Getting a Thai visa in Malaysia, in Penang

Up-to-date step-by-step instructions on how to get a Thai visa in 2015 — a single-entry one for 2 months or a double-entry one for 1 year — in Malaysia, on Penang Island. A visa run to Malaysia, to Penang, from Thailand. The cost of a Thai visa and how to get one.

If you live in the southern part of Thailand, one of the most convenient and simple ways of getting a Thai visa is a visa run to Malaysia, to Penang Island, home to the Royal Thai Consulate, which will gladly and without unnecessary questions issue you a Thai visa of the type you need.

Getting a Thai visa in Malaysia, in Penang

The Royal Thai Consulate in Penang

First, you need to find the Thai Consulate in Penang. Here is where it is:

The Royal Thai Consulate in Penang on the map

This is what the entrance to the Consulate building looks like from the outside. The opening hours can also be seen in the photo.

In 2015 the procedure for getting a Thai visa in Malaysia, in Penang was very simple and took 2 business days: in the morning, from 9:00 to 12:00, you submitted your documents along with your passport, and on the next business day, from 14:00 to 16:00, you picked up your passport with the visa in it. As of October 2026, a Thai visa for someone in Malaysia is issued online only — through the e-Visa portal thaievisa.go.th.

List of documents for getting a Thai visa in Penang

The photo below shows the list of all the required documents and the cost of the different types of visas.

So, to get a Thai visa in Penang, you will need the following documents:

• A visa application form (handed out and filled in on the spot, nothing complicated)
• 2 color photos, 3/4 (have them taken in advance; we didn’t see any photographers nearby)
• A copy of the main page of your passport (also take care of this in advance: we saw a lot of people puzzled over where to get one made. They definitely don’t do it nearby)
• Money to pay the visa fee

The cost of a Thai visa in Malaysia, in Penang

Again, as you can see in the photo below, as of the end of 2015 the consulate issued several types of Thai visas. The most interesting of them:

• A standard single-entry tourist visa for 2 months costs 150 ringgit (it can be extended for 1 more month at immigration offices in Thailand)
• A multiple-entry visa for 1 year — 750 ringgit
• A multiple-entry visa for 3 years — 1500 ringgit

Up-to-date information on visa types and costs, as well as news from the Thai consulate in Penang, can be found on the consulate’s website: penang.thaiembassy.org

From the moment you receive the visa, you get a window of 3 months to enter, and your stay in Thailand under the visa will start counting from the date of entry.