How can I switch my passport and obtain a Thai tourist visa in Penang?

THAI TOURIST VISA AND SWITCHING PASSPORT AT PENANG (MALAYSIA) :

I had one passport full of 30 day visa exempt stamps from Thailand (Fly out/in) and last time I tried to make it back from Vientiane, immigration at Dong Mueang airport almost denied me to enter as for too many visa exempt stamps in it, even considering there is no specific law or rule about it. It's upon the willing of the immigration officer to deny your entry.

So I had to find a way to switch passport as I have two of them. Considering that Laos needs to see the stamp out from Thailand in the passport you present to them, I had to try another option which was Penang.

So here it is how I did it and it's really the easiest way to make it in Penang.

- Fly out of Thailand to Penang with old passport full of exempt stamps.

- When landing at Penang, showing the other passport without any stamp at all, Malaysian immigration doesn't care to see any stamp out from previous country and the give me 90 days visa on arrival with my other passport after doing fingerprints.

- In Penang, go directly to the most reliable agent to make the Thai tourist visa 60 days, which is Jim's Place on Chulia Street no. 431 in the Georgetown district of Penang.

- You need only your passport and 2 photos (4x6), in case you don't have any flight onward and hotel booking as proof, let Jim manage this for you easy for a couple of money more but less to worry yourself.

- Get your passport with Thai visa on the next day at 2:30pm and go back to Thailand.

- If you want to avoid Dong Mueang airport immigration and long hassle in the queue, just book a minivan at Jim's Place to cross the boarder to Thailand and going directly to Hat Yai airport to take a flight there back to Bangkok so you will avoid immigration at airport as you fly domestic (that's what I did). The trip starts at around 3pm and last about 3.30 hours from Penang to Hat Yai in very confortable minivan and the road is straight by highway. Minivan will stop at Bus station in Penang and you can or catch a taxi for the airport of give 300 THB to the minivan driver to drive you to the airport which I did. You can maybe catch the flight at 7.40pm, I was there at 7pm or to be sure just book the flight at 9:50pm which is the last one for Bangkok.

- The cost is (if I remember well from one week ago) :

150 RM for the thai visa (local currency only) + 40 RM for agent service. Then you can let them manage the onward ticket and hotel booking for you for a couple of Ringgit more and book the minivan with them, which will start at 3m in front of Jim's Place. The total cost for me for all this without any hassle was 330 RM (THB 2500).

On that way I could switch passport very easy and get a Thai tourist visa of 60 days extandable to 90 days at Chang Wattana without any hassle and avoiding Don Mueang immigration and long queue.

Hope this will help you.