Travelling to Malaysia? Here’s what you need to know.

As the world opens up, many of us are faced with the choice paralysis of where in the world to venture next. And then of course the question still remains, where can we travel?

Lucky for travellers looking to reignite their sense of adventure, Malaysia is a destination with an abundance of sensory experiences that will excite, surprise and delight people of all ages and backgrounds – just check out our previous articles on Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Kota Kinabalu.

And while you can rest assured that Malaysia is the experiential and eudaimonic destination that adventurers looking to build lifelong memories long for, we’ll also do the due diligence for you and cover the bases of why Malaysia is a safe and hassle-free post-covid destination. 

Tourism Malaysia announced that as of 1 May 2022:

“Fully-vaccinated inbound travellers are no longer required to undergo pre-departure and on-arrival COVID-19 tests, including children aged 12 and below as well as for those who have been infected with COVID-19 within six to 60 days before departure to Malaysia. Travel insurance will also not be a prerequisite for foreigners entering the country.”

However, inbound travellers who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 still need to undergo an RT-PCR test two days before departure as well as a professionally-administered RTK-Ag test within 24 hours upon arrival in Malaysia and observe a five-day quarantine (quarantine exemption is only for those aged 17 and below).

To put it simply: 

The RTK-Ag test can be done at a private clinic or virtually, but testing services are also available at the airport.

And for partially vaccinated or unvaccinated travellers aged 18 and above, the contact tracing app MySejahtera Malaysia (MySJ) released a visual step by step guide that demystifies the procedure for any pre-departure or related documents:

But remember! For fully-vaccinated inbound travellers, or children aged twelve or younger, the RT-PCR and RTK-AG testing is no longer a requirement.

MySJ is still used if a positive COVID-19 test occurs to submit results and for health assessment. In this case, a seven-day mandatory quarantine period is required, however, an early release may occur if you return a negative professionally-administered RTK-Ag test on day four.

Check-ins via MySJ are no longer required, and entry into most premises is allowed regardless of vaccination status, except for places deemed ‘high risk.’

Wearing masks is still mandatory indoors, including on public transport, and e-hailing rides. Mask wearing outdoors is optional but encouraged, and physical distancing is no longer required, but encouraged when not wearing a mask. 

And there you have it, mystery solved. With minimal restrictions and ease of travel, your next stop at destination Malaysia will be plain sailing!