Either is fine. Several clarifications though. Your visa is active as soon as the embassy issues it, so you don’t have to “activate” anything. What happens is when you are entering Thailand your entry stamp, which states the date that you must leave will be 180 days from entry date. If you entered without a visa or normal tourist visa, this stamp would show the date you need to leave being in sixty days.

Anonymous participant sounds like it might be tricky then

Anonymous participant Why not apply before you leave your current employer? It might be much easier than proving you are freelance without and clients, etc. or history to show.

@Nick ******

- You will need to stay in that country roughly a week. However, some are quicker and some are longer now, so need to be flexible

@Andrew ******

- Calm down. Since Taiwan has no diplomatic relations with Thailand (because of China), it is technically not an embassy. It is an ”Economic and Cultural Center”. Therefore, formally, while applying for visa in Taipei, it is done so under the jurisdiction of the Thai embassy in Manila, hence the reason why it says Manila.

@Harvey ***********

- Ok, that isn't an issue then. For some nationalities, it takes 30 days.

You can apply via the Malaysia embassy (make sure you pick the right one, as there are multiple consulates in Malaysia) using the e-visa platform. You have to be physically in Malaysia when applying online though. Many have highlighted that the consulates in Malaysia are some of the more difficult embassies to apply through (aka, asking for much more documentation than other embassies).

@David *******

- Millennial as well and I too don't own a printer. However, I usually find a way to print important documents, when needed. Usually just have the hotel front desk do it for me. My DTV is physically attached to my passport (not an e-visa), so doesn't impact me, but I wouldn't want to be handing over my phone to an IO.

What is your nationality? The Phnom Penh consulate announced that the average turnaround time is now 10 days, up from 5 days. I assume that implies they are inundated with visa applications. They even state on their Facebook page to expect delays.

@David *******

Um, people still print things. Better idea is to print and paperclip it to your passport. You could just as easily run out of battery on your phone