Malaysia travel news: Country reopens after two years

Malaysia finally reopened for international travellers on Friday, 1 April, after almost two years of COVID-19-related closures.

After having some of the most stringent restrictions in the world, Malaysia’s borders have now been reopened for travel and tourism.

Current travel regulations for Malaysia

Both vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers are allowed into the country, but according to Travel News, certain restrictions are still in play. Here’s what you need to know:

• Fully vaccinated travellers are exempt from quarantine on arrival, but they must show proof of a negative PCR test result, taken within 48 hours prior to travel.
• A negative rapid antigen test is also accepted, received 24 hours before travel.
• All travellers must also take a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of arrival in Malaysia.
• Travellers who are not fully vaccinated must undergo a five-day quarantine upon arrival.
• Travellers aged 17 and under are exempt from this regulation but must still take the on-arrival PCR test.
• Arrivals must also download the MySejahtera contact tracing mobile app and complete the pre-departure form under the ‘Traveller’ icon within the app.

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Malaysia is a prime travel destination within Asia, with Kuala Lumpur attracting the majority of its tourists. The country is expecting to attract at least two million visitors this year after travel restrictions have been lifted.

Other neighbouring Asian countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand have also dropped most of its travel restrictions. According to Times of India, Malaysia has also reopened its land border with Singapore, as thousands of people recently seen lining up at the immigration checkpoints. It is now being estimated that around 400 000 people will traverse the Singapore-Malaysia border during this first week of reopening.

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