Thai Visa in Kuala Lumpur: How to Apply Successfully

If you’ve landed here, you’re probably trying to figure out how to get a Thai visa. Maybe you’re also wondering if Kuala Lumpur is the right place for your visa application.

I regularly need a new visa and this time I applied for my Thai visa in Kuala Lumpur.

I assume you’re just as annoyed by all the paperwork and the uncertainty of whether the visa application will work out and how long it will all take.

By now, I have a few visa applications under my belt – in various countries and embassies.

I have to admit, my last visa run to Hanoi in Vietnam left its mark. I had to extend my stay multiple times because my passport wasn’t ready on time. It ended up being quite an expensive visa.

This time, I opted for a visa run to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and to my surprise, everything there was incredibly straightforward and fast.

In this post, I will not only share my tips and information but also my experience in applying for my visa at the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Whether you’ve already chosen Kuala Lumpur or you’re still looking for the best city for your visa application – this post is for you.

(P.S.: Kuala Lumpur is fantastic for a Thai visa, you definitely want to go there!)

Preparations

So, my boyfriend and I headed off to Kuala Lumpur to apply for a new visa for Thailand. We enjoy the city and know our way around, and we had a few things to take care of while waiting for our visas.

To apply for a visa at the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur you need an appointment. You can only book one online, up to two weeks in advance. The slots tend to fill up quite fast.

We booked the earliest slot available, which was in 10 days – a Wednesday at 12:00 PM. Drawing from my previous visa run experience in Vietnam, I anticipated that the visa processing might stretch into the weekend. It was fine for us in this case since we planned to spend a few days in Kuala Lumpur anyway.

When booking the appointment, you need to provide a phone number where you will receive an SMS with a link to a QR code. You’re supposed to be at the embassy 20 minutes before your appointment with the QR code in hand.

The application form, along with a checklist of required documents, is available for download on the website of the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. For a 60-day tourist visa, you’ll need:

• Your passport
• A filled-out visa application
• One photo
• A copy of your passport
• Copies of your entry and exit tickets for Thailand
• Bank statements showing transactions for the last 3 months
• Confirmation of your accommodation for the duration of your stay

There are no application forms available at the embassy itself, so you need to bring everything with you.

The visa processing fee has to be paid in the local currency, Malaysian Ringgit. For a 60-day tourist visa, the fee is 160 RM (approximately 32€). The processing fee for our 3-month Non-Immigrant Visa was 320 RM (approximately 64€).

The Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur

On the day of our appointment, we went through all our documents again in the morning. We completed the application form and, just to be on the safe side, printed a few pages in color at the hotel to ensure everything was easily readable.

Then, we were ready for the embassy.

The Royal Thai Embassy is located on Jalan Ampang, not directly in the city center of Kuala Lumpur. However, with Grab, it’s only about a 20-minute ride. Grabs are quite affordable here – we paid 16 RM (about 3€) for the trip from the hotel to the embassy.

Twenty-five minutes before our appointment, we stood at the entrance of the Thai Embassy with our QR code. There was a short line.

A tall, slim man with a shaved head was at the entrance, engaged in a lengthy conversation with the security personnel. He wasn’t Asian, more European, but he wore an orange monk’s robe and no shoes. In English, he explained that he wanted to apply for a visa to Thailand but didn’t have an appointment. Well, good luck to him!

After a bit of back and forth, he’s asked to step aside, and it’s finally our turn. They check our passports and QR codes, giving us the green light to enter the embassy.

Passing by the man in the monk outfit, he asks me in German, “Habt ihr einen Termin?” (Do you have an appointment?). Ha, a German! He probably saw my passport during the security check, so he’s skipping the English.

I shoot him a smile and reply in German, “Natürlich” (Of course), without missing a beat. Rookie move!

Do we have an appointment? We not only have an appointment, but we’ve got the whole package— a QR code, a checklist for all our documents, a fully filled-out application form, passport copies, a hefty 30 pages of legal paperwork from our Thai attorney, perfectly-sized photos, the exact processing fee down to the last cent, and we’re dressed to impress, shoes included.

And yet, I’m nervous. I’m fully aware that our visa could be rejected without a reason.

We take a seat in the waiting area. Names are called via a screen. After a gong, a name and the designated counter are displayed.

Since we have individual appointments, we can’t submit our visa applications at the same counter. We go through the documents one last time. Then, we hear the next gong, and my name appears on the screen – Counter 2.

I approach Counter 2 and hand my stack of paperwork to the lady sitting behind it. Trying to smile politely and conceal my nervousness, I notice she wears a hijab, so she’s probably not Thai. She seems quite disinterested.

She half-heartedly flips through my documents and hands back my application form – the entry date into Thailand is missing. I don’t have a flight yet, so no date. She doesn’t care; she wants a date. After a brief back and forth, I simply write down a random date and hand her the form back.

She quickly flips through my documents again, without really looking, and then asks me for the processing fee. I give her 320 RM. She hands me a pick-up slip – for Thursday afternoon at 2:30 PM. That’s the next day?

I’m confused and double-check with her. “Tomorrow afternoon, visa pick-up,” she replies in English while already gesturing for the next applicant to come forward.

The whole process at Counter 2 took a whopping 1 minute and 45 seconds. I’m convinced this isn’t going well. The lady didn’t even bother to properly look at my documents. How can she know if everything is in order with my 30 pages?

I’ll probably find out tomorrow afternoon what I need to change or submit. Or maybe the visa will be rejected anyway, so she doesn’t want to bother.

I step aside and stare at the pick-up slip for another minute, feeling uncertain.

And who do I see in the waiting area? The guy in the monk outfit. I have no idea how he managed to get in without an appointment. Maybe it’s his attire. Or perhaps they’re just trying to be nice here at the embassy.

A few minutes later, my boyfriend is done with his visa application and we book a Grab back to the city center.

PICK-UP DAy

A day later, around 3:00 PM, we head back to the Thai Embassy. I’m pretty sure our visas aren’t ready. Or worse – they got rejected.

At the entrance, we show the security personnel our pick-up slips and are allowed in.

The pick-up slip mentions that you have to pull a number in the waiting area. You’ll then be called through the screen by that number. But I can’t find where to pull a number.

There are some people in the waiting area, but no one is at the counters. So, I simply go to Counter 2 and ask where I can get a number. It’s the same lady as yesterday. She sends me to her colleague at Counter 3.

The lady at Counter 3, also not Thai, looks at my pick-up slip, puts my passport down in front of me, and wishes me a nice day. Huh?

Confused, I pick up my passport and flip through the pages filled with visas. And voilà – the Non-Immigrant Visa for Thailand. Just like that. In my passport.

Can this be real? – Yes!

Applying for a visa at the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur is honestly easy as pie, especially compared to the process in Hanoi.

A moment later, my boyfriend also holds his passport with a new visa in his hands. We can hardly believe it.

27 hours – that’s how long it took to get a new visa for Thailand in Kuala Lumpur.

I’ve always liked Kuala Lumpur, but now I find this city even more charming.

In the future, Kuala Lumpur will be my first choice when I need a new visa for Thailand. If you’re still considering whether Kuala Lumpur is the right choice for your Thai visa application – yes, it is!