The visa policy of Malaysia consists of the requirements for foreign nationals to travel to, enter, and remain in Malaysia. Most visitors to Malaysia are granted visa-free entry for a period of 90, 30, or 14 days respectively. However, nationals from some countries must first obtain a visa from one of the Malaysian diplomatic missions around the world before being allowed into the country.
Entry requirements
editAll visitors to Malaysia must:[1]
- hold a passport, passport replacing document or a travel document valid for at least 6 months[3] upon arrival;[1]
- hold a return ticket;[1]
- not be an illegal immigrant;[1]
- have sufficient funds for the duration of stay in Malaysia;[1]
- have a visa[1] and/or a yellow fever vaccination certificate[4] (if applicable).
Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC)
editBefore entering Malaysia, all travellers, except
- citizens of Singapore; and
- diplomatic and official passport holders, regardless of nationality; and
- residents (Malaysian citizens, Permanent Residents and Long-Term Pass holders); and
- holders of a Bruneian General Certificate of Identity (GCI); and
- users of the "Brunei-Malaysia Frequent Travel Facility"; and
- holders of a border pass issued by Thailand; and
- holders of an Indonesian cross-border travel document (PLB);
are required to submit a Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) online to Malaysia immigration.[5]
The electronic Malaysia Digital Arrival Card must be submitted within three days before the date of arrival in Malaysia.[5]
Visa policy map
editVisa exemption
editAccording to Timatic, holders of passports issued by the following jurisdictions can enter Malaysia without a visa for up to the duration listed below.[6]
90 days
editHolders of passports issued by the following jurisdictions are granted visa-free entry to Malaysia for 90 days:[6]
|
30 days
editHolders of passports issued by the following jurisdictions are granted visa-free entry to Malaysia for 30 days:[6]
|
T1 - Temporary measure until 31 December 2026.[7]
T2 - Temporary measure until 31 December 2024.[8]
14 days
editHolders of passports issued by the following jurisdictions are granted visa-free entry to Malaysia for 14 days:[6]
In addition, holders of Macao Special Administrative Region Travel Permits are granted visa-free entry for 14 days regardless of their nationality.
APEC Business Travel Card
editHolders of passports issued by the following countries who possess an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) containing the "MYS" code on the reverse, which indicates that it is valid for travel to Malaysia, can enter Malaysia visa-free for business trips for up to 60 days.[6]
ABTCs are issued to nationals of:[9]
Non-ordinary passports
editHolders of diplomatic or official / service passports of Andorra, Albania (90 days), Algeria (90 days), Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belarus (90 days), Barbados (90 days), Belize (90 days), Botswana, China, Dominican Republic, Georgia, India, Iran (15 days), Jordan (90 days), Kazakhstan, Libya (14 days), Moldova, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia (90 days), Tajikistan, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and United Kingdom (90 days) do not require a visa for up to 30 days (unless otherwise stated), however they must first request for entry permission at any port of entry in order to enter Malaysia.
In addition, holders of diplomatic or official / service passports of Brunei and Singapore do not require a visa for up to 90 days while all other ASEAN member states do not require a visa for up to 30 days but do not require entry permission under ASEAN Visa-Exemption agreement.
Electronic Visa (e-Visa)
editOn 1 March 2017, Malaysian government set up a new online application system to accept applications for Electronic Visa (eVISA) and Electronic Travel Registration and Information (ENTRI) to facilitate tourism.
eNTRI program is good for Chinese and Indian passport holders and lasts until 31 December 2020 while e-Visa is good for citizens of more countries and is still available so far.[10]
E-Visa application also applies to those seeking student or expatriate visas for entering Malaysia, although they must report to immigration authorities upon arrival in Malaysia in order to obtain their immigration passes.
Citizens of the following countries can apply for an e-Visa:
E - Already visa-exempt in general.
In addition, holders of Hong Kong Document of Identity for Visa Purposes are eligible for applying e-Visa regardless of their nationality.
