Malaysia is situated in Southeast Asia, is a beautiful country with astonishing islands. Travelling Malaysia is on many people’s bucket lists. It has all the features people expect from a tourist destination. A variety of cultures had found their way to Malaysia as once it was on the world’s busiest trade route connecting east and west. Having so many people from different cultures, religions, backgrounds made the country one of the most multiculturalist countries in the world. Located in the equatorial region and having many islands with thick rain forests, Malaysia attracts nature lovers worldwide. Several most stunning natural wonders, such as the Kinabalu Mountain and Quartz Ridge, are situated in Malaysia. Every year many tourists visit the country to see those places. Although Malaysia is a middle-income country, it manages to keep its economy’s robust growth. In many aspects, Malaysia is one of the most successful countries in Southeast Asia. Malaysia distinguishes itself in Southeast Asia for opening its economy advancing fast towards technology and innovation. With this business-friendly environment, the economy grows day by day. Malaysia is one of the leading countries in the tourism area. Many invest in infrastructure to increase income from tourism. Foreign investments are no exception either. We are already witnessing growing attention towards doing business in Malaysia. Considering the interest in engaging in business activities in Malaysia, we decided on a Malaysia business visa as the main topic for today’s article. In the article, we will look at Malaysia business visa requirements, Malaysia business visa fees, online business visa for Malaysia, and many others. Before getting into the details of the business visa, it would be wise to have a look at the Malaysia visa policy.
Visa Policy of Malaysia
Malaysia's visa policy is formed based on the relation it has with other countries. Depending on these relations, countries' visa status can change. We can put the countries into three groups in this regard, and they are visa-free countries, visa-required countries, and e-visa countries. Visa-required countries are: Afghanistan, Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Colombia, Congo Republic, DR Congo, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, Kosovo, Liberia, Mali, Micronesia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea (DPRK), Rwanda. E-visa countries are Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Montenegro, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Serbia, and Sri Lanka. If your country is not on these two lists, you are lucky because your country is a visa-free country. You can enter and remain in Malaysia for a while without undergoing visa procedures, while others have to oblige the visa conditions and requirements. As for types of visas for Malaysia, we can categorize them as short-term and long-term. Every visa has its visa requirement, conditions, etc. For this article, we have gathered information about a Malaysia business visa. Let's dive into the details of Malaysia business visa documents and find out the answer to how to get business visa for Malaysia.
How to get Business Visa for Malaysia?
What is a business visa? What are the differences between a business visa and an employment (work) visa? Let’s start with defining the business visa first. This visa gives you the right to enter, stay and engage in business activities in Malaysia for a short period. If it is a multiple entry business visa Malaysia, you can re-enter the country as much as you want. On the other hand, a work visa entitles you to work and remain in Malaysia for a long term. Therefore, with a business visa, you can not work in Malaysia only engage in business activities, including business meetings, conferences, conducting or attending the training, conducting internal audits, etc. Since we understand the differences between the two, now we can move to Malaysia business visa requirements. In the list below, you will find Malaysia business visa documents:
- Malaysia business visa application form. It should be duly filled out, signed and dated by the applicant.
- A passport with a validity of six months after your departure from Malaysia. The passport's issuance date should not pass 10 years, and it should have a minimum of 1 or 2 blank pages. It should bear the signature of the applicant while undamaged pictures securely affixed with/to passport.
- Two photos that are taken recently. The applicant's face should cover 70 or 80 (32x26 mm) per cent of the photo. A uniform and white background are needed. Photos should not include the facial expressions (preferably neutral), the mouth should be closed, and the applicant's eyes should remain open. The height and width of the photos should be equal to 3.5x5.
- The applicant’s national ID card should remain valid two months beyond the date of the departure from Malaysia.
- If the applicant does not reside in his or her country of citizenship, then he or she should present a copy of the residence permit that should remain valid for two months beyond the date of the departure from Malaysia.
- Copies of the passport’s main page and all previously processed pages alongside previous visas (if any) have to be submitted.
- Travel itinerary. Flight reservations and accommodation booking with detailed information (dates, addresses, etc.).
- Letter from local employer/sponsor. The letter must include the name, postal address, and phone number of the sponsor/company. It should further include the workplace, work position, starting date of the work, and income of the applicant. It should depict the planned schedule for work leave and the nature of the travel. If the applicant is the company owner, then a copy of the valid trade license and other documents pointing out the ownership of the company is needed. If the applicant is a student, then he/she must submit a letter from the university.
- Documents proving the applicant is capable of financing the travel. The following can be presented: bank statement showing your financial movements for the last 3 months, credit card, cash, payslips, employment proof, proof of sponsor’s willingness to cover the expenses, etc.
- If the country you are coming from is a yellow fever risk country, you need to present a vaccination certificate against yellow fever.
More documents can be asked based on some factors. Hence, it is always wise to get specific information on your application country from a local embassy before applying for the visa. To apply, first find the embassy or consulate of Malaysia in your country. If there is no embassy, consulate, or visa application centre of Malaysia in your country, find the nearest one to your country. After finding the embassy, make an appointment with the embassy. Go to the embassy at the planned time and present the required documents and pay the asked fees. You might be wondering about Malaysia business visa fees. Fees for Malaysian visas cost relatively low. For business visas, fees are around 2-10 USD. However, you should take other fees such as administrative fees, visa application centre fees, courier service fees, etc., into consideration. In general, fees change based on application countries. What about visa processing time? You might ask. Again it changes based on the country of application. However, the average processing time is around 1-20 days.
Online Business Visa
If you want to know how to get business visa for Malaysia via the internet, then carefully read this paragraph. In 2017, two new types of electronic visas were introduced to the public. One of them is for eligible countries that we mentioned before, and the other one is for only citizens of China and India. It was primarily targeted for giving tourism visas. However, people who intend to engage in business activities can enter the country by having an online tourist visa as an online business visa for Malaysia. To keep it simple, we can say that an online tourist visa can work as an online business visa. For many, it is more convenient to get an online visa rather than getting a visa from the consulate, and it is understandable since it has some advantages. For example, applying for a visa online saves more time and money. Furthermore, it does not require any personal contact, all of the procedure is conducted online. Last but not least, it is processed way more quickly than conventional business applications. In most cases, they are processed within a day. E-visa is valid for 3 months. To acquire an online visa, first, you need to go to the official website for online visas. Secondly, you have to fill out the online application and submit the required documents. Lastly, pay the required fees and wait for a visa to be processed.
