Two years after closing its borders in the midst of a global pandemic on March 18, 2020, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob declared that the country will reopen entirely on April 1, 2022.
This will allow travellers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter the country without quarantine with visitors only required to undergo pre-departure tests (RT-PCR) and upon-arrival tests (RTK-Antigen under professional supervision) 24 hours after the arrival.
Datuk Seri Ismail said the border reopening was part of the move to transition into the endemic phase of living with the virus.
Here’s what you need to know for travellers planning to come to Malaysia when the borders officially open.
Malaysia & Thailand Land Borders Opening
Malaysia is also looking to reopen its international borders with Thailand. The land border for Malaysia and Thailand will also be open as of 1st April 2022 however, it is only open for tourists.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said for the moment, travel for daily commuters is still under discussion between the Malaysian and Thailand governments.
Only two land border gates would be opened starting April 1, namely Bukit Kayu Hitam-Sadao and Wang Kelian-Wang Prachan. Fret not as the relevant departments in Thailand are working closely with authorities to reopen all land border entry points with Malaysia by 1 May 2022.
As for air travel to Thailand, it will still be a VTL style as the Thailand Pass system is currently open and accepting new applications for the Test and Go, Sandbox, and Quarantine entry programs.
Starting April 1, 2022 the pre-departure RT PCR COVID Test will no longer be required for all travellers to Thailand. For more information on travelling to Thailand, click here.
Malaysia & Singapore Travel
Until April 1st 2022, visitors who wish to travel from Malaysia to Singapore would require to purchase VTL (Vaccinated Travel Lane) bus or flight tickets which have a limited quota.
However, starting April 1, fully vaccinated travellers can commute between Malaysia and Singapore via the land border, without any Covid-19 testing or quarantine requirements. This will apply to all categories of travellers and modes of transport via the land border.
Additionally, we should also see an increase in flight frequencies as well due to the removal of restrictions in the number of flights, as previously set under VTL. However, the two countries leave it to the airlines to add more flights.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said those travelling between the two countries by air, however, are required to take pre-departure RTK-Antigen Covid-19 test two days before departure.
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Feature Photo Credit: Esmonde Yong on Unsplash