- Place of application: all countries and territories in the world except Israel, Malaysia and North Korea
- As of 22 February 2023, Single Entry Visa (SEV) and Multiple Entry Visa (MEV) applications are now available in Singapore for all nationalities that require an eVISA.
- The application website contains IP address detection, applicants out of designated countries (see above) will be blocked from the application.
- Fee: varies by nationality and applicant's location
- Place of departure: no restrictions
- Port of entry and exit: any port of entry
- Valid for: 3 months (multiple entries for Indian nationals, single entry for others)
- Duration of stay: 30 days for single-entry eVisa holders, 15 or 30 days for multiple-entry e-Visa holders
- Visa review: 2 business day after application submitted, visa interview or extra proof materials may be requested
Direct airside transit
editNationals of non-visa-exempt countries can transit through Kuala Lumpur International Airport for a maximum of 24 hours in the transit area; however, they are not permitted to switch between the terminals of the airport unless they hold a valid visa.[6]
Mandatory yellow fever vaccination
editNationals of the following countries require an International Certificate of Vaccination in order to enter Malaysia:[4] The vaccination requirement is imposed by this country for protection against Yellow Fever since the principal mosquito vector Aedes aegypti is present in its territory.[11]
Admission restrictions
edit- Citizens of Israel are required to obtain visa along with approval from the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs in order to enter Malaysia. In addition, they are banned from participating in Malaysia My Second Home programme.[12][13]
- Citizens of North Korea are visa required since 6 March 2017 due to the diplomatic tensions caused by assassination of Kim Jong-nam.[14][15]
- Citizens of Western Sahara are visa required and may enter by air only.[16]
Statistics
editIn 2016, Malaysia recorded 26,757,392 tourist arrivals, a growth of 4.0% compared to 25,721,251 in 2015. The table lists the top 15 arrivals to Malaysia by their origin countries.
— | Denotes that the country was not within the top 15 arrivals for that year |
Country | Visitors (6/2024)[17] | Visitors (2023)[18] | Visitors (2022)[19] | Visitors (2021)[20] | Visitors (2020)[21] | Visitors (2019)[22] | Visitors (2018)[23] | Visitors (2017)[24] | Visitors (2016)[25] | Visitors (2015)[26] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Singapore | 4,276,007 | 8,308,230 | 5,222,991 | 16,308 | 1,545,255 | 10,163,882 | 10,615,986 | 12,441,713 | 13,272,961 | 12,930,754 |
Indonesia | 1,786,630 | 3,108,165 | 1,481,739 | 11,025 | 711,723 | 3,623,277 | 3,277,689 | 2,796,570 | 3,049,964 | 2,788,033 |
Thailand | 813,783 | 1,551,282 | 715,528 | 59,607 | 394,413 | 1,884,306 | 1,914,692 | 1,836,522 | 1,780,800 | 1,343,569 |
China | 1,449,711 | 1,474,114 | 211,363 | 7,701 | 405,149 | 3,114,257 | 2,944,133 | 2,281,666 | 2,124,942 | 1,677,163 |
Brunei | 565,999 | 811,833 | 301,757 | 773 | 136,020 | 1,216,123 | 1,382,031 | 1,660,506 | 1,391,016 | 1,133,555 |
India | 537,493 | 671,846 | 324,548 | 3,916 | 155,883 | 735,309 | 600,311 | 552,739 | 638,578 | 722,141 |
South Korea | 232,711 | 400,853 | 146,384 | 3,028 | 119,750 | 673,065 | 616,783 | 484,528 | 444,439 | 421,161 |
