Thailand : SG - Ko Samui - Phuket - SG - 3300km Solo Trip

[SDK]

@Roadrunner hee hee our passports are not stamped at the lane itself and we had to park the car aside and visit the senior officer at bock-1 for it. Since there wasn’t any other client at office waiting, we had some time to chat with them :-)

 

 

Edited August 1, 2015 by SDK

[Nainar]

Yeah, on all the three times I drove to Thailand, had to shell out 10 MYR. Atleast in my case they used their machine for photo copy and said document charges. Never harassed like you experienced. Once I got visa from Singapore itself and that time did not pay while entering but exiting had to pay. I took visa because to stay beyond 14 days you need visa.My road trip was for 19 days. Funny thing is while applying the consulate lady in Singapore asked me to show 1000$ cash. That's while applying itself, for a travel two weeks later. She would not accept bank statement or credit card statement. It was funny and I had to withdraw 1000$ cash to show her. So they do have weird rules.

 

Glad you made it and had fun.

 

Nainar

[jayme888]

Never tried going to Phuket on solo.. I'd love to try though. I always go to Phuket whenever I have business trips in Bangkok. The long drive (I ride public transport) is not boring me at all. :) Maybe I am just excited each time.

[Shibadog]

just went thru Sadao last week.

 

Thai immigration now requires a passenger manifest for the vehicle, one copy for incoming, one copy for outgoing.

 

Forms are available at the immigration area. Fill up two copies of the form when entering Thai. They will keep one when u enter and return you the outgoing one.

 

the outgoing one is to be returned when you exit the country.

[Shibadog]

Those its always been like that ??

 

 

when was it (vehicle passenger manifest) started? my last trip to sadao was mid 2015.

 

not individual immigration form leh...

[Shibadog]

Oh you mean on top of the customs declaration form for the vehicle, each passengers needs an additional form for the vehicle ?

 

 

yes an A4-sized passenger manifest form where u fill in vehicle details and passenger info too. Need to list all passengers' names, age & passport number.

 

not one for each passenger, but one for each vehicle. Well,actually two for each vehicle. One for incoming, one for outgoing.

[Shibadog]

I see. Thanks for sharing, this is good to know. I guess just extra work, perhaps to track which passengers came and leave with the vehicle. I imagine they don't normally check, just take the form as is anyway ?

 

 

yeah at both the entry and exit stages, they just took my forms without actually checking if the manifest was accurate.

yeah at both the entry and exit stages, they just took my forms without actually checking if the manifest was accurate.

 

 

oh, and the exit at Sadao has now moved to the new booth area on the east side of the old ones. Seems faster and slightly less disorganised

 

Queue up in your car. When it's your turn at the booth, all get out of the car and present passports and other docs to the counter.

[TameDriver]

yes an A4-sized passenger manifest form where u fill in vehicle details and passenger info too. Need to list all passengers' names, age & passport number.

 

not one for each passenger, but one for each vehicle. Well,actually two for each vehicle. One for incoming, one for outgoing.

Thank you for this update on the customs requirement. I shall be driving up in April, to Ko Samui.

yeah at both the entry and exit stages, they just took my forms without actually checking if the manifest was accurate.

 

 

 

oh, and the exit at Sadao has now moved to the new booth area on the east side of the old ones. Seems faster and slightly less disorganised

 

Queue up in your car. When it's your turn at the booth, all get out of the car and present passports and other docs to the counter.

East side means left when approaching from Thai side?

New system sounds more convenient. Old way, had to park, walked & Q at 2 different counters for drivers.

Edited March 4, 2016 by TameDriver

[Shibadog]

Thank you for this update on the customs requirement. I shall be driving up in April, to Ko Samui.

 

East side means left when approaching from Thai side?

New system sounds more convenient. Old way, had to park, walked & Q at 2 different counters for drivers.

 

 

Ko Samui - hv fun!

 

east side - yes, left side when leaving Thai for Msia. There were signboards and mobile bollards to guide the way when I was there, but seems to be temporary. Not sure what changes (if any) to come.

