# Visa policy of Malaysia

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

All visitors to Malaysia must:
* hold a passport, passport replacing document or a travel document valid for at least 6 months upon arrival;
* hold a return ticket;
* not be an illegal immigrant;
* have sufficient funds for the duration of stay in Malaysia;
* have a visa and/or a yellow fever vaccination certificate (if applicable).

### Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC)

Before 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.
The electronic Malaysia Digital Arrival Card must be submitted within three days before the date of arrival in Malaysia.
However, Malaysian authorities have warned that visitors should be vigilant against fraudulant websites that impersonate the official MDAC website, as such fraudulant websites may lead to scam and personal data breach. The registration for MDAC is completely free of charge.

## Visa exemption

According to Timatic, holders of passports issued by the following jurisdictions can enter Malaysia without a visa for up to the duration listed below.

### 90 days

Holders of passports issued by the following jurisdictions are granted visa-free entry to Malaysia for 90 days:
| Albania  Algeria  Argentina  Australia  Bahrain  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Brazil  Canada  Cuba  Egypt | Hong Kong  Iceland  Japan  Jordan  Kuwait  Kyrgyzstan  Lebanon  Liechtenstein  Maldives  Morocco | New Zealand  Norway  Oman  Peru  Qatar  San Marino  Saudi Arabia  South Africa  South Korea  Sudan | Syria  Switzerland  Tunisia  Turkey  Turkmenistan  United Arab Emirates  United Kingdom  United States  Uruguay  Yemen |

### 30 days

Holders of passports issued by the following jurisdictions are granted visa-free entry to Malaysia for 30 days:
| Andorra  Antigua and Barbuda  Armenia  Azerbaijan  Bahamas  Barbados  Belarus  Belize  Benin  Bolivia  Botswana  Cambodia  Cape Verde  Chad  Chile  China$^T$  Comoros  Costa Rica  Dominica  Dominican Republic  Ecuador  El Salvador  Eswatini | Fiji  Gabon  Gambia  Georgia  Grenada  Guatemala  Guinea  Guyana  Haiti  Honduras  India$^T$  Iraq  Jamaica  Kazakhstan  Kenya  Kiribati  Lesotho  Macao  Madagascar  Malawi  Marshall Islands  Mauritania  Mauritius | Mexico  Micronesia  Moldova  Monaco  Mongolia  Namibia  Nauru  Nicaragua  North Macedonia  Palau  Palestine  Panama  Papua New Guinea  Paraguay  Russia  Saint Kitts and Nevis  Saint Lucia  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Samoa  São Tomé and Príncipe  Senegal  Seychelles  Sierra Leone | Solomon Islands  Somalia  South Sudan  Suriname  Taiwan  Tajikistan  Tanzania  Timor-Leste  Togo  Tonga  Trinidad and Tobago  Tuvalu  Uganda  Ukraine  Uzbekistan  Vanuatu  Vatican City  Venezuela  Zambia  Zimbabwe |
$_{T-Temporarymeasureuntil31December2026.}$
According to Timatic, nationals of Brunei and Singapore "may apply to extend their stay" in Malaysia. Whilst the Immigration Department of Malaysia states that these nationals may stay more than 1 month without a visa, the legal procedure for these nationals to extend their stay has not been publicly disclosed, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore maintains that nationals of Singapore may only stay in Malaysia for a maximum stay of 30 days.

### 14 days

Holders of passports issued by the following jurisdictions are granted visa-free entry to Malaysia for 14 days:
* Iran
* Libya
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

Holders 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.
ABTCs are issued to nationals of:
| Australia  Brunei  Chile  China  Hong Kong  Indonesia  Japan  South Korea  Mexico | New Zealand  Papua New Guinea  Peru  Philippines  Russia  Singapore  Taiwan  Thailand  Vietnam |

### Non-ordinary passports

Holders 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, Turkmenistan, 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).

## Electronic Visa (e-Visa)

On 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.
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:
| Afghanistan  Angola  Bangladesh  Bhutan  Burkina Faso  Burundi  Cameroon  Central African Republic  Colombia  Republic of the Congo  Democratic Republic of the Congo | Djibouti  Equatorial Guinea  Eritrea  Ethiopia  Ghana  Guinea Bissau  Ivory Coast  Kosovo  Liberia  Mali  Montenegro | Mozambique  Myanmar  Nepal  Niger  Nigeria  Pakistan  Rwanda  Serbia  Sri Lanka |
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

Nationals 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.

