There seems some confusion about this crossing.

I found it quite an easy crossing, if you can speak a little Thai. The crossing isn't so busy as the Sadao crossing, lorries or coach parties cannot use this very small crossing. One reason for its popularity with drivers is the lack of a glass-tint meter which the Malaysian transport office is fond of at Sadao.

Many people will cross this border, coming down the Andaman coast from Rayong / Phuket / Krabi / Trang > Satun. It's a nice run, far more preferable than the straight industrial dual-carriageways around Songkhla.

Step A: Insurance

Despite some people missing it completely, Kurnia Insurance do have an agent here. It's an agent of the office in Padang Bezar, Songkhla province.

The border market is just a straight road, leading to the immigration checkpoint, look to your right hand side as you get about 100m away from the border post, you will see an open front shop, painted green outside with a yellow sign outside, this is the insurance agent. ( N6.69718 E100.17745 )



( I would like to point out, thats not my scooter with the blue pipe. You can see my home made roman plate on my screen. Malaysians often scale their plates to fit on the front mudguard facing the sky )

You will notice a larger, more substantial building than the other market shops opposite the insurance shop - a restaurant.



The young muslim girl was super efficient, but was just there to keep the shop open, she phoned the computer operator/agent and in the meantime completed my Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan ( JPJ ) paperwork. After about 20 minutes another girl came along, and recalled my information from the Kurnia database, and after 5 minutes i was on my way.

Even if this is your once and only entry to Malaysia, it won't 10 mins to enter the details into the computer.

Normally someone would be manning the desk, and you shouldn't be held up for long.

You will require

a) An IDP from your country. In some cases a license from your home country will be accepted ( The girl hardly checked it when completing the paperwork ).

b) A simple translation / presentation of your ownership documents.

If you are coming from Thailand you will need a translation of your green book from your local DLT in Thailand - I questioned her, if it was a problem not to have, would a green book suffice ? She said, mmmmmm, Yes - because she copied my document and attached it to the JPJ paperwork, along with a copy of the insurance document.

If you are overlanding from overseas, I would suggest you either ask your transport authority to prepare a document, such as this one.



If your transport dept. don't issue such a document, rather than let these guys struggle with a complicated registration document, make one yourself, try to get some official looking rubber stamp, Asians love a rubber stamp.

c) Money - The price for cars depends on CC, age of car and duration of insurance, I am unsure of the prices, the tariff sheet looked like it was 1500+ for a small car for a month. Bike insurance comes in 1 / 3 / 6 month packages - 700B for 250cc, 800 for 650cc - I recall the same fees at Sadao with a 1200GS costing over 1000B for a months ticket.

The price for a 3 month is pretty reasonable a 250cc was 1300B so, for my Versys I presume 1400-1500B.

Number plate: If you haven't already got roman plates, the girl will "construct" one for you and cut it down to give you a fighting chance of attaching it somewhere. These sticker plates are supposed to be of regulation size, she made me one plate for free, others say it is 100B, if they are free for you, even if you have roman plates, then take them, it may make your life easier further down the line.

Opening hours: 8.00 am - 5.00 pm

Tel. 081 8987239 / 086 9539237
email : kayjang14@gmail.com

Step B: Thai immigration

Motor straight through, and park at the entrance to the metal gate. If you, like me stopped just outside the office to the left, someone will shout at you, as you run the risk of getting your bike ploughed down. There isn't a great deal of space to park.
Immigration checkpoint is behind you. Departing Thailand, on the right, arrivals to the left.



The overstay office is to the left before the metal gate.

Step C: Malaysian immigration

Drive stright and join the queue, there is only one window for departure, the guy was swift and the process as painless as usual.

Step D: Malaysian JPJ

I'm never too sure of the process when dealing with these people, I always seem to upset them.

There is nowhere to really stop in front of the office. I pulled into the car parking at the end of the immigration building.

Knock on the door and wait, then wait some more, and knock again, in the end someone will come out and ask to see your vehicle, a visual check of the rear of you vehicle to see if you have Roman plates, if you own countries are not acceptable, whip out the sticker that the girl gave you and stick them on.



Hand over the paperwork from the insurance company. The girl will have stapled 3 sheets together, a completed JPJ ICP permit application form, a copy of your insurance policy and a copy of your translated registration document sheet.

Expect the papers to be snatched from your hand, and to be left standing on the narrow passage that cars use to enter Malaysia. Don't worry, take a few steps back, sit and wait.

After 15 minutes the guy will appear with you international circulation permit ( ICP ) a big square paper, I guess you should display this in your window or flash it at a JPJ roadblock.

If you think its beneficial, you can get better looking license plate stickers made in Hat Yai or Satun, or any border town. As i cross the border quite often, I have custom stickers made that squeeze onto rear facing panels on my boxes and a not so obtrusive sticker my windshield.

Otherwise, you may end up with one like this ..


Once you have the ICP, he may come and take pictures of your plates / stickers to protect himself, should you remove or alter anything further down the road.

I strongly recommend that if you are using Sadao, Padang Bezar, or Wang Prachan that you follow these procedures, you may lose an hour and $40.
I have visited Malaysia many times without insurance, and a ICP - without problem, but i know people who have been waved through a JPJ checkpoint, I also know of some cases where bikes have been seized.

A JPJ checkpoint will quite often be setup 10 km from the border or strategic points such as the Penang bridge.

I find Malaysians quite strict, some cases they will tell you to return to the Thai border and get the paperwork.

The procedure for entering through Sadao, can be found on GT-rider forum, if anyone needs one for Padang Bezar / Sungai Kolok, I can do that another day, just send a PM, the procedure is the same, but you may find pics and GPS coordinates helpful.

There is a new border post at Nathawi, Songkhla province called Ban Prakrob. Its less than a year old, don't expect to arrive to this checkpoint and find an insurance agent or JPJ - you need to get everything organised prior to crossing.

Hope this helps someone.

Thanks for your comprehensive and well documented and well explained writing about crossing into Malaysia from Thailand using the Sadao border.

When I went through there in May this year the insurance office wasnt open. And it makes me wonder to what extend is this office open? I could see when the Immigration and custom staff handled my Carnet that I was the third person coming through that border that month and it was the 20th May. It means if this was an average month that they have around 4 vehicles with a Carnet and thus 4 potential customers pr month. And then maybe a few thai registrated bikes also. Anyhow - it is very few potential customers for that insurance office. So they might not keep it staffed all the time? Which again makes this crossing useless for overlanders or thai bikes who wants to buy insurance and get the Jalan paperworks....

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

Very good read this article as I will be crossing it myself.

The only thing I cant find (and nowhere on the internet) is if it's possible to get a Visa On Arrival for 30/90 days at the landborder? I am citizen of the Netherlands.

All EU-passport holders (and many others as well) are given a 90 day visa free entry to Malaysia.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Malaysia

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

I really owe you a big thank-you for such a thorough and accurate post.

Everything on here is still very much correct. I took my thai registered CB500X across this border 2 days ago, using the same agent. The guy in there charged me 1000THB for a 1 month policy, including plates he made for me on the spot.

He even came up to the Malaysian vehicle office and fixed the whole thing and handed me the paperwork while I was queueing for my visa stamps.

It was a busy border, half an hour queue for each stamp (exit TL, enter ML), but i think I just got unlucky with that. I'd say 1 and a half hours total time to cross here.

Thanks again!!