Malaysia scraps COVID-19 testing for fully vaccinated travellers

Great news for cross-border air travel between Singapore and Malaysia, with no more COVID-19 testing in either direction since 1st May 2022, following a relaxation on the Malaysian side for fully vaccinated travellers entering the country, in combination with Singapore’s recent scrapping of mandatory swabs.

Travel insurance is also no longer mandatory, while mask wearing in Malaysia is now only compulsory indoors and check-in apps are no longer be required, a similar policy to that recently adopted in Singapore.

Malaysia first opened quarantine-free travel to and from Singapore via a Vaccinated Travel Lane arrangement in late November 2021, before extending the scheme to land travellers and reopening to vaccinated travellers from all countries on 1st April 2022.

New PDT relaxation

A pre-departure test is no longer be required to enter Malaysia from 1st May 2022 for the following travellers arriving by air:

• All fully vaccinated travellers
• Children aged 17 and below, regardless of their vaccination status
• Travellers with a history of COVID-19 infection in the last 6 – 60 days, regardless of their vaccination status

These travellers will also continue to be free of any quarantine requirements.

Previously, travellers aged seven and above arriving by air required a PCR test conducted within two days of departure, though those arriving from Singapore could instead have a professionally administered rapid antigen (ART) test within the same testing window.

Travellers also had to undertake a professional rapid antigen test (ART) within 24 hours of arrival at any private health facility, though again those arriving from Singapore were already exempt from this requirement.

Fully vaccinated land travellers crossing the border to Malaysia from Singapore were already exempt from all testing and quarantine prior to this latest announcement.

Partially vaccinated or unvaccinated travellers aged 18 or over will still be subject to COVID-19 tests and five days quarantine on arrival in Malaysia.

Fully vaccinated definition

Depending on the COVID-19 vaccine you received and your age, you may be considered fully vaccinated for the purposes of travel to Malaysia with one, two or three vaccine doses, as outlined in the following table.

In particular, our readers vaccinated in Singapore should note that a booster dose of Pfizer, Moderna or Novavax is required to be considered fully vaccinated for those aged 60 or over.

Malaysia will also accept COVID-19 vaccines that are not listed under the World Health Organisation’s Emergency Use Listing, but are approved by regulatory agencies in other countries.

Full details are available here.

Travel insurance optional

For arrivals on or before 30th April 2022, Malaysia required travellers to hold travel insurance with a minimum coverage of US$20,000 for COVID-19-related medical treatment, hospitalisation and quarantine costs.

For arrivals from 1st May 2022, travel insurance will no longer be mandatory, though again fully vaccinated travellers from Singapore were already exempt from this requirement anyway.

New process Singapore – Malaysia (Air)

Fully vaccinated travellers heading from Singapore to Malaysia by air will now need to meet the following requirements, which are the same as those arriving by air from all other countries and by land from Singapore.

• Download the MySejahtera app
• Complete a pre-departure form within the app
• Verify their COVID-19 digital vaccination certificate*

* This process does not need to be repeated if you have already verified your vaccination status previously (e.g. on a VTL trip) and your MySejahtera app status shows “Fully Vaccinated”

Here’s how the testing and quarantine requirements work.

All processes can be followed by Malaysians or non-citizens, including arrival of unvaccinated travellers with five days quarantine.

The new procedure also means those arriving in Malaysia by air or land from Singapore will follow the same process. Testing had already been relaxed for those crossing the land border, prior to this latest development.

Malaysia – Singapore travel

Fully vaccinated travellers returning from Malaysia to Singapore by air will follow the latest Vaccinated Travel Framework (VTF) process, as outlined below, which is already test-free and quarantine-free.

Singapore Vaccinated Travel Framework
Process

• Be fully vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccine, or be aged 12 or under in the current calendar year (i.e. born in 2010 or later, for 2022 arrivals)
• Submit your SG Arrival Card (SGAC) within three days of arrival to Singapore
• Apply for an entry visa (for visa-required nationalities only)
• Take any flight from or via any country to Singapore and enter quarantine-free

  Complete VTF Guide

This recent relaxation of testing requirements for travel to Malaysia now means fully vaccinated passengers will have a two-way test-free and quarantine-free journey when making a trip from Singapore.

Fully vaccinated travellers from all over the world are now able to head to Malaysia without any quarantine or COVID-19 testing under this recent relaxation, with the country becoming one of the latest in the Asia-Pacific region to loosen its requirements to help stimulate travel and tourism.

Singapore residents already had a simpler testing regime for travel to Malaysia by air, requiring only a pre-departure ART test until 30th April 2022, but the inconvenience and cost of this swab is also now removed, harmonising both air and land travel between the two countries into their simplest process since the pandemic hit.