Living
Entry Visa
Regulations have recently changed and now residents of most countries are entitled to enter Malaysia on a social visit pass valid for between 14 days and three months.
Social visit passes are not issued to travellers holding passports issued by the following countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo Democratic Republic, Congo Republic, Cote D’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, India, Israel, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Serbia & Montenegro, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Western Sahara and Yugoslavia. Citizens of these countries should check on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website at www.kln.gov.my or contact the Malaysian embassy in their home country as the visa regulations differ for each country.
It is important to check the validity of your passport. On arrival, you must have more than six months left on your passport. This rule applies each time you leave and re-enter Malaysia. Since most residence visas are issued for a year at a time, it’s worthwhile renewing your passport anyway if it’s due to expire within twelve months as all stamps and passes will have to reissued.
If you are coming to Malaysia to work and you have a job already, you do not need to get a special visa as your employer will apply for your work permit once you are in the country. Any family members who are travelling with you will also be issued with a social visit pass, and when your work permit is approved they will get dependents’ passes which will be valid for the same length as your work permit. This process can take a few months, although recently the wait seems to have got much shorter. If your social visit pass is due to expire and your work permit hasn’t been issued, you will need to leave and re-enter Malaysia to get another social visit pass.
Malaysia no longer issues business visas for short-term visits. A list of activities covered by the social visit pass can be found on the Immigration Department website at www.imi.gov.my; it includes business meetings, factory inspections, journalism and taking part in sporting competitions.
Social visit passes are not issued to travellers holding passports issued by the following countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo Democratic Republic, Congo Republic, Cote D’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, India, Israel, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Serbia & Montenegro, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Western Sahara and Yugoslavia. Citizens of these countries should check on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website at www.kln.gov.my or contact the Malaysian embassy in their home country as the visa regulations differ for each country.
It is important to check the validity of your passport. On arrival, you must have more than six months left on your passport. This rule applies each time you leave and re-enter Malaysia. Since most residence visas are issued for a year at a time, it’s worthwhile renewing your passport anyway if it’s due to expire within twelve months as all stamps and passes will have to reissued.
If you are coming to Malaysia to work and you have a job already, you do not need to get a special visa as your employer will apply for your work permit once you are in the country. Any family members who are travelling with you will also be issued with a social visit pass, and when your work permit is approved they will get dependents’ passes which will be valid for the same length as your work permit. This process can take a few months, although recently the wait seems to have got much shorter. If your social visit pass is due to expire and your work permit hasn’t been issued, you will need to leave and re-enter Malaysia to get another social visit pass.
Malaysia no longer issues business visas for short-term visits. A list of activities covered by the social visit pass can be found on the Immigration Department website at www.imi.gov.my; it includes business meetings, factory inspections, journalism and taking part in sporting competitions.
