Malaysia eVisa: Eligibility, Requirements and Application Process

Malaysia eVisa is available to nationals that are not visa-exempt. It is fairly easy to apply, few documents are required and it is issued in 2 working days

Even though the application is online, eVisas are processed by the Malaysian overseas mission with jurisdiction over the country where you apply.

QUICK SUMMARY:

Eligibility: 33 countries
Validity: 6 months, single or multiple-entry
Allowed stay: 30 days
eVisa Fee: 20 MYR visa fee + 105 MYR processing charge + 0.8 to 1.7% service charge
Processing time: 2 working days
Extensions: Not allowed

If you haven’t already, I recommend reading the Malaysia Visa Guide for general information on available visa types for tourists, their eligibility and requirements.

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Understanding Malaysia eVisa

eVisa validity

The Malaysia eVisa is valid for 6 months from the day of issue. This applies to both Single Entry Visa (SEV) and Multiple Entry Visa (MEV).

Duration of stay

With Malaysia eVisa, you are allowed to stay a maximum of 30 days per entry.

Allowed number of entries

During the application process, you can choose whether you want to apply for a Single Entry Visa (SEV) or a Multiple Entry Visa (MEV). With the MEV, you can enter Malaysia as many times as you like within the validity of the eVisa.

Allowed ports of entry

With Malaysia eVisa, you are eligible to enter from any international airport, land border or seaport.

When to apply

You can apply for your Malaysia eVisa up to 1 month in advance. The official eVisa processing time is 2 working days, but in some cases, especially if additional documents are required, it can take up to a week. I highly recommend applying for your eVisa at least 2 weeks before your travel date.

Here is the summary of when to apply.

Latest: 2 weeks
Earliest: 1 month

eVisa extension

The validity of the Malaysia eVisa cannot be extended. Your stay inside Malaysia also cannot be extended past 30 days.

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Malaysia eVisa Requirements

Malaysia eVisa Eligible Countries | Made with mapchart.net

eVisa eligibility

The following countries are eligible to apply for Malaysia eVisa:

Afghanistan
Angola (A)
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Burkina Faso (A)
Burundi (A)
Cameroon (A)
Central African Republic
China*
Colombia (A)
Congo Democratic Republic (A)
Congo Republic
Djibouti (A)
Equatorial Guinea (A)
Eritrea (A)
Ethiopia (A)
Ghana (A)
Guinea-Bissau (A)
India*
Ivory Coast (A)
Kosovo
Liberia (A)
Mali
Montenegro
Mozambique (A)
Myanmar
Nepal
Nigeria (A)
Niger (A)
Pakistan
Rwanda (A)
Serbia
Sri Lanka

(A) The countries marked with (A) must arrive in Malaysia by air.

* IMPORTANT
Nationals of India and China are temporarily visa-exempt to travel to Malaysia until 31 Dec 2024. Indian and Chinese are also eligible for Malaysia Visa on Arrival (VOA) and Malaysia TWOV.

Application location restriction

The Malaysia eVisa portal has a built-in IP detection which will set your residence to whichever country you access it from. Therefore, the application expects you to have a passport from the country you are accessing it from or a residency in the country.

If you are applying from a country other than your country of passport, you will have to provide proof of residency in that country.

If you are currently in Israel or North Korea, you cannot apply for Malaysia eVisa. In that case, you must apply for a Malaysian visa from your nearest Malaysian high commission.

Also, you cannot apply for a Malaysia eVisa when you are physically present in Malaysia. If you are already in Malaysia on an eVisa or any other type of visa, you must first exit Malaysia. Then you can apply for a fresh eVisa from your country of passport or legal residence.

Documents required

You will need the following documents.

Copy of passport biodata page and last page
Digital passport-size photo
Last visited country entry-exit stamps
Confirmed round-trip flight tickets
Proof of paid hotel bookings
Other supporting documents (ex: proof of residence, etc.)
Birth certificate for minor applicants (if applicable)

1. Passport requirement

Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from your expected date of entry into Malaysia.

