Jan 02 2012
How to extend your Malaysian tourist visa (Social Visit Pass) in Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia has one of the sanest and most hassle-free tourist visa procedures in all of Asia, with most visitors being granted a free 30-to-90 day Social Visit Pass on arrival. Compare that to virtually every other country in the region, which are not only more stingy with the time they grant travellers, but also charge them into the bargain.
Where red tape is a way of life.
For the vast majority of visitors to Malaysia, such a generous allotment of days in their visa means never having to deal with the Immigration Department, which is a good thing, to say the least. It's not really the fault of the frontline staff -- many of whom are surprisingly helpful -- rather that the rules and regulations they operate under are completely insane.
Blue skies thinking in short supply.
Should you wish to extend your Social Visit Pass -- they can in theory be extended twice, for 30 days at a time -- in Kuala Lumpur, you'll need to head to the immigration office (Mon-Fri, 07:30-13:00, 14:00-17:30), which moved in late 2011 to a new complex in the middle of nowhere. Getting there by public transport may be a nightmare (one near-mythical bus from KL Sentral, RapidKL U83), but it's once inside the building that the fun really begins. Nearly everything to do with foreigners is dealt with by one room on the first floor (follow the signs which say visa, pas & permit).
This way madness lies.
Once inside the room, join the queue at counter 21, where you will be given a number, and at least one form to fill out. The numbers are only called out in Malay, so keep your eyes peeled on the electronic boards. Expect even the simplest of requests to involve visits to several different counters. Try to stay calm and polite at all times, however time-consuming and convoluted the process is.
Patience is not just a virtue but a necessity.
Each extension to a Social Visit Pass costs 50 ringgit. While an extension should in theory only be granted if you have a good reason, such as illness, in practice, the first extension should be given without too much fuss, and possibly the second one too.
New office, same lack of seats.
Although it might seem like more bother, a better option overall is simply to leave Malaysia for a few days, and get a new Social Visit Pass. The easiest (and cheapest) way from KL is to get a bus or train to Singapore. But this is also the border crossing where immigration officials are most likely to give you trouble. It is perfectly legal to get back-to-back Social Visit Passes, so try not to be intimidated into paying a bribe.
Ways to avoid hassle include:
- Always having an onward plane or train ticket;
- Leaving Malaysia for at least three days;
- Mixing up the places you do visa runs to;
- Opting for airports rather than overland crossings.
Clearly, if you do several visa runs in a row, always staying until the very end of your permitted stay, then suspicions will be raised. After two to three years, a long break from Malaysia is advisable, or alternatively, get a new passport.
Kompleks Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN)
69 Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, off Jalan Duta, Solaris Dutamas
T: (03) 6201 2423
www.imi.gov.my
Further reading
» "Malaysian Girls" and other performance arts treats for December in Kuala Lumpur
… Many thanks for the above info. regarding extended visa stays in Malaysia. We will be in K.L. in ten days time. I had assumed that the info. given to me from what is usually a reliable source was correct and that we would be granted 90 days upon arrival! These things do change though! At least it won't be a shock if we are only granted 30 days. You have probably saved us a lot of hassle trying to find their new location also! So, THANKS once again … Keep up the good work!
North Americans, Australians, New Zealanders, and all EU citizens get the full 90 days. I suspect that Gulf Arabs may get 90 days too. ASEAN citizens only get 30 days. I would imagine citizens of affluent Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, get 90 days. But I do know (mainland) Chinese and Indians have to apply for a visa in advance. The same goes for most of Africa, but I'm not sure about North Africa, or for that matter, Latin America. Sarawak has different rules, if you enter Malaysia there, but if you go there from another part of Malaysia, your Social Visit Pass is valid.
Many thanks to yr source, it really helpful on the information, as for yr information visit pass can be extended to 90 days from the arrival date.im from vietnam, today i came to immigration office in jalan duta to extend visit visa to another one month, but to my surprised they said my visa cant be extended. i asked them why because as i know and many of my friends before can extend the visit pass. they just said cant only given 1 months and that it.i have no choice but to leave the office with a very sadness.
Unfortunately, as I mentioned in the post, citizens from ASEAN countries only get one month (as Malaysians do when they visit Vietnam), compared to 90 days for nationals of (rich) western countries. It doesn't make much sense to me, but then again, Thailand now gives overland travellers just 14 days, which can only be renewed if you leave the country.
Please help me ASAP!
hi dear,
I am from Afghanistan and i have an offer letter from Malaysian university which my class will be started next 27Feb,so i went for getting visa(required) but they need an approval from immigration of Malaysia which take at least 4weeks therefore i dont have time to wait for that but if i fly and in airport is there any chance for me to get a short(or long) social pass? if i enter can i convert it to student visa without any bother to leave country and re-enter?
I'm afraid Travelfish cannot give this sort of personal advice. You are going to have to talk to Malaysian immigration directly, and see if they can help. As a general rule, it is sometimes possible to convert a social visit pass into a student visa without leaving Malaysia – but it is up to the discretion of immigration officials. Good luck with getting your visa.
for what i know if u got an offer from university than the university must hv responsibility to do student pass for u, once u submit yr visa they will issue u a letter, with this letter u can be legal untill yr student visa done. i dont know why u hv to go to do visa for yrsf. anyway i dont know how to give u advice u should better go to immigration office,they can give u instruction.and last option for u is u have to leave the country and come in again.thus, u can show yr offer letter to immigration office then they can extend yr visa up to 3 months with out leaving the country.wish u luck
Hi Pat,
Thanks for the info on this topic. It is the most detailed and accurate information I was able to find.
Quick question, I'm a US citizen and I came to Malaysia in January and was granted a 90 day tourist visa on arrival. A month later my passport was stolen. I got it replaced and they told me I had to go to Putra Jaya and get a visa confirmation from them so when I leave the country they will not give me any problems at the airport. I put on my jungle clothes and went to Putra Jaya to the immigration building and was there for an entire day. Finally they asked me for 100 RM and they asked me when do I want to leave the country. I told them in 4 days so they stamped a 1 week visa in my passport. something came up and now I need to stay for another 1 week so the visa they gave me must be extended. Do you think it will be the same process all over again? Knowing that my original lost 90 day visa still has more then a month validity in it but the one they gave me later expires this coming Monday.
If you have any info on that please let me know before I head down to Putra Jungle again.
Thanks,
Matt
Hi Pat,
Thank you for the info, and also thanks the main writer on this topic. Now I know what to do if I need to stay longer than one month in Malaysia. I have been volunteering in Malaysia for 3-6 months on social pass. I used to get three months upon arrival, but now I get only 1 month with a Singapore passport. It is frustrating when I heard a British gets the full 90 days (3 months) upon arrival recently. Your post surely clears my doubt about the different standards.
I thought of applying a long term social pass for my volunteering work, but it could take up to months before I get it.
Hello there…i have a question about applying 3months social visit visa…I am actually a citizen of Philippines working here in Malaysia. Now my wife is with me carrying a social visit visa for 3months. Now her visa period is ended. I don't want to extend. But is it possible that we exit to Thailand and then apply there a new 3months social visit visa to Malaysia? I really appreciate any answers as this is very important to me…thanks in advance.