[TameDriver]

May 2016 Sadao checkpoint update:

Unpaved messy carpark on the left (when entering Thailand from MY) is closed; boarded up.

 

All cars have to park in newly constructed area on the right, then walk back to old booths to have passports checked & stamped. A bit of confusion here....there's different booth for different kinds of arriving passengers. Passengers arrived by car different from those by coaches. Had touts who will approach u with offer to expedite the wait.

After that, Drivers/owners proceed to have vehicle documents & 3rd party car insurance submitted & approved. Return back to car & drive thru.

 

On return trip from Thailand, Turn sharp left, drive slowly all the way in to new immigration booths.

Each car drive up to booth after queuing, then driver & passengers alight to have passports checked & stamped, return the outbound passenger manifest sheet & vehicle permit form back to them.

 

Hope this helps anyone going up this period. Would appreciate any additional info or corrections.

Edited May 13, 2016 by TameDriver

[TameDriver]

 

Elephants on a hot tin roof:

 

 

Beautiful lotus flower:

[TameDriver]

 

New section of Sadao Checkpoint, outbound from Thailand to MY:

 

[Tommisu]

Wow. Big changes. My 3 previous border crossing, they did not request to see my thai 3rd party insurance. So I always purchase that at one of the small shops in Sadao. You mean now they require that to allow you to pass In that case have to purchase at Malaysian side of the border.

[TameDriver]

Wow. Big changes. My 3 previous border crossing, they did not request to see my thai 3rd party insurance. So I always purchase that at one of the small shops in Sadao. You mean now they require that to allow you to pass In that case have to purchase at Malaysian side of the border.

Cut out the worry; purchase 3rd party insurance, apply vehicle permit & fill in passenger manifest forms at a building just after Changlung town. If I can remember correctly, it's directly at highway marker 3.

This building has very big car/coach park with toilets & canteen. There's an aircon section in the canteen that handles your application. After that, just a short drive to the MY border.

 

Map below shows the building as 'CTC Recreation Sdn Bhd' :

 

Edited May 13, 2016 by TameDriver

[Shibadog]

Wow. Big changes. My 3 previous border crossing, they did not request to see my thai 3rd party insurance. So I always purchase that at one of the small shops in Sadao. You mean now they require that to allow you to pass In that case have to purchase at Malaysian side of the border.

 

 

same - I was never asked to show thai insurance and I usually buy it after crossing into thailand. Will chk again next week when I go.

[Cba6p]

Oh you mean on top of the customs declaration form for the vehicle, each passengers needs an additional form for the vehicle ?

Huh? Dun think thai customs check insurance leh....drove there more than 10 times already, always throw the cover note back to me. My latest visit was dec 2015

[Shibadog]

just left Thailand yesterday. Was in Hatyai for a couple of days, and planned to head to Ko Samui.

 

unfortunately the weather forecast was for heavy rain and strong wind (effect of the Bangladesh cyclone?) so we decided there was no point in going to Ko Samui and also risk suspension of the ferry operations, so headed back south to Malaysia instead.

 

when we entered Thai via Sadao, we duly filled up both the individual immigration forms as well as the vehicle manifest forms as before.

This time, when we wanted to submit the passenger manifest for stamping, we were waved away

 

upon leaving Thai, no one asked for the passenger manifest. The vehicle import/export cert is still as important as ever.

 

also, just to confirm, they do not ask for the vehicle insurance (whether from origin country or the local thai 3rd party cover)

[Fattychubby]

No changes to the last post in May2016 regarding Sadao immigration.

 

Slotted in RM1 into each passport on the way there , got the export permit via the print out from from onemotoring . ( slotted in RM10 to facilitate things). My 3rd party insurance was purchased from the roadside stalls before the Ayer Hitam customs ( missed the earlier CTC)

 

However on my way out ( via the new exit customs booths) around Thailand time 6pm . customer officer told me that i have to pay THB10 each for his overtime work . He gladly issued us a receipt and i just smiled and slotted him with THB40 :)

 

And back to Msia safely.

 

Thanks to all the bros here that had posted on the Msia- Thai immigration requirements .