On 26th November (Sunday), Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that Malaysia is set to scrap entry visa requirements for citizens of India and China starting 1st December. With this announcement, Malaysia has become the fourth country to announce visa-free entry for Indian nationals after Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Thailand did the same in recent months.
As per the new policy, Indian and Chinese nationals will enjoy a visa-free stay of up to 30 days in Malaysia, which however will remain subject to security screening. The Malaysian Prime Minister made this announcement late on Sunday while addressing the People’s Justice Party’s annual congress, according to Bloomberg.
Regarding security screening, the Malaysian Prime Minister explained, “Initial screenings will be conducted for all tourists and visitors to Malaysia. Security is a different matter. If there are criminal records or the risk of terrorism, they will not be allowed to enter. That comes under the authority of the security forces and immigration.”
However, Ibrahim didn’t specify for how long the visa exemption would be applicable under this process. As per reports, the visa-free announcement is aligned with Malaysia’s strategic move to boost economic growth by attracting additional tourists and their spending.
According to the Bloomberg report, Ibrahim had previously stated his intentions to improve visa facilities in the upcoming year, with a special emphasis on tourists and investors, particularly from “India and China”.
According to data from the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, 324,548 Indian tourists visited Malaysia in 2022. In the first quarter of 2023, 164,566 Indian tourists visited the nation while the number was at 13,370 Indian tourists during the same period last year.
Until now, Indian tourists could avail of the visa-on-arrival facility in Malaysia if they arrived from Thailand, Indonesia, or Singapore. This facility also required Indian nationals to have a valid visa for any of these transit countries and confirmed return tickets to India. Malaysia provides different visa options for Indians, such as the eNTRI Visa, E-Visa, and Transit Pass, each designed for specific purposes and lengths of stay.
In October, the Thailand government announced its decision to grant visa-free entry to tourists from India and Taiwan. This initiative is effective for a six-month period, starting from 10th November 2023 to 10th May 2024. Regarding the announcement, Thai PM Srettha Thavision said, “We will provide visa-free entry to India and Taiwan because a lot of their people like to travel to Thailand.”
Similarly, Sri Lanka also announced a visa-free entry initiative for tourists from India and six other countries, including China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Earlier this month, The Culture, Sports, and Tourism Minister of Vietnam, Nguyn Van Jung called for short-term visa waivers for key markets such as India and China to boost the recovery of the country’s tourism sector, as reported by the Vietnamese news agency VnExpress.
According to the latest Henry Passport Index 2023, Indian passport holders can visit 57 countries without requiring a visa. This includes destinations offering facilities such as visa-free travel, visa-on-arrival facilities, and Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA).
