Malaysia International Passport
Travel Restrictions & Travel Bans
What the passport document really is a declaration by the country that issued, that it recognizes the person who it is for, is a citizen of that country, with all of the travel rights this gives him/her. It also means that the issuing country takes responsibility to help holder and/or requests for the local government help through the diplomatic channel if needed.
The Immigration Act of 1959/1963 is the main legislation in Malaysia handling immigration and foreign employment issues. Included in the legislation are admissions into and out of Malaysia, entry visas and permits, procedures upon arrival, in transit, removal from the country, and other offences or special provisions for East Malaysia. Other rules and regulations are the Passport Act 1966 and the Immigration (Exemption) Order 1963.
Individuals classified under Section 8 of Immigration Act 1959/1963 are not allowed to enter Malaysia regardless of a valid passport, sufficient travel documents, adequate funds, and travel tickets.
Nationals of Serbia, Montenegro, and Israel have restricted entry into Malaysia unless in transit or staying within airport premises.
TRAVEL BANS
The immigration office may impose a travel ban on passport holder due to certain circumstances.
Ban may include international passage ban, which barred the passport owner from leaving Malaysia or domestic movement ban on West Malaysian resident from travelling to East Malaysian states as Sabah and Sarawak do have their own list for persona-non-grata. However, East Malaysian resident has no problem entering West Malaysia despite being included in the international passage ban.
COMMUNIST COUNTRIES
Albania, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, German Democratic Republic (East Germany), Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, North Korea, North Vietnam, Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia, U.S.S.R. (Malaysian passport issued in 1966)
Following the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and improving ties with the remaining communist countries, the countries were removed.
SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa was removed following the end of apartheid in 1994.
The earliest passport seen by PaperToTravel with handstamp was 6 June 1977.
ISRAEL
Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel to date. The official explanation for this is that it is for expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Early Malaysian passport shows ISRAEL as hand stamped into the list. (Malaysian passport issued in 1966)
As Malaysia does not recognise nor have diplomatic relations with the state of Israel, Malaysian passports bear the inscription: "This passport is valid for all countries except Israel". Likewise, Israeli passport holders are not permitted to enter Malaysia without written permission from the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs.
Officially, the Malaysian government allows Christians to visit Israel for religious purposes. In 2009, the government imposed a ban on visits to Israel, ostensibly due to heightened security risks posed by the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The ban was lifted in 2011, albeit with restrictions such as a quota of 700 pilgrims per year with not more than 40 pilgrims per church group, and pilgrims must be at least 18 years old and not visiting Israel more than once every three years with each stay a maximum of 10 days. On 20 December 2013, the government announced a relaxation of the ban, which lifted most of the restrictions while increasing the maximum duration of stay to 21 days, subject to the security situation in Israel. Permissions are to cross land borders to visit holy sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem.[1]
However, the restrictions imposed by the Malaysian government do not prevent Israel from issuing visa on a separate sheet of paper to Malaysian citizens for entering Israel, and Malaysians are known to have visited Israel with or without permission from the Malaysian government.
Whilst Malaysians may be granted entry into Israel without restrictions, but the reverse is not allowed.
Blue is Israel.
Light greens are those nations which do not allow the visit to Israel using their passports.
Dark greens represent countries that do not allow entry to people with evidence of travel to Israel, or whose passports have either a used or an unused Israeli visa.
To circumvent this restriction, the Israeli immigration services themselves have now mostly ceased to issue entry or exit stamps to foreign nationals' passport but stamping on an outpass slip.
The Immigration Act of 1959/1963 is the main legislation in Malaysia handling immigration and foreign employment issues. Included in the legislation are admissions into and out of Malaysia, entry visas and permits, procedures upon arrival, in transit, removal from the country, and other offences or special provisions for East Malaysia. Other rules and regulations are the Passport Act 1966 and the Immigration (Exemption) Order 1963.
Individuals classified under Section 8 of Immigration Act 1959/1963 are not allowed to enter Malaysia regardless of a valid passport, sufficient travel documents, adequate funds, and travel tickets.
Nationals of Serbia, Montenegro, and Israel have restricted entry into Malaysia unless in transit or staying within airport premises.
TRAVEL BANS
The immigration office may impose a travel ban on passport holder due to certain circumstances.
Ban may include international passage ban, which barred the passport owner from leaving Malaysia or domestic movement ban on West Malaysian resident from travelling to East Malaysian states as Sabah and Sarawak do have their own list for persona-non-grata. However, East Malaysian resident has no problem entering West Malaysia despite being included in the international passage ban.
COMMUNIST COUNTRIES
Albania, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, German Democratic Republic (East Germany), Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, North Korea, North Vietnam, Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia, U.S.S.R. (Malaysian passport issued in 1966)
Following the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and improving ties with the remaining communist countries, the countries were removed.
SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa was removed following the end of apartheid in 1994.
The earliest passport seen by PaperToTravel with handstamp was 6 June 1977.
ISRAEL
Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel to date. The official explanation for this is that it is for expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Early Malaysian passport shows ISRAEL as hand stamped into the list. (Malaysian passport issued in 1966)
As Malaysia does not recognise nor have diplomatic relations with the state of Israel, Malaysian passports bear the inscription: "This passport is valid for all countries except Israel". Likewise, Israeli passport holders are not permitted to enter Malaysia without written permission from the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs.
Officially, the Malaysian government allows Christians to visit Israel for religious purposes. In 2009, the government imposed a ban on visits to Israel, ostensibly due to heightened security risks posed by the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The ban was lifted in 2011, albeit with restrictions such as a quota of 700 pilgrims per year with not more than 40 pilgrims per church group, and pilgrims must be at least 18 years old and not visiting Israel more than once every three years with each stay a maximum of 10 days. On 20 December 2013, the government announced a relaxation of the ban, which lifted most of the restrictions while increasing the maximum duration of stay to 21 days, subject to the security situation in Israel. Permissions are to cross land borders to visit holy sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem.[1]
However, the restrictions imposed by the Malaysian government do not prevent Israel from issuing visa on a separate sheet of paper to Malaysian citizens for entering Israel, and Malaysians are known to have visited Israel with or without permission from the Malaysian government.
Whilst Malaysians may be granted entry into Israel without restrictions, but the reverse is not allowed.
Blue is Israel.
Light greens are those nations which do not allow the visit to Israel using their passports.
- Algeria
- Bangladesh
- Brunei
- Iran
- Iraq (except Iraqi Kurdistan)
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Malaysia (Clearance permit needed from the Ministry of Home Affairs)
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Saudi Arabia
- Sudan
- Syria
- United Arab Emirates (Accepted for transit only; not allowed for admission)
- Yemen
Dark greens represent countries that do not allow entry to people with evidence of travel to Israel, or whose passports have either a used or an unused Israeli visa.
- Iran
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Saudi Arabia
- Sudan
- Syria
- Yemen
To circumvent this restriction, the Israeli immigration services themselves have now mostly ceased to issue entry or exit stamps to foreign nationals' passport but stamping on an outpass slip.
Footnotes
- ^ Jo Timbuong, (2017, Jan 25), M’sian passport used as loan collateral. TheStar. Available at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/01/25/msian-passport-used-as-loan-collateral-borrowers-can-get-up-to-rm10000-by-handing-document-to-loan-s/