What is the process for obtaining a TR visa at the Thai Consulate in Penang?

Question

Did a 3-day TR visa run to Penang this week and I'm happy to share my experience: 
* Walk in only, no appointments (Thai Consulate in Penang). Though you have to come early to secure a spot. I arrived 2 hours before they open and there were already about 30 people waiting in the queue. They opened the doors around 9:30am. Waiting is outside, no sun or rain cover.
* There is a separate priority queue for Chinese passport holders. 
* Once in the building it it took me about 40 minutes from entry to exit. 
* Two counters open, one of them grilled the applicants with various inquiries like "what is your account balance, where do you have a ticket to your home country,..." and so on. At least 2 people were rejected but this was due to previous overstay issues. Funny enough as it's pretty quiet in the room and all the people waiting can hear the discussion with the officer. 
* I got to the other counter, no questions asked (though I had all my docs in order).
* TR visa processing time is 1 business day - means you can pickup your passport next day 2pm. There is no queue, pickup was done in 5 mins.
* Overall smooth process but requires patience on the first day.

#penangmalaysiathaiconsulate #touristvisa #penang #visarun

Ask Thailand · Answer

A recent experience at the Thai Consulate in Penang for a TR visa run revealed a mostly smooth process. Applicants should arrive early as there is a significant queue, with a priority line for Chinese passport holders. The processing time is one business day, allowing for passport collection the following afternoon. Some applicants faced heavy questioning, leading to rejections, mainly related to previous overstays. It's crucial to note that overdue past issues can impact visa viability, and those with certain overstays in their passports should avoid applying for a tourist visa in Penang.

Ellie ******* · Answer

Thank you for the update. This post is a report about the Penang Tourist Visa application procedure. If you want to ask how the visa works? Please make your own post.

And for those who are thinking visa run to Penang. Penang has 'No Tourist Visa for Overstayed people' policy since way before the Covid chaos. Check your passport. If you have any overstay stamp (including 'fine waved flying out less than 24hrs' and 'fine waved due to the office closed') in your passport, Penang is not the place to go for your tourist visa.

Ellie ******* · Answer

Thank you for your update. [mention redacted], did you notice any information about the max queue per day? There were before Covid, and some said smaller numbers after Covid. But we don't have concrete info right now.

Mma ******* · Answer

Thanks for report- can I ask what was your recent history in Thailand? Is this a Visa run coming off of another TR Visa- cheers.

Tod ********* · Answer

thanx for that update, first hand reports of Penang are thin on the ground and this might help people in the south who need to visa run

What is the process for obtaining a TR visa at the Thai Consulate in Penang?

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