You must also have at least 3 blank pages in your passport. This requirement is not followed officially. If you have at least 1 blank page, you will be fine. The airline will not let you board if you do not have at least 1 blank page.

2. Photo requirements

The digital photograph must meet the following specifications.

Must be 35mm x 50mm in dimensions
Must be less than 2MB in size
Must have been taken within the last 6 months
Must be on a pure white background, without any frames or borders
Must be a professional passport photo taken in a studio (contrast too high or too low is not accepted)
Cellphone photos, selfies and cropped photos are not accepted
Photocopies or photoshopped photos or taken by online photo apps are not accepted
Full face must be in the center without any headgear or glasses (prescription glasses are allowed as long as there is no glare or shadows on the glasses)
Facial image MUST be from shoulder level to the top of the head

The eVisa application has a built-in photo recognition feature which will check if your photo meets the requirements. You will not be allowed to proceed further if the photo does not meet the requirements.

After you upload your picture, you will be given the option to edit it by zooming and centering your face. At this point, a warning message will pop up if your photo doesn’t meet the requirements. The message also states the reason why the photo doesn’t meet the requirements, so you can fix it and try again.

3. Last visited country stamps

You must upload a scan of your last visited country entry and exit stamps. If that country requires a visa, you must upload a scan of the visa too.

If your last country did not issue an entry/exit stamp, you must download an electronic proof of entry/exit and upload it. Singapore, Australia, UAE, the US (do not issue exit stamps), UK (do not issue exit stamps) do not issue entry/exit stamps.

If your last country issued a paper entry/exit stamp, you must scan and upload the paper. South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau and Israel issue paper-based entry stamps.

NOTE: Oftentimes, the Malaysian consulate in charge of processing your eVisa may ask to upload the entry stamp from your country of residence along with stamps from the last visited country. This is to verify that you are physically present in the country of application.

4. Confirmed flight tickets

Even though the eVisa portal accepts onward tickets to your next destination after Malaysia, the Malaysian embassy/consulate responsible for processing your eVisa will later ask for complete round-trip flight tickets. That means, flight tickets originating and ending in your home country or country of residence are required.

For example, if your home country or country of residence is India and your trip is India-Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand-India, you must upload all flight tickets starting from India and ending in India. If you submit just the inbound and outbound tickets (ex: Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand), you will be later asked to upload your full itinerary.

You can check this flight itinerary for visa article to learn about booking flight tickets for Malaysia eVisa.

5. Paid hotel bookings

Even though the eVisa asks for “paid” hotel bookings, you can just upload “pay-at-check-in” hotel bookings. I have used only “refundable” or “pay-at-check-in” bookings for all my Malaysian eVisa applications in the past.

You can check this hotel bookings for visa article to learn about booking “pay-at-check-in” hotels.

eVisa fee

The eVisa fee is 50 MYR for India, 30 MYR for China and 20 MYR for all other nationalities.

Apart from the eVisa fee, there is also a processing charge and service. So technically, there are 3 components to the eVisa fee:

Visa fee: 50 MYR for India, 30 MYR for China and 20 MYR for all other nationalities
Processing charge: 105 MYR
Service Charge:
1. Card payment (Visa/Mastercard): 0.8% of total transaction value
2. eWallet payment (Alipay, WeChat Pay and Union Pay): 1.7% of total transaction value

In total, most nationalities will pay around 126 MYR for the eVisa.

Processing time

Malaysia eVisa processing time is 2 working days. However, due to the high amount of applications, processing times are often longer than 2 working days.

Malaysian Immigration advises that you apply for your eVisa at least 2 weeks before your departure to Malaysia.

IMPORTANT
In certain cases, the Malaysian embassy/consulate responsible for processing your application may demand additional documentation or an in-person or video interview, which might further delay your processing.

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eVisa Application Process

Malaysia eVisa Application Homepage — Malaysia eVisa Application Portal

Word of caution on Malaysia eVisa fake websites

There are fake websites posing as “official websites”, which will charge three or four times the visa fee or outright scam you. There is ONLY ONE OFFICIAL Malaysia eVisa website. The URL is below.

