Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
» Extensions take effect on the day they're issued, so the best time to extend a visa is right
before the old one expires. If your visa still has a month of validity left, that time will not
be added to the period covered by the extension.
» Some travellers report they've been able to extend their Malaysian visas by going
through Malaysian border control at the Brunei border and then, without officially enter-
ing Brunei, turning around and re-entering Malaysia. Others do visa runs by crossing from
Sarawak into Indonesia at Tebedu-Entikong.
» Overstaying your visa by a few days is not usually a big deal, especially if you're a
genuine tourist and have no prior offences. However, at the discretion of immigration of-
ficers, any violation of Malaysia's visa rules can result in your being turned over to the
Immigration Department's enforcement section and, if you're in Sarawak, taken to Serian,
60km southeast of Kuching, for questioning. Bummer of a way to miss your flight.
SARAWAK & SABAH PASSPORT STAMPS
Under the terms of Sabah and Sarawak's entry into Malaysia, both states retain a certain degree of state-level con-
trol of their borders. Malaysian citizens from Peninsular Malaysia (West Malaysia) cannot work legally in Malay-
sian Borneo (East Malaysia) without special permits, and tourists travelling within Malaysia must go through
passport control and have their passports stamped whenever they:
» Arrive in Sabah or Sarawak from Peninsular Malaysia or the federal district of Pu-
lau Labuan
» Exit Sabah or Sarawak on their way to Peninsular Malaysia or Pulau Labuan
» Travel between Sabah and Sarawak
Note: When you enter Sabah or Sarawak from another part of Malaysia, your new visa stamp will be valid only
for the remainder of the period left on your original Malaysian visa.
Brunei
» When it comes to getting into Brunei, Americans are luckiest (they receive a free 90-day
visa on arrival) and Israelis the unluckiest (they aren't permitted to visit at all). Travellers
from Western Europe, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and a few other countries score
30 days at the border, while Canadians, Swiss and Japanese get 14 days.
» Australians don't need to apply for a visa in advance but do have to ante up B$5 (pay-
able only in Brunei or Singapore dollars) for a three-day transit visa (you need to show a
ticket out), B$20 for a single-entry visa valid for two weeks, or B$30 for a multiple-entry
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