Malaysia lifts incoming travellers' ban on 5 countries: India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal

All travellers who have obtained entry approvals through MYEntry, MYTravelPass, or others will need to adhere to the requirements of being fully vaccinated, COVID-19 PCR test on arrival, and quarantine.

Malaysia has lifted entry restrictions from five previously banned countries, subject to strictly following the conditions set in place by the Immigration Department. These five countries are: India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, where incoming travellers can now enter Malaysia to work only.

This is per the 23 September notification by Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia (Immigration Department of Malaysia, or JIM).

Immigration Department's Director-General Khairul Dzaimee Daud affirmed that even though the Special Committee of Pandemic Management has agreed to allow the re-entry of citizens from these five countries, they need to comply with the conditions contained in MyTravelPass, as told to Berita Harian and shared on JIM.

Currently, the following types of travellers from these five countries may seek entry approval through MyTravelPass or MyEntry: 

• Malaysian permanent residents (PR)
• Long-term pass holders
• Business travellers
• Investors

Among the foreigners who can apply in MyTravelPass are those with PR status, and those who apply through their employers in either the category of Foreign Maid (Pembantu Rumah Asing, or PRA) and Temporary Work Visit Pass (Pas Lawatan Kerja Sementara, or PLKS).

For each of these categories, the following rules need to be followed by both applying employers and their foreign workers:

1. Employers need to submit an application first by attaching an official application letter, front and back of foreign worker's passport, and latest visit pass for temporary jobs.
2. Foreign workers need to undergo COVID-19 health screening in their respective countries at least three days before departing, and after testing negative, it is also mandatory to download the MySejahtera app.
3. Entry of foreign workers into Malaysia can only be through Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), KLIA2, KLIA, Bayan Lepas International Airport, and Sultan Ismail, Senai, Johor.
4. Foreign workers also need to also attach a temporary work visa that is still valid for re-entry visa or a temporary work pass visa without visa re-entry. All foreign nationalities must obtain this visa before entering.
5. It is also mandatory to obtain visa without referral (VTR) from the Malaysian Embassy, Consulate or High Commission before entering the country.

TalentCorp, which runs the Returning Expert Programme (REP), reinforced in its statement that permission to enter Malaysia is subject to the decision and discretion of the Immigration Department of Malaysia.

All travellers who have obtained entry approvals through MYEntry, MYTravelPass, or other entry approvals will need to adhere to the following requirements set by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to curb the spread of COVID-19:

• Fully vaccinated
• COVID-19 PCR test during arrival
• Quarantine