Motoring from Thailand to Malaysia

My own registered Thai car.
Thinking of driving to Penang and beyond
Tha or UK Driving Licence OK?
Thai Insurance or Green card or what?
Going south through Thailand is safe?
Get the ? 30 day Visa in Malay Embassy in Bangkok or at the border?
Hotels on the way from Hua Hin? I haven't been further south yet?
Intending to return to Thailand in the first instance.
Transporting Household effects by road in the last instance?
Any sensible advice appreciated

Aromdee, on 2008-10-14 17:18:49, said:

There is no problem with good Western hotel accomodation on route from Bangkok to Hadyai, I used hotels in HuaHin, PrachuabKiriKhan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Kanom Beach (opposite of KohSamui on the mainland), Trang, Ranong, Phuket, Phattalung, Hadyai, Songkhla, NakhonSi Thammarat, Thepa, Naratiwat, Pattani, Yala, SungaiKolok...and other places.

It's about 960 km from Bangkok South to Songkhla, and I could several times easily drive through from Bangkok to Songkhla and back...good street, about 8 to 9 hours, but drive only during daytime.
I will never drive again during night - I did it one time and never again - it is very very dangerous on the Southern Highway.

Malaysia gives 3 months, no visa for UK citizens and for many other countries - a stamp in the passport, no other questions.
Driving licence, you need your local licence and International Driving Licence.

I never used a Thai car for Malaysia, but always a Malaysian car for Thailand...it was easy, some paperwork, had to buy insurance cover, fill up some declaration form, and when returning to Malaysia again, this declaration form was required again at the border - that's all.
I have no idea, if it works the other way ... Thai car into Malaysia? anybody here in this forum who knows something about it?

Malaysia has excellent roads, however you have to pay a toll fee, and police will fine you for any speeding, never drive over 110 km/h.

I think, it is very safe from Hadyai driving straight to the Malaysia border by day (border is not open 24 h) - but to go to Eastern Malaysia during night to direction of SungaiGolok (border to Malaysia Tumpat and Kota Bahru) passing Naratiwat and Pattani is dangerous even on the main route.

If you prefer to visit Malaysia without your car, you might leave it in Hadyai in the hotel garage and might continue with the mini-bus services, which are running regularly between Hadyai and Penang.

Please be aware, that Malaysia is somewhat more expensive than Thailand, has little population and a somewhat limited offer for good food and drinks. You find there also good hotels in any major place, like in Alor Star or in Penang City or Batu Ferringhi Beach, or on the Pulau Langkawi Island...Malaysia is also a very safe country.
You can easily drive down up to Singapore, either on Highway or along the coast.
Malaysia has plenty of forest and rivers and waterfalls and sightseeing inside Malaysia is more interesting than along the coast. Quite different from Thailand.

Come back with any question...

Road from Thailand into Malaysia is safe, no problems, I travelled it myself a little while back to use Alor Star airport, PAD having closed Hat Yai.

You'll need to have an 'English' version of your registration plate clearly visible beneath the Thai one. Apart of an international driving license you'll also need to obtain a visitors road tax disk for driving in Malaysia.

You'd be wise to check with the Malaysian consulate in Bangkok before venturing south.

Quote

don't be to sure about driving through the 3 terrorist province, you need to pass them to get to malaysia, you'll never be too sure, by-stander get gun down or hit a bomb more often now aday.

This post has been edited by chingy_: 01 December 2008 - 01:30 PM

No Chingi, if your on the main road through Hat Yai to the border you don't pass through Yala, Pattani or Narathawat, just Songkhla. It's perfectly safe I just travelled down this morning.


The border opens at 5am Thai side and 6am Malaysian side, getting through is easy, there were lots and lots of minibus full of farang on their way to KL. There were very few farang at Alor Star airport. I believe you can get direct flights to Singapore from Penang.

chingy_, on 2008-12-01 14:28:57, said:

No, if you go from Hadyai to Malaysia using Padang Besar/Sadao for Alor Star/Penang there is no problem at all, border is a short drive from Hadyai, and you do not pass Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

You have to go by daytime or early evening, as border point is closed during night (10PM or so, not sure about the time), very wide highway. Most foreigners will go by long distance bus or shared taxi or minibus, and there is no danger at all.

If you go to Eastern side of Malaysia to Sungai Kolok to Tumpat, Kota Bahru, Malaysia you will have to pass through these 3 Muslim provinces, it's a surprisingly long drive (with bus from Hadyai it took about 3 hours) - I do not know about any problem for foreigners using public traffic on the main road or in the cities of Narathiwat, Pattani and Sungai Kolok during daytime - but if you are there, make sure, you are in the hotel after darkness.

Not many Western foreigners enter Malaysia, Kelantan, Kota Bahru from Sungai Kolok. Few travellers only.

We recently aborted a plan to drive our Thai registered car over the border to Malaysia... the reason being that I failed to research the Malaysian side trip properly. We had no translation of our vehicle ownership documents and no English version number plate on the car (Malaysian police obviously can't read Thai )... and as it was Songkran, the offices were closed... so we abandoned that part of the holiday, we'll do it next time around...

... but I think it would be very useful to this forum to establish exactly what is required for such a trip, as I plan to write up a static page detailing a step by step guide, so if anyone has the details...