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Travellers from Malaysia are now allowed to enter the Philippines using MySejahtera records, while travellers from the Philippines are allowed to enter Malaysia using VaxcertPH records.
The Governments of Malaysia and the Philippines have reached an agreement on 14 February 2022 to mutually recognise each other's COVID-19 vaccination certificate.
Based on this reciprocal agreement, travellers from Malaysia are now allowed to enter the Philippines with proof of complete vaccination certificate in MySejahtera app, while travelers from the Philippines are allowed to enter Malaysia with proof of complete vaccination certificate in VaxcertPH.
However, the admission of travellers on both sides remains subject to current quarantine procedures set by the authorities in both countries.
Entry requirements into the Philippines
The Philippines has officially opened its borders to the entry of foreign tourists effective 10 February 20. As such, fully vaccinated nationals of non-visa required countries shall be allowed to enter. A total of 157 countries are considered visa-free, including the US, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Canada, UK, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Arriving tourists are required to present a passport valid for at least six months, and the required proof of vaccination against COVID-19. The latter includes World Health Organization International Certificates of Vaccination and Prophylaxis, VaxCertPH, or national/state digital certificate of the foreign government which has accepted VaxCertPH under a reciprocal arrangement unless otherwise permitted by the IATF-MEID.
Additionally, arriving passengers must submit a negative RT-PCR test valid for 48 hours prior to departure from their country of origin.
Entry requirements into Malaysia
Meanwhile, for those looking to enter Malaysia, the mandatory quarantine period is five days (for those who have received a booster dose) and seven days (for those fully vaccinated, but without booster dose)
Home quarantine is only allowed for citizen and non-citizen travellers who have a residence in Malaysia (including PR and Malaysia MY Second Home), who are allocated a digital Home Surveillance and Observation Order (HSO) subject to the risk assessment of the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) and details issued by the MOH.
All travellers are required to do a daily self-assessment through the Home Assessment Tool (HAT) in the MySejahtera application and this activity must continue until the end of the quarantine period (five, seven, or 10 days from the date of arrival).
Back to the topic of mutual recognition, both governments have agreed to continue their cooperation on COVID-19 vaccination certificates through a safer and more secure system to facilitate the entry route of fully-vaccinated travelers.
This move comes as the Malaysian Embassy in Manila assists seven Malaysians stranded at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila on 13 February 2022 to enter the Philippines for official and business purposes.
Image / 123RF
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