## Mandatory yellow fever vaccination

Nationals of the following countries require an International Certificate of Vaccination in order to enter Malaysia: 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.
| Angola  Argentina  Benin  Bolivia  Brazil  Burkina Faso  Burundi  Cameroon  Central African Republic  Chad  Colombia  Congo  Democratic Republic of the Congo  Ecuador | Equatorial Guinea  Ethiopia  French Guiana (France)  Gabon  Gambia  Ghana  Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Guyana  Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)  Kenya  Liberia  Mali  Mauritania | Niger  Nigeria  Panama  Paraguay  Peru  Senegal  Sierra Leone  South Sudan  Sudan  Suriname  Togo  Trinidad and Tobago  Uganda  Venezuela |

## Admission restrictions

* 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.
* Citizens of North Korea are visa required since 6 March 2017 due to the diplomatic tensions caused by assassination of Kim Jong-nam.
* Citizens of Western Sahara are visa required and may enter by air only.

## Statistics

In 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 |
Foreign tourist arrivals in Malaysia :
| Country | Visitors (2024) | Visitors (2023) | Visitors (2022) | Visitors (2021) | Visitors (2020) | Visitors (2019) | Visitors (2018) | Visitors (2017) | Visitors (2016) | Visitors (2015) |
| Singapore | 9,099,727 | 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 | 3,651,668 | 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 |
| China | 3,287,362 | 1,474,114 | 211,363 | 7,701 | 405,149 | 3,114,257 | 2,944,133 | 2,281,666 | 2,124,942 | 1,677,163 |
| Thailand | 1,639,211 | 1,551,282 | 715,528 | 59,607 | 394,413 | 1,884,306 | 1,914,692 | 1,836,522 | 1,780,800 | 1,343,569 |
| Brunei | 1,142,134 | 811,833 | 301,757 | 773 | 136,020 | 1,216,123 | 1,382,031 | 1,660,506 | 1,391,016 | 1,133,555 |
| India | 1,133,331 | 671,846 | 324,548 | 3,916 | 155,883 | 735,309 | 600,311 | 552,739 | 638,578 | 722,141 |
| South Korea | 475,815 | 400,853 | 146,384 | 3,028 | 119,750 | 673,065 | 616,783 | 484,528 | 444,439 | 421,161 |
| Philippines | 400,912 | 339,282 | 159,442 | 2,317 | 66,051 | 421,908 | 396,062 | 370,559 | 417,446 | 554,917 |
| Taiwan | 385,415 | 283,380 | 48,132 | 563 | 60,090 | 382,916 | 383,922 | 332,927 | 300,861 | 283,224 |
| Australia | 382,628 | 343,438 | 152,265 | 1,321 | 72,680 | 368,271 | 351,500 | 351,232 | 377,727 | 486,948 |
| United Kingdom | 345,438 | 272,297 | 134,667 | 2,676 | 63,868 | 346,485 | 361,335 | 358,818 | 400,269 | 401,019 |
| Vietnam | 330,189 | 344,361 | 173,763 | 583 | 64,184 | 400,346 | 375,578 | 248,927 | 216,877 | 229,926 |
| Japan | 307,883 | 229,892 | 83,309 | 3,114 | 74,383 | 424,694 | 394,540 | 392,777 | 413,768 | 483,569 |
| United States | 271,809 | 229,476 | 108,141 | 2,030 | 48,810 | 269,928 | 253,384 | 198,203 | 217,075 | 237,768 |
| France | 160,637 | 115,145 | 55,087 | 843 | 28,237 | 141,661 | 139,408 | 131,668 | 134,257 | 151,474 |
