Malaysia restricts multiple-entry visa to 31 nationalities and four stay purposes

Malaysia’s Immigration Department has narrowed the scope of its Multiple Entry Visa (MEV) from September 1, 2026, reserving the facility for applicants from 31 eligible nationalities and four specific stay categories: Fly & Cruise (flight + cruise), business, medical care and marriage tourism. Applications initiated on the MyVISA portal before this date but left unpaid were automatically purged, and the portal launched a new AI-powered chatbot on September 2, 2026.

Key changes from September 1, 2026

The Malaysian Immigration Department announced in concise terms that the MEV “will no longer be available to all nationalities” from September 1, 2026, and will instead be “limited to 31 eligible nationalities” for the four eligible purposes above. The notice appears on the Immigration Department’s website and is highlighted on the homepage of the MyVISA portal, the only official channel for submitting Malaysian eVISAs.

Until recently, the portal’s FAQ—last updated on December 1, 2025—had described the MEV as “open to all nationalities” except Israel and North Korea, with 30 days permitted per entry. The same FAQ noted, for example, that Chinese citizens exempt from visa requirements since July 17, 2025 for 30-day stays were still required to apply for an MEV if they wanted multiple entries. That blanket access has now ended.

The Single Entry Visa (SEV) remains unaffected by the announcement and continues to serve as the standard route for visa-required nationalities seeking to enter Malaysia, with permitted stay durations varying by nationality.

Eligibility criteria

Entrance to the MEV now requires meeting two cumulative conditions:

1. being among the 31 eligible nationalities and travelling for one of the four permitted purposes. An eligible national may therefore still be ineligible if arriving for simple tourism, just as an ineligible business traveller from a non-listed country will not qualify.

As of September 4, 2026, the Immigration Department’s website and the MyVISA portal have not published the list of 31 nationalities. The only published list of 31 countries on the portal is for eVISA requirements in social-visit cases (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Colombia, Serbia, Montenegro, Myanmar, among others). There is no official confirmation that this list is identical to the MEV list. Until the Department publishes its official list, prospective applicants must confirm eligibility directly through the MyVISA portal, dossier by dossier.

1. The four permitted stay purposes coincide with existing portal categories and documentary requirements, detailed in the MyVISA FAQ:

• Fly & Cruise and marriage tourism: return ticket, travel proof or itinerary.

• Business: employer mission letter or invitation letter from the Malaysian government or a public-sector company.

• Medical care: referral or appointment letter from the healthcare facility.

Validity, stay and fees

The MEV authorises 30 days per entry and cannot be extended. According to the Immigration Department’s visa-type page, the standard validity of a MEV issued is three to twelve months from the date of issuance. The eVISA Note received online is valid for six months from the date of issue, except for the Fly & Cruise and marriage-tourism categories and for foreign workers, which carry three-month validity only.

Applicants pay two fee lines: visa fees that vary by nationality, plus a fixed processing fee of 105 Malaysian ringgit €22.3. An additional 0.8 % card fee or 1.7 % for e-wallets (Alipay, WeChat Pay) applies. No refunds are provided regardless of the outcome, and processing takes 2–7 business days for complete applications.

Important caveat: approval of a new eVISA nullifies any previous eVISA still valid for the same holder. Conversely, a refusal does not affect a previously granted visa.

Applications started before September 1 were deleted

In tandem with the rule change, MyVISA introduced a new application form. The portal states that all applications created before September 1, 2026 but left unsubmitted or with incomplete payment were cleared from applicants’ dashboards on that date; users must restart the process using the new form. Already submitted and paid applications are unaffected.

The portal also reminds travellers that no MyVISA account creation or login is possible from Israel or North Korea, and that eVISAs cannot be applied for from within Malaysia itself.

AI chatbot now live on MyVISA

A day after the new restrictions took effect, the Immigration Department unveiled an AI-powered chatbot on the MyVISA portal on September 2, 2026, promising more intelligent, faster and higher-quality assistance. The announcement did not specify the chatbot’s coverage, supported languages or operating hours.

On the portal, clicking “Support” at the bottom of the screen opens a “Chat With Us” window that collects name, email address, country of residence and query before launching the conversation. The FAQ directs users here for account issues, duplicate payments or failure to receive activation emails, stating 24/7 availability. While the assistant streamlines guidance, final decisions on MEV applications remain with immigration services within the usual processing window; approved eVISA download links continue to be emailed to applicants. For travellers unsure of their eligibility under the updated MEV rules, the chatbot offers the fastest official route for clarification until the 31-nationality list is made public.