Vietnam | 168,015 | 344,361 | 173,763 | 583 | 64,184 | 400,346 | 375,578 | 248,927 | 216,877 | 229,926 |
Australia | 178,931 | 343,438 | 152,265 | 1,321 | 72,680 | 368,271 | 351,500 | 351,232 | 377,727 | 486,948 |
Philippines | 192,067 | 339,282 | 159,442 | 2,317 | 66,051 | 421,908 | 396,062 | 370,559 | 417,446 | 554,917 |
Taiwan | 178,038 | 283,380 | 48,132 | 563 | 60,090 | 382,916 | 383,922 | 332,927 | 300,861 | 283,224 |
United Kingdom | 175,545 | 272,297 | 134,667 | 2,676 | 63,868 | 346,485 | 361,335 | 358,818 | 400,269 | 401,019 |
Japan | 132,684 | 229,892 | 83,309 | 3,114 | 74,383 | 424,694 | 394,540 | 392,777 | 413,768 | 483,569 |
United States | 134,474 | 229,476 | 108,141 | 2,030 | 48,810 | 269,928 | 253,384 | 198,203 | 217,075 | 237,768 |
Bangladesh | 63,427 | 142,748 | 59,033 | 1,509 | 17,634 | 179,000 | 150,053 | 111,836 | 114,607 | 147,152 |
Germany | 82,721 | 125,987 | 57,780 | 824 | 27,458 | 130,221 | 128,895 | 109,816 | 130,276 | 144,910 |
France | 71,874 | 115,145 | 55,087 | 843 | 28,237 | 141,661 | 139,408 | 131,668 | 134,257 | 151,474 |
Russia | 60,072 | 109,689 | 33,003 | 399 | 28,694 | 79,984 | 72,785 | 67,564 | 50,893 | 55,263 |
Pakistan | 44,983 | 107,657 | 60,535 | 2,043 | 17,777 | 105,757 | 74,458 | 53,453 | 58,388 | 69,112 |
Myanmar | 51,680 | 86,298 | 36,765 | 377 | 9,745 | 46,257 | 38,513 | 42,314 | 49,175 | 66,553 |
Cambodia | 32,382 | 72,627 | 39,823 | 250 | 16,548 | 97,097 | 90,113 | 42,004 | 61,844 | 75,059 |
Canada | 42,783 | 71,981 | 30,656 | 471 | 16,631 | 87,568 | 84,705 | 67,056 | 72,337 | 79,557 |
Netherlands | 33,700 | 68,448 | 31,070 | 466 | 14,486 | 82,110 | 81,651 | 75,885 | 72,200 | 84,584 |
Sri Lanka | 26,241 | 55,050 | 24,906 | 385 | 8,142 | 26,058 | 28,376 | 43,738 | 33,340 | 51,337 |
Saudi Arabia | 27,365 | 51,375 | 35,980 | 687 | 23,390 | 121,444 | 112,263 | 100,549 | 123,878 | 99,754 |
Italy | 24,561 | 48,440 | 18,866 | 300 | 8,971 | 54,710 | 52,055 | 44,638 | 42,747 | 51,946 |
New Zealand | 21,854 | 42,955 | 18,238 | 196 | 8,794 | 50,140 | 50,698 | 55,923 | 53,352 | 60,846 |
Spain | 18,920 | 40,762 | 20,474 | 147 | 6,367 | 43,616 | 42,267 | 35,149 | 28,018 | 36,692 |
Switzerland | 13,239 | 23,312 | 10,486 | 197 | 5,263 | 25,659 | 25,680 | 20,775 | 26,628 | 28,141 |
Poland | 17,372 | 21,472 | 8,472 | 161 | 7,539 | 27,033 | 24,364 | 20,067 | 19,768 | 19,920 |
Egypt | 10,795 | 20,783 | 11,117 | 652 | 6,204 | 29,831 | 27,909 | 23,760 | 30,231 | 25,637 |
Iran | 14,377 | 19,908 | 7,570 | 314 | 7,078 | 46,559 | 67,094 | 59,023 | 47,102 | 65,066 |
Nepal | 9,402 | 18,488 | 11,379 | 198 | 5,067 | 20,437 | 19,914 | 20,553 | 60,476 | 93,159 |
Ireland | 10,664 | 18,127 | 8,739 | 137 | 3,735 | 25,659 | 19,687 | 20,854 | 18,208 | 22,746 |
Sweden | 11,244 | 18,006 | 8,083 | 253 | 9,292 | 29,592 | 32,665 | 34,304 | 32,861 | 35,586 |
Belgium | 10,584 | 17,726 | 7,543 | 122 | 3,734 | 22,082 | 20,624 | 17,327 | 14,283 | 18,789 |
Turkey | 11,851 | 17,275 | 7,169 | 286 | 3,152 | 15,290 | 15,406 | 14,594 | 13,029 | 15,395 |
Laos | 8,657 | 16,781 | 7,010 | 425 | 5,424 | 26,955 | 23,782 | 39,460 | 31,061 | 24,448 |
Denmark | 10,009 | 16,053 | 7,717 | 214 | 6,061 | 22,314 | 23,566 | 23,219 | 21,612 | 24,113 |
South Africa | 7,365 | 15,155 | 7,937 | 168 | 3,876 | 22,674 | 21,977 | 21,560 | 20,053 | 20,625 |
