Malaysia To Reopen International Borders On 1 April 2022

The Malaysian prime minister announced on 8 March 2022 that Malaysia will transition to an “endemic” phase of the coronavirus health emergency and re-open its borders from 1 April 2022.

In the endemic phase, fully vaccinated international visitors, as well as citizens returning to Malaysia, will not be required to undergo quarantine upon arrival. They will be required, however, to undergo a RT-PCR test two days before departure and a rapid test upon arrival.

Additionally, foreign travellers will no longer need to apply via the MyTravelPass feature, but will have to download the MySejahtera contact tracing application.

It was previously announced that Malaysia is implementing VTL schemes with Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam starting mid-March. These VTLs will stay in effect until April 1.

As for employment, assignment, or work purposes, the process of gaining the relevant work permit approvals will go unchanged.

Kind note from Moore Bzi: The use of face masks in public places and MySejahtera check-in at premises remain in place as standard practice under the endemic phase, especially in confined areas with large crowds. The government also set out the return of full-capacity activities even though physical distancing would still be encouraged.

To date, Malaysia has fully inoculated 97.5% of its adult population with two doses of COVID-19, while 64.6% have had their booster shots. In addition, 91.1% of youth aged between 12 and 17 completed two doses and 30.9% of children aged 5 to 11 received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Free to travel: Under the new rules, visitors and Malaysians who have been fully vaccinated.