OFFICIAL Malaysia eVISA website: https://malaysiavisa.imi.gov.my/evisa/evisa.jsp

How to apply for eVisa

Malaysia eVisa is a simple application. Takes about 30 minutes to fill out and submit. Follow the below steps to apply.

Step 1: Navigate to the official Malaysia eVisa website and click on “I’m New! Apply“

Step 2: Register a new account and verify your email address.

Step 3: Start a new application. Pick “Tourist: International/Diplomatic/Official Passport Holder”.

Step 4: Upload a passport scan, photo, flight tickets and accommodation booking, and any other supporting documents. Fill in the application form including your personal details, current address, intended address in Malaysia, and what visa you want – single or multiple entry.

Step 5: Edit the photo and preview the application.

Step 6: Pay your eVisa fee and submit

Follow this guide to apply for Malaysia eVisa. This guide will walk you through the application process with step-by-step instructions and screenshots.

How to track eVisa status

You can track your Malaysia eVisa application within your dashboard on the Malaysia eVisa portal. You will also be notified of any changes in status via email. Your application can have any of the following statuses.

NEW APPLICATION: Your eVisa application hasn’t been submitted yet
IN PROGRESS: Your eVisa application is in process
APPROVED: Your eVisa application has been approved
REJECTED: Your eVisa application has been refused
REQUEST DOCUMENT/DATA AMENDMENT: You must correct the information or upload additional documents
REQUEST INTERVIEW: You must attend an in-person interview

Request Document/Data Amendment

If your Malaysia eVisa application requires any additional information or documentation, the Malaysian embassy/consulate will notify you of the list of additional documents needed. You will be given 5 days to upload the requested documents.

Once you have uploaded all the requested documents, the processing time will be reset. It will take 2 working days from that point onward for the processing of your visa.

In certain instances, the Malaysian embassy/consulate may request additional documents multiple times until the embassy/consulate is satisfied with your documents.

Request Interview

If your eVisa application requires additional proofs, the Malaysian embassy/consulate will simply set up a “request for interview” appointment on your behalf.

This can be annoying as you have no choice in selecting your date/time for the in-person interview. I have seen only a handful of cases that was requested to appear in person for an interview at the embassy or consulate.

NOTE
There is no option to change the date/time of the appointment. If you cannot make it to the appointment, I suggest applying for the visa again on the eVisa portal.

How to download approved eVisa

After approval, the option to download the eVisa will be available on your dashboard on the Malaysia eVisa portal. You will also receive an email.

After the approval, you must print your eVisa on an A4 sheet. It can be in color or black and white.

IMPORTANT
You must carry a print of your eVisa. Digital copies on your phone are not accepted. The immigration officer stamps the port and date of entry on your eVisa print. You may be asked to show this stamped eVisa print while leaving the country too.

Again, you must carry a print of your eVisa. Digital copies on your phone are not accepted.

Customer service

You can use the live chat support on the Malaysia eVisa portal to ask any questions or inquire about the status of your visa application. The chat agents are available 24×7.

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Entry Procedure at the Border

Make sure to complete the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) online. You can fill it out up to 3 days before your arrival. You can also complete it at the airport after landing.

When you are at the immigration, present the following documents to the officer.

Original passport with a validity of at least 6 months
eVisa printout (digital copies are NOT accepted)
Boarding pass of the flight you’ve arrived on

You may be asked for the additional documents, so keep them ready as well.

Proof of onward flight ticket
Proof of hotel booking
Other supporting documents like a bank statement or current residing country visa or permit

You may also be asked to show the completed MDAC code on your phone.

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Frequently Asked Questions

I have a short layover at the airport where I am clearing Immigration. What should I put for “Address in Malaysia”?

Fill in the address of the said airport.

You are also required to write a cover letter explaining that you are having a short layover and not staying overnight in Malaysia and then upload the letter into your visa application.