| Germany | 155,848 | 125,987 | 57,780 | 824 | 27,458 | 130,221 | 128,895 | 109,816 | 130,276 | 144,910 |
| Bangladesh | 143,919 | 142,748 | 59,033 | 1,509 | 17,634 | 179,000 | 150,053 | 111,836 | 114,607 | 147,152 |
| Myanmar | 114,551 | 86,298 | 36,765 | 377 | 9,745 | 46,257 | 38,513 | 42,314 | 49,175 | 66,553 |
| Russia | 112,806 | 109,689 | 33,003 | 399 | 28,694 | 79,984 | 72,785 | 67,564 | 50,893 | 55,263 |
| Pakistan | 102,570 | 107,657 | 60,535 | 2,043 | 17,777 | 105,757 | 74,458 | 53,453 | 58,388 | 69,112 |
| Canada | 86,882 | 71,981 | 30,656 | 471 | 16,631 | 87,568 | 84,705 | 67,056 | 72,337 | 79,557 |
| Netherlands | 82,964 | 68,448 | 31,070 | 466 | 14,486 | 82,110 | 81,651 | 75,885 | 72,200 | 84,584 |
| Italy | 69,781 | 48,440 | 18,866 | 300 | 8,971 | 54,710 | 52,055 | 44,638 | 42,747 | 51,946 |
| Cambodia | 63,964 | 72,627 | 39,823 | 250 | 16,548 | 97,097 | 90,113 | 42,004 | 61,844 | 75,059 |
| Saudi Arabia | 62,764 | 51,375 | 35,980 | 687 | 23,390 | 121,444 | 112,263 | 100,549 | 123,878 | 99,754 |
| Spain | 60,527 | 40,762 | 20,474 | 147 | 6,367 | 43,616 | 42,267 | 35,149 | 28,018 | 36,692 |
| Sri Lanka | 58,015 | 55,050 | 24,906 | 385 | 8,142 | 26,058 | 28,376 | 43,738 | 33,340 | 51,337 |
| New Zealand | 47,961 | 42,955 | 18,238 | 196 | 8,794 | 50,140 | 50,698 | 55,923 | 53,352 | 60,846 |
| Poland | 36,821 | 21,472 | 8,472 | 161 | 7,539 | 27,033 | 24,364 | 20,067 | 19,768 | 19,920 |
| Kazakhstan | 30,730 | 8,298 | 2,836 | 141 | 6,065 | 18,138 | 13,861 | 12,577 | 10,717 | 15,410 |
| Switzerland | 28,035 | 23,312 | 10,486 | 197 | 5,263 | 25,659 | 25,680 | 20,775 | 26,628 | 28,141 |
| Belgium | 25,234 | 17,726 | 7,543 | 122 | 3,734 | 22,082 | 20,624 | 17,327 | 14,283 | 18,789 |
| Iran | 24,710 | 19,908 | 7,570 | 314 | 7,078 | 46,559 | 67,094 | 59,023 | 47,102 | 65,066 |
| Turkey | 23,986 | 17,275 | 7,169 | 286 | 3,152 | 15,290 | 15,406 | 14,594 | 13,029 | 15,395 |
| Egypt | 22,859 | 20,783 | 11,117 | 652 | 6,204 | 29,831 | 27,909 | 23,760 | 30,231 | 25,637 |
| Sweden | 21,242 | 18,006 | 8,083 | 253 | 9,292 | 29,592 | 32,665 | 34,304 | 32,861 | 35,586 |
| Ireland | 21,170 | 18,127 | 8,739 | 137 | 3,735 | 25,659 | 19,687 | 20,854 | 18,208 | 22,746 |
| Nepal | 20,091 | 18,488 | 11,379 | 198 | 5,067 | 20,437 | 19,914 | 20,553 | 60,476 | 93,159 |
| Denmark | 19,242 | 16,053 | 7,717 | 214 | 6,061 | 22,314 | 23,566 | 23,219 | 21,612 | 24,113 |
| Laos | 18,886 | 16,781 | 7,010 | 425 | 5,424 | 26,955 | 23,782 | 39,460 | 31,061 | 24,448 |
| Iraq | 18,884 | 12,562 | 6,008 | 452 | 3,628 | 21,421 | 22,291 | 18,555 | 22,533 | 20,098 |
| South Africa | 16,979 | 15,155 | 7,937 | 168 | 3,876 | 22,674 | 21,977 | 21,560 | 20,053 | 20,625 |
| Ukraine | 13,511 | 11,129 | 4,381 | 298 | 6,326 | 16,019 | 14,529 | 13,068 | 12,971 | 10,672 |
| Norway | 13,250 | 9,981 | 4,960 | 136 | 3,552 | 14,585 | 15,202 | 14,121 | 14,709 | 18,622 |
| United Arab Emirates | 6,836 | 7,877 | 3,230 | 86 | 679 | 11,174 | 9,386 | 8,555 | 14,150 | 15,769 |
| Grand Total | 25,016,698 | 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 |