Entry restrictions on foreign travelers

10 Sep 2020 / Malaysia

Since 7 September, the Government of Malaysia is imposing entry restrictions into Malaysia on foreign travelers traveling from countries that have recorded over 150,000 COVID-19 cases, as listed below:

  • USA
  • Brazil
  • India
  • Russia
  • Peru
  • Colombia
  • South Africa
  • Mexico
  • Spain
  • Argentina
  • Chile
  • Iran
  • UK
  • Bangladesh
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Pakistan
  • France
  • Turkey
  • Italy
  • Germany
  • Iraq
  • Philippines
  • Indonesia

The entry restrictions include travelers who are citizens of/holders of long-term passes of the countries listed above, residing in or traveling from those countries.

The latest decision is part of continuing efforts by the Government of Malaysia to contain the spread of COVID-19 and in view of the recent increase in the number of imported COVID-19 cases detected at international points of entry to Malaysia among travelers coming from the listed countries. The restriction is a temporary measure and will be reviewed regularly.

The entry restrictions cover travelers holding long-term passes from Malaysia including:
i. Permanent Residents (PR);
ii. Malaysia My Second Home Program (MM2H) pass holders;
iii. All Expatriates (including Employment pass Category I, II and III; Residence Pass-Talent (RPT); Professional Visit pass; and Dependent pass);
iv. Resident pass holders;
v. Spouse/Child of Malaysians with long-term social visit pass;
vi. Student pass holders; and
vii. Temporary Employment pass holders.

Exemptions may be considered under the following categories:

i. Diplomats and their dependents who are eligible under the Exemption Order. However, for Diplomats or Embassy staff who do not have required passes such as first time entry into Malaysia; residents in other countries who holds the United Nations (UN) / World Health Organization (WHO) / United Nations Development Program (UNDP) passport are required to obtain approval from the Director General of the Immigration Department of Malaysia through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia prior to traveling;

ii. Ship crew members who are involved in sign-on/joint-ship and sign-off activities. A Letter of Guarantee (LG) and Seaman Book must be provided as additional required documents during entry;

iii. Flight crew members for commercial or private flights. A General Declaration for the next flight operation must be provided as additional required documents during entry;

iv. Professional crew/workers in the oil and gas industry with existing passes and prior entry approval from the Director General of the Immigration Department of Malaysia.

Exception appeals may be considered, on a case-by-case basis, in cases of emergencies and on compassionate grounds.

The mechanism for the entry restrictions at all Malaysian entry points is as follows:
i. Inspection of travel documents, including place of issue, departure stamp on passport, and flight ticket;
ii. Travelers holding travel documents/long term visas from the countries listed above, or who are residents of the listed countries, will be prevented from entry into Malaysia;
iii. Travelers who have been denied entry into Malaysia will be directed to the respective airlines to be repatriated.

The entry restrictions do not apply to travelers who are transiting in Malaysia for departure to another country, provided the transit travelers do not leave the departure terminal and do not go through immigration inspection.

Malaysian citizens are exempted from this ruling. Malaysian citizens who wish to return to Malaysia, including from the countries listed above, may do so provided they have a Travel Notice issued by the Embassy and a Letter of Undertaking to bear the costs of quarantine upon arrival. All Malaysians are also reminded to download, register, and activate the MySejahtera online application before entering Malaysia. The application can be downloaded at: https://mysejahtera.malaysia.gov.my.

For further inquiry/information/assistance, please contact the Embassy:
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
Telephone: +1-202-572-9700 (Office Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am-4pm) & +1-202-376 4396 (Outside Office Hours)

Travelers seeking clarifications at the Malaysian international point of entry may call the KLIA Operation Room (24 hours) at: +603-8776-3681.

For further details and updates, as well as information about operations in Malaysia, contact GAC Malaysia at [email protected]

If quoting any content from Hot Port News, please cite GAC Hot Port News as the source.