On April 1, 2022 Malaysia completely opened their border to foreign travelers, without any quarantine for those who are fully vaccinated. The process was however much easier said than done. The main requirements are:
- MySejahtera app
- Verify vaccination
- Pre-Departure test
- Travel insurance
- Arrival test
- Proof of onward journey
MySejahtera App
In order to enter Malaysia you have to install the MySejahtera app. The user experience is quite bad (especially compared to other countries, like Canada’s ArriveCAN). The app is difficult to use and extremely confusing to navigate through.
In order to use the app, you first have to create a profile using your phone number. Make sure you use a real phone number as this will become your MySejahtera ID.
It also asks you for your home address in Malaysia, I’m not sure why they expect foreign travelers to have this. In my case I just entered the hotel address I was planning to stay at. This worked fine.
Traveller Card
Once your app is setup you need to fill out your Traveller card. This is one of the main travel requirements. To do this:
- Go to “Home”
- Tap the “Traveller” icon
- Tap “Travel for -your name-”
- Process to fill out your details
Verify Vaccination
Next you need to verify your overseas vaccination. I initially submitted my overseas vaccination details using the app (Traveller Icon > Overseas Vaccination Details). However, this didn’t seem to do anything.
Instead I submitted my vaccination details through the MySafeTravel, which worked much better. Note that you’ll need to register a new account here (it is not the same as MySejahtera). Your results will be linked up to the app using your phone number (your MySejahtera ID), so make sure you enter the same details.
Shortly after submitting my vaccination certificate QR codes I received an email showing that my vaccination was verified and would take up to two days to show up in the app. I guess to be on the safe side it’s best to make sure you complete this step as soon as possible before traveling to Malaysia.
After about two days my app showed my vaccination status (although the vaccine type didn’t match my vaccination certificate; oh well…). However, I noticed that the app said I was only Partially Vaccinated, even though I had submitted proof of two doses.
After some trial and error I realized that this was because my Profile was missing my date of birth. Once I added my date of birth my vaccine status changed to Fully Vaccinated. I believe this is because the app wasn’t able to verify if I was under the age of 60, and therefore didn’t know if I needed three doses to be considered fully vaccinated.
To update your date of birth:
- Go to “Profile”
- Click your name at the top
- My Personal Details
- Add Date of Birth
Pre-Departure Test
I was a little unsure about the rules for the pre-departure test, whether it had to be within 2 days or 48 hours of departure. To be on the safe side, I made sure to take my pre-departure PCR test within 48 hours.
Tip: If you’re looking for a “cheap” PCR test in San Francisco I can recommend Worksite Labs. They “only” charge $90 for a PCR test with results within 24 hours. It’s expensive, but still cheaper than the other options I found.
Once you have your results, make sure you submit the result in the MySejahtera app, and make sure the status says “Submitted”. This was one of the things my airline checked carefully before boarding my flight to Malaysia.
To submit your pre-departure test:
- Go to “Profile”
- Scroll down to your Travellers Card
- Click submit under Pre-Departure test
Travel Insurance
During the Pre-Departure Test submission process I also had to submit my proof of travel insurance that includes COVID coverage and covers at least $20,000 USD. The document I submitted was missing the coverage amount and there was not approved.
I couldn’t find any way to update this. Instead, during check-in the airport staff requested to see a copy of my insurance documents.
Tip: I use SafetyWing Nomad Insurance. It’s easy to use and their customer support is very responsive. It covers COVID and the coverage is up to $250,000 USD. Be sure to use the PDF you get if you click Download visa letter, as this contains all the details you need!
Immigration and Arrival Testing
At the immigration desk I had to present the MySejahtera traveller card. That seemed to be the only thing they cared about.
Furthermore, after arriving in Malaysia you have to take an arrival antigen test within 24 hours, otherwise you will be required to undergo 5 days of home quarantine.
There is a 24/7 testing station available at KLIA. It was located on the departures floor (level 5) past the L check-in counters. The process was quite quick since it wasn’t busy. You can save some time by booking your test online.
Proof of onward journey
Another important thing to note is that Malaysia requires proof of onward journey. If you’re flying in on a one-way ticket be sure to have your onward flight ticket at hand. I had to show mine during the document check process to board the flight to Malaysia.
Stay up-to-date with IATA Travel Center
For the latest travel requirements, be sure to check out the IATA Travel Center.
Published 05.04.2022
1. Passengers must install 'MySejahtera app' in their phone and complete the pre-departure form before departure.
2. Passengers must have a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken at most 2 days before departure from the first embarkation point.
- This does not apply to:
- passengers younger than 6 years;
- passengers with a COVID-19 recovery certificate issued at least 6 days and at most 60 days before departure. They must have a negative COVID-19 rapid antigen test taken at most 2 days before departure.
- passengers arriving from Singapore. They must have a COVID-19 rapid antigen test taken at most 2 days before departure.
3. Passengers are subject to a COVID-19 test upon arrival at their own expense.
4. Passengers are subject to quarantine for up to 5 days upon arrival at their own expense.
- This does not apply to passengers with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated with:
- CanSinoBIO (Convidecia) or Janssen at least 28 days before arrival; or
- AstraZeneca, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm, Sinovac or Sputnik V at least 14 days before arrival.
The vaccination certificate must be verified at https://mysafetravel.gov.my/
5. Passengers must have health insurance to cover COVID-19 expenses with a minimum coverage of USD 20,000.
- This does not apply to nationals and residents of Malaysia.