Malaysia to allow visa-free entry to Indian citizens from Dec 1, deets here

Digital Desk: Malaysia will grant visa-free entry to citizens of India and China for stays of up to 30 days starting on December 1, stated Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

During a speech at his People's Justice Party congress late on Sunday, Mr Anwar made the announcement. However, he did not specify for how long the visa exemption would be applicable.

Malaysia's fourth and fifth-largest source markets are China and India, respectively.

9.16 million tourists arrived in Malaysia between January and June of this year, with 498,540 from China and 283,885 from India, according to government data. On the other hand, during the same period of 2019, before the epidemic, there were 1.5 million arrivals from China and 354,486 from India.

The move comes after Thailand, a neighbour, enacted comparable policies to strengthen its critical tourism industry and revitalise its flagging economy; this year, Chinese and Indian nationals were excluded from the restrictions.

Presently, citizens of China and India need to apply for visas to enter Malaysia.