Malaysia to reopen borders to all travellers from 1 Apr 2022

Foreigners entering Malaysia with valid travel documents will be able to enter without MyTravelPass, and will instead just need to download and use the MySejahtera application.

In line with the transition to an endemic phase, Malaysia's borders will be reopened on 1 April 2022. 

Per a statement by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the decision to reopen borders was made based on three considerations:

• First, upon reviewing the latest COVID-19 scientific facts.
• Second, the Government also observed and compared the reopening of borders in other countries.
• Last, the decision aims to provide comfort for travellers, and ease their journey. "Most importantly, Malaysia will now be an open and visitable destination for all," PM Ismail pointed out.

With the reopening of the country's borders, Malaysians with valid travel documents can now exit and enter Malaysia, to and fro other countries that have opened their borders.

At the same time, citizens of foreign countries, with valid travel documents, can also enter and exit Malaysia without the need to apply for MyTravelPass, which is to be abolished. Instead, travellers are just required to download and activate the MySejahtera application, as well as complete the Pre-Departure Form through the "Traveller" function in the app.

However, PM Ismail said, in light of the Omicron wave, the reopening of borders will come with several procedures that must be complied with by both Malaysians and foreign travellers entering Malaysia:

• Fully-vaccinated travellers are not required to undergo quarantine upon entering, and will only have to take two COVID-19 detection tests. The first will be an RT-PCR done at least two days before departure, and the second test will be an RTK-Ag (professional) test done within 24 hours of arrival.
• The procedures for travellers who have not been fully vaccinated will be released by the Ministry of Health on 9 March (Tuesday), PM Ismail said.

A new set of standard operating procedures will be issued in the near future — particularly in relation to procedures at the land and sea international entrance points.

In the meantime, PM Ismail reminds travellers from countries that have not opened their borders, that the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) is still in effect and can be utilised, listing the VTL between Singapore and Malaysia as an example. Similarly, there are also plans to implement VTLs between Malaysia-Thailand, Malaysia-Brunei, and Malaysia-Indonesia. 

This decision to reopen borders is part of the overall effort to transition to an endemic phase. As part of this transition, the employee capacity limits at the workplace, which were previously determined according to the number of vaccinated employees, will be abolished.

For more details on the transition, view HRO's full coverage here. 

In his statement, PM Ismail expresses his thanks to the COVID-19 Quartet Ministers, led by Senior Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, for their efforts in ensuring a safe transition. 

Image / Majlis Keselamatan Negara

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