Only 31 nationalities can now obtain Malaysia's multiple-entry visa after the country narrowed eligibility and restricted approved travel purposes
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The Immigration Department of Malaysia announced on September 1, 2026, that the country's multiple-entry Visa is now available only to citizens of 31 approved nationalities, according to an official notice published on the department's portal. Four travel categories qualify under the updated policy: Fly & Cruise travel, business activities, medical treatment, and wedding tourism.
Foreign nationals from countries outside the approved list, or those traveling for purposes other than the four designated categories, can no longer apply for an MEV. The policy represents a significant narrowing of access, reversing a broader framework that had been in place since January 2023.
The Immigration Department of Malaysia has not released the complete list of 31 eligible nationalities. Travelers who require a visa to enter Malaysia should confirm their MEV eligibility directly with the nearest Malaysian diplomatic mission or through the official MyVISA portal.
What is Malaysia's multiple-entry visa and who was previously eligible?
Malaysia's multiple-entry Visa grants holders the right to enter the country repeatedly across the life of the visa. Each entry permits a maximum stay of 30 days, and extensions of stay are not permitted.
Before September 1, 2026, the MEV was open to all foreign nationals who needed a visa to enter Malaysia. The Immigration Department of Malaysia launched a digital MEV application option through the eVisa portal in January 2023, making it accessible online to every visa-required nationality for business, tourism, and medical purposes.
Before that January 2023 expansion, MEV eligibility was considerably narrower. The Immigration Department of Malaysia's visa page historically listed citizens of India and the People's Republic of China as the principal nationalities eligible for a social visit MEV, with a validity period of one year and a 30-day limit per entry.
|
Before January 2023 |
January 2023 to August 2026 |
From September 1, 2026 |
| MEV eligibility |
Primarily India and China nationals |
All visa-required nationalities |
31 approved nationalities only |
| Approved purposes |
Social visits |
Business, tourism, medical treatment |
Fly & Cruise, business, medical treatment, wedding tourism |
| Application method |
Embassy or consulate |
eVisa portal (online) |
eVisa portal (online) |
What travel purposes still qualify for the MEV?
Only four categories of travel now qualify for Malaysia's multiple-entry Visa: Fly & Cruise travel, business activities, medical treatment, and wedding tourism. General leisure tourism is no longer a valid basis for an MEV application.
Travelers from the 31 eligible countries who wish to visit Malaysia for purposes outside these four categories will need to apply for a Single Entry Visa (SEV) instead. Nationals of countries that benefit from visa-exempt arrangements with Malaysia, such as most ASEAN member states, are not affected by this change.
Does the extended six-month MEV validity still apply?
The extended MEV validity period remains in effect. Malaysia's Visa Liberalization Plan, introduced on December 1, 2023, extended the validity of all Malaysian visa types from three months to six months from the date of issuance. That extension runs through December 31, 2026.
The extended validity covers both Visa with Reference (VDR) and Visa Without Reference (VTR) categories. Holders of a valid MEV issued under this window can continue to enter and exit Malaysia within the six-month period, provided each stay does not exceed 30 days. The Immigration Department of Malaysia has not confirmed whether the six-month validity will be renewed beyond December 31, 2026, or whether it will revert to the standard three-month term.
How does this fit into Malaysia's broader immigration overhaul?
The MEV restriction coincides with a large-scale modernization of Malaysia's border infrastructure. Malaysia's Ministry of Home Affairs is deploying the National Integrated Immigration System, known as MyNIISe, at entry points across the country from September 2026. The system replaces the MyIMMs platform, which had been in operation for approximately two decades.
MyNIISe, developed by HeiTech Padu Berhad at a cost of approximately MYR 1 billion (roughly USD 255 million), processes facial recognition, QR code scanning, and digital passport verification simultaneously rather than sequentially. Malaysia's Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail confirmed that immigration clearance at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) now takes fewer than five seconds per traveler using the system's automated gates.
The rollout aligns with Visit Malaysia 2026, the government's flagship tourism campaign. Malaysia recorded 10.65 million international arrivals in the first quarter of 2026 alone, a new quarterly record, according to government tourism data. The combination of tighter visa access for select categories and faster processing for approved travelers suggests the Immigration Department of Malaysia is prioritizing controlled, purpose-driven entry over broad open access.