Iraq | 7,851 | 12,562 | 6,008 | 452 | 3,628 | 21,421 | 22,291 | 18,555 | 22,533 | 20,098 |
Ukraine | 7,398 | 11,129 | 4,381 | 298 | 6,326 | 16,019 | 14,529 | 13,068 | 12,971 | 10,672 |
Norway | 6,375 | 9,981 | 4,960 | 136 | 3,552 | 14,585 | 15,202 | 14,121 | 14,709 | 18,622 |
Kazakhstan | 13,317 | 8,298 | 2,836 | 141 | 6,065 | 18,138 | 13,861 | 12,577 | 10,717 | 15,410 |
United Arab Emirates | 2,258 | 7,877 | 3,230 | 86 | 679 | 11,174 | 9,386 | 8,555 | 14,150 | 15,769 |
Grand Total | 11,808,937 | 20,141,846 | 10,074,964 | 134,728 | 4,332,722 | 26,100,784 | 25,832,354 | 25,948,459 | 26,757,392 | 25,721,251 |
See also
editFurther reading
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Entry requirements into Malaysia". Immigration Department of Malaysia. Ministry of Home Affairs (Malaysia). Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Malaysia Automated Clearance System (MACS 2.0)". Malaysia Digital Arrival Card. Immigration Department of Malaysia. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Citizens of Singapore using the "Malaysia Automated Clearance System (MACS 2.0)" may enter Malaysia with a passport valid for at least 3 months.[2]
- ^ a b "Visa Requirement by Country". Immigration Department of Malaysia. Ministry of Home Affairs (Malaysia). Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Malaysia Digital Arrival Card For Foreign Visitors". Malaysia Digital Arrival Card. Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Visa and passport". Timatic. International Air Transport Association through Emirates. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "中华人民共和国政府和马来西亚政府关于深化提升全面战略伙伴关系、共建中马命运共同体的联合声明". 中华人民共和国中央人民政府.
- ^ "Malaysia to allow visa-free entry to Chinese, Indian nationals". Reuters.
- ^ "ABTC Economy Entry Information" (PDF).
- ^ "eVISA FAQ" (PDF).
- ^ "Vaccination For Yellow Fever". iamat. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ "About MM2H Programme". Malaysia My Second Home. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ "Visa Requirement by Country". Immigration Department of Malaysia. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ "North Koreans Need Visa To Enter Malaysia From Monday". Bernama. 2 March 2017. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
- ^ "Kim Jong-nam death: Malaysia scraps visa-free entry for North Koreans". The Guardian. Associated Press. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
- ^ "Visa requirement for foreigner". Retrieved 2023-12-29.
- ^ "Top 45 Tourist Arrivals (2024)". Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Top 45 Tourist Arrivals (2023)" (PDF). Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Top 45 Tourist Arrivals (2022)" (PDF). Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Top 45 Tourist Arrivals (2021)" (PDF). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ "Top 45 Tourist Arrivals (2020)" (PDF). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ "Top 45 Tourist Arrivals (2019)" (PDF). Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ "Top 45 Tourist Arrivals (2018)" (PDF). Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- ^ "Top 45 Tourist Arrivals (2017)" (PDF). Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- ^ "Top 45 Tourist Arrivals (2016)" (PDF). Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ "Top 45 Tourist Arrivals (2015)" (PDF). Retrieved 4 March 2018.