to go shopping. You can drive directly north from there using the 408 then 401 coast roads which offer great views. 2 - 2 1/2 before and after lunch and you are in Donsak.

That must have been a year or three back...

It's not that difficult, driving (albeit I would have taken my own bike) ... it's harder with renting a vehicle, as one is not able to take off the island... Which OP obviously realized ..by wanting to rent in Donsak... I too have never seen a rental place there either... but then never looked, either...

In this situation, I would just get a VIP bus as suggested to Had Yai and then another bus to the border, it's not that complicated.... In Hat Yai, it might pay to ask the different companies for prices, it does vary... all are close together, so ask around ... . The one Km walk to the Malaysia border and back is not hard unless raining ! .... But as said there are taxis to the border and back.

I hope the OP reports back on the experience!

[Rooo]

It's not that difficult, driving (albeit I would have taken my own bike) ... it's harder with renting a vehicle, as one is not able to take off the island... Which OP obviously realized ..by wanting to rent in Donsak... I too have never seen a rental place there either... but then never looked, either...

You can take a vehicle rented from major companies off the island.

[Mole]

Think OP's main concern of renting in Donsak is to save money on ferry cost as well as not needing to rent a car a day in advanced to catch the first ferry in the early morning.

Of course, he didn't realize there are no car rental around Donsak area at all.

Only private car rental won't allow their car to be taken off the island. That's why I told in my previous post to rent from Herz, Budget, etc, which will allow you to drive their car anywhere in Thailand.

In order to save the hassle of extra paperwork, one should just park the car near the border check point and get over the border without the car.

[Birdman]

You can take a rented car from a major company off the island, but I doubt that you are allowed to take the car to another country.

But anyway I also doubt all that interests the OP. He wants a car from Surath pier. The only ferry going there is the slowly night ferry. All other ferries arrive at other piers way before Surat and there are certainly no car companies. In Surath there might be cars for rent. But in this case going there and coming back from there would be much to complicated.

[Mole]

He probably meant the ferry pier at Donsak and not the Suratthani pier. In any case, there are no car rentals in neither.

The kayak link he posted later obviously shows Donsak.

[notmyself]

Surat or NST airports for car hire.

[Beng]

Back in '92 I took the night boat from Nathon, arriving at 5:00 in Surathani. There I hired a car & driver. We got to the border at around 10:00 and were back in Donsak by 15:00.