Visas for Malaysia
EU citizens do not require a pre-arranged visa
Travellers touching down into Malaysia for stays of less than 90 days from most Western countries such as USA, UK, Canada, Australia and the majority of the EU are not required to arrange a visa prior to arrival. But nationals of Greece, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Portugal may stay without a pre-arranged visa for only one month.
Holidaymakers and travellers must carry enough cash or have credit cards to support their entire stay plus an onward or return ticket pre-booked before passing through immigration, even though this is not strictly enforced in practice. Passports should have at least two clean pages for entry stamps and be valid for a minimum of six months after the intended date of entry.
Visitors must complete an arrival card upon heading through immigration which is handed in accompanied by their passport. A ‘departure’ section of this should be retained and must be surrendered to officials upon leaving Malaysia. It is wise to perhaps staple this in place to avoid misplacing it which causes problems when attempting to leave the country.
Commonwealth nationals (other than Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh), visitors from Netherlands, Switzerland, San Marino, Ireland or Liechtenstein or British protected persons can also enter Malaysia using a visa-on-arrival. For those planning on staying full time, it may be easier to use a visa service.
Single Entry Visa for Malaysia
These are issued to visitors which wish to come to Malaysia for business or a social visit. They normally remain valid for three months.
Multiple Entry Visas for Malaysia
Foreigners that require entry to Malaysia for extended business trips or government-related tasks can apply for a multiple entry visa. Generally these range in length from three months to a whole year but could require a quick hop over to a neighbouring country periodically for renewal.
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Work Permits for Malaysia
Expats entering Malaysia for a work commitment normally have their host company handle their visa and work permit arrangements. English teachers who come to Malaysia in search of work normally require a bachelor’s level degree in order to be considered for a work permit and perhaps even a TEFL qualification would be asked for as well. But legitimate language schools should have no problems making the necessary arrangements, otherwise the Malaysian Department of Immigration have further details of the stipulations.
Citizens from these countries require a pre-arranged visa for entry into Malaysia:
Angola, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Burma, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, China, Colombia, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo Democratic Republic, Congo Republic, Cote D’ivoire, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, India, Hong Kong (C/I or D/I), Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Niger, Pakistan, Rwanda, Serbia & Montenegro, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and Western Sahara.
Citizens of the following nations require a visa for stays more than two weeks:
Iraq, Libya, Palestine, Macao (Travel Permit/Portugal CI), Sierra Leone, South Yemen, Somalia and Syria
Citizens of these nations require visas to stay more than one month:
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Barbados, Benin, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Chad, Equador, El Savador, Estonia, Georgia, Gabon, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea Republic, Honduras, Hong Kong SAR, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Madagascar, Maldova, Mauritania, Macao SAR, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, North Korea, North Yemen, Mongalia, Panama, Paraguay, Russia, Sao Tome and Principe, Portugal, Senegal, Slovenia, Sudan, Surinam, Togo, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Upper Volta, Uzbekistan, Zaire, Vatican City, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
