How to Execute a Thai Visa Run & Have a Short Holiday in Penang

I used to live and work in Khao Lak, Thailand, about 106 km north of the infamous island of Phuket.
Even when you hold a 6 months work permit, the non-immigrant B visa you get allows you to stay only 3 months in the country.

So, in late January I had to do a Visa Run to Malaysia, and I am going to share with you my tips on How to Execute a Thailand Visa Run while having a short getaway in Penang! 🙂

Why Penang?

Penang is a nice small island in Malaysia, with a lot of street art, great street food and all the facilities you need to make your Visa Run a fruitful one. I really enjoyed staying there for 2 days spending my time gobbling up the street food as well as admiring all the popular street art in the city.

Alternatively, you can also fly to Kuala Lumpur (KL). However, Penang is closer to Phuket and I have read many travel articles about Penang and just felt it was a great time to visit the island for some sightseeing instead of the usual bustling KL.

How to get to Penang?

You can either fly or take a minibus from Thailand.

Some agencies organize an all-inclusive Visa Run trip to Penang with a minivan. It departs from Khok Kloy and includes transport to and from Penang, meals, one night in a private room and all the Visa formalities for a fee.

There are many agencies that provide this service. You just need to choose one. Don’t bother bargaining. 😛

They take care of everything and you don’t even need to step into the consulate. But you do need to spend 10 hours in a fast minivan with other people.

You can also book a minivan transport without the Visa for less than 1000 Baht one way. As for me, I decided to fly so that I did not need to spend hours on the minivan and have more time to indulge in Penang.

AirAsia flies once a day directly to Penang from Phuket and it can be cheap if you booked well in advance. The 2-hour flight is a breeze compared to hustling yourself in a minivan with other people and getting a driver who thinks he is an F1 driver as he heads to Penang trying to beat his personal best time. 😛

What are the transport options in Penang?

You can use the public bus, taxis, or Grab.
If you arrive late and there are no public buses any more and the airport is quite far south from Georgetown;
You can get a cab at the airport, or use the Grab app, which works perfectly.

To get to the Thailand Consulate, I highly suggest using the Grab app. You could also hop on a bus. The bus system is quite well organized and cheap, but quite slow.

Ask your hotel for more information about buses.

Where to stay?

As I was on a tight budget, I stayed at the cheapest place I found, My Hostel Muntri.

It does the job, provides you with a thin mattress on a bunk bed in a dorm for a couple of Ringgits and the staff was friendly. The hostel is also clean and located right in Georgetown.

There are many other options, some rooms in old colonial buildings seem very nice for a very reasonable price. Use the widget below to find out more options on accommodation in Penang.

Booking.com

I recommend staying in Georgetown, close to Love Lane where you can have dinner or drinks in the evening and want to be close to city life and street art.

Love Lane is also where you will find a lot of accommodation for different tastes and budgets.

How to get your visa?

You will need to print a Visa Application Form beforehand.

• Note: If you print the Kuala Lumpur form, then they will exchange it for the Penang one when you are queuing and you will have to refill it again.

The required paperwork and identity photos you need depend on the type of visa you are requesting, you can check it out on the Penang Thai Consulate website HERE!

Click on Services, then on Visa requirements, and download the well designed Visa (English) PDF documents.
In case you forget to make a print, there is a guy with printers in the trunk of his minivan standing in front of the Consulate every morning.

He is very helpful and can also take ID photos, but of course, his prices are higher than in a normal shop.

The consulate accepts visa requests from Monday to Friday (except for Thai and Malaysian holidays) between 9 AM and 11 AM.

I recommend you arrive before 9 am, especially on Mondays, because they accept only 100 visa applications per day! I arrived at 8.30 am and still had to queue for 2 hours before getting to the counter!

You can get your passport back with the visa the next day between 2 – 3 pm.

If you’d like to get some help with your visa application, you can use the services of an agent. There are many located on Chulia Street.

You can also go to any other country and enjoy a short holiday there. I organized a Thai Visa Run before re-entering Thailand by going to Bali before, where the consulate is basically a small house and you almost don’t need to queue.

It was well organized and within 48 hours I got my passport back with the visa ready! Well, this is a story for another day!

What to do in Penang?

While waiting for your Visa to be processed, you can just walk around Georgetown and enjoy the street art. Amongst the best-known pieces of street art are the Trishaw Man in Jalan Penang or Brother and Sister on a Swing in Gat Lebuh Chulia, but you’ll find many on the way!

• Tip: Rent a bicycle from the many shops and explore Penang and all the street art. Sit back and relax too and the many cafes in the city.

Go walk on the beautiful historical clan jetties next to the ferry harbour, and enjoy the atmosphere. If you need to do some shopping, you can spend some time in the Komtar area, or head to the Gurney Plaza Mall.

• Related: How to Execute a Bali Visa Run & Have a Short Holiday in Singapore
• From the Author: Raja Ampat – The Dive Site That You Might Never Want to Leave

So here are my tips on How to Execute a Thailand Visa Run while having a short getaway in Penang! Hope this helps you in planning your trip.

Enjoy Penang as I did!

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are the author’s and in no way reflect the views and/or opinions of Fat Starfish.