Hello everyone,

I found it really hard to find up-to-date information about crossing from Malaysia to Sumatra. Here is my experience on the 19/11/2015.

VISA
You need to have an Indonesian visa beforehand, no visa is available on arrival for this specific trip and they won't let you on the boat without it. If you don't have it, head to the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. The whole procedure takes 1-2 days. Drop off the passport, form, photos, and around 200 ringgits in the morning and pick it up the next day in the afternoon.

ROUTE
The ferry leaves from PORT KLANG (follow SOUTHPORT signs, GPS coordinates 3°00'00.7"N 101°23'25.8"E) to a place called TANJUNG BALAI ASAHAN in SUMATRA (2°59'56.8"N 99°48'54.6"E).

SCHEDULE
The boat leaves from Port Klang every TUESDAY, THURSDAY, and SATURDAY at 11 a.m. Make sure you get there at least 2 hours before to get everything done. Crossing takes around 4 hours.

PROCEDURE
Leave your bike in front of the building, where you will see a lot of people. Try and locate if you can a man in charge with different shirt colour than the others and ask him about the boat to Tanjung Balai. Otherwise, go straight into the building (you will see a door saying Arrival and Departure, don't go in. Turn left and take the entrance on your left, go up the stairs, locate the counters. You want to go to Counter (Kaunter) number 3. Company name is AERO SPEED FERRY SERVICES. This is where you buy your tickets. Mr. Steven ONG will then assist you with the custom procedures and make you x-ray all your bags, get the visa checked, and take you to the customs (all in the same building) to fill up your Carnet de passage. You will be then invited to board the ferry, after all the passengers get in first. Be prepared to go down and up some ramps, that might be really tricky. This is a passenger ferry than can host 1 or 2 bikes in the main hallway, this will therefore be a bit tough to get the bike inside.

In Tanjung Balai, unload the bike and follow the guys to have your passport stamped. Then proceed to the customs, which is in another building (when you get out of the port, turn right about 100-200 meters on your left). This is where you get your Carnet stamped for Indonesia.



Someone will be here to guide you. Get ready to get a lot of attention from the locals. You are free to go afterwards.


PRICE

The price is pretty expensive. Expect to pay 135 ringgits for passenger ticket, 200 ringgits for the crew to help you carry the bike, and 1200 ringgits for the bike. Total = 1535 ringgits or around 340 euros. Nothing to pay on arrival, everything is paid in Malaysia

EXTRA INFORMATION
- A light lunch and bottles of water are served in the ferry for free (and snacks available for a charge).
- You can also buy a sim card on board, very good company that will allow you to get 3G internet.
- I stayed one night close to Tanjung Balai Asahan, hotel name : Tresya Internasional Hotel. Paid around 190'000 rupiahs for a night. Decent place, restaurant available.
- If you have to stay a night around Port Klang, try to get to FAMILY HOTEL in Klang, 10 kms away. Nice place, decent price, room for the bike inside if you ask them.

CONTACT
Company name : AERO SPEED FERRY SERVICES SDN BHD
Boat name : M.V PACIFIC JET STAR
Name of the owners : ONG Family
Tel : 603-3165-2545 or 0146517337

I took the time to do this post for you because I could not get much information about it, so please take a minute for a little thank you Any question just ask me.

Cheers, Flo.
www.distanceforachance.com
France to Indonesia for charity

Hello

Thanks for your write up on getting across too Indonesia from Malaysia.
I,m currently in KL and visited Mr Lim in Georgetown and The Brothers running Aseantex in Port Klang.
Until someone posts something else there does not seem to be another option yet.
Hope someone can post a alternative sometime soon.
Lot of money for jamming your bike inside the door way for such a short Journey ( what about three hours? ).
Just get milked of your money sometimes.
Looking like the fast expensive ferry across.

Nice one Flo . Does that mean trip is now finished . Neil

Yes Neil ! All done, safe and sound in Bali now. What an amazing journey that was.

@Kiwi-videos, I agree but I have seen worse (i.e crossing Iran to Dubai, a bit more than 500 euros just to cross the Persian Gulf, and a hell lot more of paperwork, so this one was not that bad to me I suppose)

Hello
Just been down to the Port Klang and to the ferry ,bought my ticket across and then the guys decide my BMW air head won,t fit in the door .
One of them asks if I can take the cylinder heads off .
No.
So bit of a warning for others with too big a bikes.
Back searching for a way across.

Can anyone please confirm about the visa to be obtained beforehand ? Because this link advises that visa on arrival is provided at TANJUNG BALAI.
Visa on Arrival Ports & Airports : VisaBali_com: Indonesia Immigration & Visa Information

I would strongly recommend to get a 60 day visa beforehand as 30 days are hardly enough time to ride across Indonesia. And if one gets through Indonesia in 30 days one wouldnt have seen nothing at all. 60 days is the least you need to visit points of interests and meet locals.

Indonesia is a time consuming country. The traffic is most often totally chaotic and the roads are very jammed - so dont expect to ride more than 300 kms a day.

Ferries are slow and between the easternmost islands the schedules are once or twice a week.

A 60 day visa can be extended 4 times while a 30 day visa can only be extended 1 time. But remember you need an indonesian person to guarantee you while apply for a visa extension. And a visa extension apply is a lengthy process as it most often includes 3-4-5 trips to the immigration office.

So dont even think about getting a 30 visa on arrival, its not enough time for riding through that country and if you need to extend your visa it will a week or so...

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

Agreed 30 days is simply too little for Indo. Travel is slow, timetables change, country is huge, and it is an archipelago (the largest on the planet). I loved every minute of my 30 days stay there, but would absolutely apply for at least 60 days if I were to visit again.