British Honorary Consulate in Penang
Tel: (60) (4) 227 5336 (Rob Hawkins)
Fax: (60) (4) 227 2336
Email: robh@tm.net.my
Consulate General of Japan
Level 28, Menara BHL,
No. 51 Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, 10050 Penang
Tel: (604) 226-3030 Fax: (604) 226-1030
Indonesian Consulate General in Penang
467 Jalan Burmah, 10350 Penang
Tel: (04) 2274686; 2277412; Fax: (04) 2275887
Email: info@kjripenang.org.my
Royal Danish Consulate in Penang
2nd Floor, Standard Chartered Bank Chambers
2 Lebuh Pantai, 10300 Penang
Tel: 4-262 4886 Fax: 4-261 4963
Thai Consulate General in Penang
1 Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman
10350 Penang
Tel. (60-4) 2268029, 2269484
Fax:(60-4) 2263121
E-mail : thaipg@tm.net.my
On this page is useful information on entry requirements including customs, immigration and visa requirements into Malaysia for visitors to Penang. Also listed here are the foreign embassies in Penang. It is only relevant to those who arrive by international flight at the Penang International Airport and the small number who arrive by cruise ship disembarking at Port Swettenham. If you are coming by bus, train or domestic flight, you should have cleared customs and immigration at the point of entry before reaching Penang.
Arrival Cards
Recently, the Immigration department has done away with filling up of the Arrival Cards (aka Landing Cards) for visitors coming from outside Malaysia, so do not be surprised if the flight attendant do not pass them around. They are not required anymore, as of early April, 2008. Should this Arrival Card be reintroduced, be sure to keep the small Departure portion in your passport to be returned when you leave the country.
International flights to Penang touch down at the Penang International Airport (PEN) located in Bayan Lepas, on the southeast corner of Penang Island. At the airport terminal, follow the clearly marked signage for international arrivals. International clearance is on the left (southward) side of the airport terminal, while domestic clearance is on the right (northward) side.
Both manual as well as automatic immigration clearance are in operation. The automatic gates are for Malaysians arriving from overseas using passports with electronic strips. Insert your passport, closed and face-up, into the docket. You will be advised to press your thumb to the sensor for clearance. I find that if the sensor often fail to register if my thumb is too dry. Although the automatic gates are supposed to speed things up, whenever the manual counters are empty, I prefer to hand my passport to the immigration officer - I find that it is faster than fiddling with the automatic gates.
For international visitors, use the manual counters to clear immigration. Just the normal process which happens in every international gateway.
Visa Requirements
Citizens of Commonwealth countries (except India), Ireland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, San Marino and Liechtenstein do not need a visit to enter Malaysia. Citizens of Austria, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Tunisia, United States, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Finland, Luxembourg and Iceland do not need a visa for visits not exceeding 3 months. Citizens of Asean countries (except Myanmar) may enter Malaysia for up to one month without a visa. Apart from the citizens of Brunei and Singapore, visas are required for longer stays. If you are staying longer than that, please check with the Malaysian embassy or consulate for your respective country. Make sure you do not overstay, as there's a fine of up to RM10,000 (and imprisonment up to 5 years) for overstaying.
Having cleared immigration, you proceed to the carousel to collect your baggage. Then you pass through customs, which will x-ray your luggage as you move out. From there you proceed to the Arrival Hall.
Get the best rates when booking Penang hotels
Before booking a hotel room, make sure you are getting the lowest price for it. Different hotel booking websites offers the same room at different prices. If you stick with one site all the time, you could be paying more for the same room. Now why pay more?
The form below is a Research Engine. It doesn't take bookings. Instead it lets you find the hotel booking website that offers the room you want at the lowest price. You can see and compare what different sites are offering, and then click to choose the one with the best price. Do this, and you're guaranteed to save a whole lot of money on your room reservations!
Our Flight Checker helps travelers compare flights and get the lowest fare for their trips. If you're flying somewhere, use our Flight Checker to compare the rates from different airlines. To use it, enter where you will be flying from, where you will be flying to, your departure date and return date. Select the number of passengers, and then click search.
Our engine will return you a list of possible flights that you can take. You can compare the fare of different airlines for your trip. Click on your selected airline, and we transfer you to the airline website.
Penang Travel Tips is researched and written by Timothy Tye, universally known as Tim. The text is the copyright of Timothy Tye, and may not be copied for commercial use or re-published in another website without the author's permission. Information provided is in goodwill and is believed to be correct and up-to-date at time of writing. Photographs on this website are the copyright of the author and may not be reused without prior permission. For commercial licensing of photographs, read the licensing terms.
