How to Travel Southeast Asia for 6 Months: The Complete Guide

Understanding Visa Requirements for 6 Months

Okay so visas in Southeast Asia are honestly way less complicated than people make them out to be. I was stressed about this before my first trip and then I got there and realized it's actually pretty straightforward.

Most countries will either let you in for free or you just get a visa when you land. It's not like applying for a Schengen visa or dealing with US immigration or whatever. But the key thing, and this is what trips people up, is understanding how long you actually get in each place and what happens when that time runs out. Because it will run out if you're doing 6 months.

The quick rundown on the countries covered in this blog:

• Thailand
• Vietnam
• Cambodia
• Laos
• Indonesia
• Malaysia
• Phillippines
• Singapore
• Myanmar

1. Thailand

If you're flying in from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, you just get 60 days automatically. No forms, no fees, they just stamp you in. Pretty great. Then once you're there you can go to any immigration office and extend for another 30 days for 1,900 baht which is like $53. So that's 90 days total without doing anything complicated.

After that? You leave and come back. Seriously, that's it. They let you do 3 visa-free entries per year if you're flying in, and 2 if you're coming overland. So don't go crazy with it but also don't stress too much.

Oh actually you can also apply for a 60-day tourist e-visa before you even go, costs $40. Works the same way with the extension. I don't usually bother with this unless I know I'm starting in Thailand and want to lock in the 60 days, but it's an option.

2. Vietnam

Vietnam recently - like within the last year or two - started doing these 90-day e-visas which honestly changed everything. Before you had to do this annoying visa-on-arrival letter thing or get it at an embassy. Now it's just online. $25 for single entry, $50 for multiple entry. Most Western passports qualify.

The visa starts counting from whatever date you tell them you're entering. So if you put March 1st but then don't actually enter until March 15th, you just wasted two weeks of your visa. Plan that out.

Extensions are technically possible but you have to go through an agency and it's like $50-100 and honestly kind of a hassle. Most people just use their 90 days and then leave.

Oh and UK citizens randomly get 45 days visa-free. No idea why but if you're British, take advantage of that.

3. Cambodia

This is probably the easiest one in the whole region, no joke.

Visa-on-arrival at the airport or major land borders - $30. Or you can do e-visa online before you go for $37 (I usually just do visa-on-arrival because I'm lazy and it takes like 10 minutes). Both give you 30 days.

The beautiful thing about Cambodia is extensions are stupid easy. Another $35, another 30 days. You can keep doing this over and over. Like I've met people who've been in Cambodia for 6 months just extending every month. Makes it one of the best countries if you want to post up somewhere for a while.

You need two passport photos and USD cash. They're pretty strict about the USD thing actually. Also they launched this e-Arrival Card system you're supposed to fill out within like a week of arriving, the website is arrival.gov.kh. Don't skip it, they've started checking.

4. Laos

Visa-on-arrival at airports and the major land borders. $30-$42 depending on which passport you have (Americans pay more, it's annoying). Gets you 30 days.

You can extend once for another 30 days but you have to go to immigration in Vientiane or Luang Prabang. I've heard it's pretty straightforward but I've never actually done it myself, usually I just move on to the next country by then. Grab our Laos eSIM if you're looking for data. 

5. Indonesia

30 days visa-free for most Western passports. Just walk in, get stamped, done.

If you need longer - which you probably do if you're spending time in Bali or island hopping, you can get visa-on-arrival instead. That one costs money but it gives you 30 days that you can extend once for another 30. So $50 total for 60 days maximum.

Real talk though, don't mess around with overstaying in Bali. They've gotten super strict about it in the last couple years. The fines are brutal and I've heard stories of people getting deported. Just don't risk it. Indonesia is probably one of the most incredible countries in the world. Must visit. 

6. Malaysia

Americans get 90 days visa-free which is honestly amazing. Most other Western countries get 30 days.

Extensions are a pain in Malaysia though. Like it's technically possible but it's way more hassle than it's worth. Usually easier to just leave and come back if you need more time.

7. Philippines

30 days visa-free when you land. Then you can extend up to 59 days at any immigration office for around $30. And you can keep extending beyond that too, so staying several months is totally doable.

Philippines is actually really good for long-term stays because of how flexible the extensions are. I know people who've been there 6+ months just extending every two months.

8. Singapore

Canadians get 30 days visa-free. Americans and Australians get 90 days which is kind of random but whatever.

No extensions though. Not that it matters because Singapore is crazy expensive anyway. Most people just use it as a quick stopover or a place to do a visa run from Malaysia or Indonesia.

9. Myanmar

Myanmar you need to get an e-visa before you go. Around $50, gives you 28 days. Extensions are difficult and honestly Myanmar is way less developed for tourism than everywhere else in SE Asia so most people don't spend that much time there anyway.

Critical stuff you actually need to know

Your passport needs 6 months validity from when you're planning to leave. Not when you enter - when you're planning to leave. This trips people up.

Bring multiple passport photos. Like at least 6-8. They need to be 4x6 cm with white background. You'll use them for visa-on-arrival, extensions, random paperwork. Just have them.

Keep USD cash on you for visa-on-arrival payments. They don't always take local currency and sometimes the ATMs at border crossings are broken or out of money. Speaking from experience.

Grab data. This shouldn't need to be a tip, but honestly so many people forget to grab data packages before they arrive. With Globie you can choose to grab a package before or upon arrival- whichever you prefer, you'll be connected with minutes of your purchase + we offer a multiple country package you can grabbed with our Asia pass or South East Asia pass.

Proof of onward travel - so like a flight out of the country - is technically required a lot of places but honestly they barely ever check. I've been asked for it maybe twice in like 50+ border crossings. But technically you're supposed to have it.

And seriously, do not overstay your visa. The fines suck, but worse than that, you can get deported and potentially banned from coming back. Thailand especially has gotten way stricter about this. Just extend or leave before it expires. Not worth the risk.