Visa runs

You seem to have been outside Malaysia for over 1 month so you should not be given a Do Not Land. This does happen if people are taking short runs outside Malaysia more than a couple of times. The minimum time outside is 7 days if leaving between the 80-90th day. There is no other visa possible unless you find a job or apply for the MM2H residence pass.

I arrived back home 14th December 2017, I  was planning to go back asap hopefully 16th January2018, I have been to malaysia 3 times And I've bren home nearly 1 month now from my last trip their, I want to go back 16 jan, would I be denied entry when I arrive in Malaysia or will i be allowed in with another 90 day stamp. I'm scared that I will travel all the way and be denied. Many thanks

It is difficult to say but having been outside Malaysia for 1 month is good.  Immigration is getting very tight these days. They may see a pattern and give you less than 90 days.

Ok so if I go back I will be allowed in but maybe with less day stamp?

That would be my assumption.

Ok thank you for your help

I am not familiar with recent updates in immigration policy for people doing visa runs. I did do visa runs for years before applying my MM2H and never a problem although rather than visa runs I set my base here in KL and just spent lots of time traveling around the region. I'd be very surprised if immigration didn't allow you in for another 3 months especially as you haven't broken any laws and you will spend money while you are here.

If you do have worries, then you could consider coming into Malaysia from say Johor Baru from Singapore by bus, because immigration (and customs) are far more lax here than at KLIA & KLIA2.

However, also heed Gravitas' advice because she is normally correct on most issues.

Thank you for that abdulkhalil

The new director of immigration who was appointed in 2017 has tightened up a lot of practices. Trying to live in Malaysia on a tourist visa is one of them. Some of the reasons revolve around national security.

If the reason is family ties, immigration will sometimes give an exception and provide a related social visit pass. It just takes an application to be made.

I just wanted to update as i forgot to, I have come back to Malaysia and I was allowed in no questions nothing and I have been given 90 days stay.

Total stay -
April 2017 = 90 days pass (I stayed for 3 weeks)
June 2017 = 90 days pass (i stayed for 87 days)
Sep 2017 = 90 days pass (I stayed for 88 days)
Feb 2018 =  90 days pass (I leave 10th may2018)

I have landed in KLIA every time.
No questions asked at all on any visit/entry.

Hello Jess.Hobbs, I think this post very helpful for me and my friends.I am an Indonesian, We will take internship program for 5 weeks in KL, and based on regulation Indonesia-malaysia, we just allowed stay for 30 days using free-visit visas. I just wanna ask, based on your exprerience and maybe from recently information, could me and my friend using visa run to singapore for two days, and back to KL? my friend said to me that he doubt to doing that, because he get information that immigration in singapore more tight now.

Jess Hobbs case is completely different. He did not do visa runs. He exited the country for extended periods between his visits. There has been some talk of being able to extend a tourist entry without leaving Malaysia (once or even twice).

http://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/pass.html?id=293

Unpaid internship knowledge exchange may be relevant if daily calendar of activities is available. There must be return ticket.

Here a blog on how it is done

http://www.thecyclingcanadian.com/exten … -malaysia/

Kia Ora...appreciate the various comments on the topic. Thinking of moving to KL long term. Don't want to have to do endless visa runs but not rich enough to go on the MM2H...ah well might have to go further north and look at Thailand as an option then..haha

There is MTEP - https://www.mtep.my/ and of course incorporating a Malaysia offshore Labuan Company which requires RM 250,000 paid up capital to apply for a work permit.

OR the Sarawak M2H. You have to be 50+, have a Sarawakian sponsor...two options (RM100K (single/RM150K couple in Fixed Account, OR pension of RM7K or RM10K).

Do you have any knowledge or experience on the MTEP visa? Is it quite straightforward to get? I am considering applying for the 1 year one. Any places for advice on the application? Much appreciate!

New here on the forum. Here are my latest experiences with visa runs.

I have lived in KL for a couple of years and have been doing visa runs. A couple of times I was sent to the interview room at KLIA2 upon return, but was let in eventually (always with 90 day stamp). It got more difficult the fuller my passport got with stamps. But in mid 2018 I got a shiny new passport and again I was entering with no problems.

Then in October '18 there was a meeting at the British High Commission for Brit expats. An officer of the BHC said she had had a meeting at Immigration a few weeks before and she said that they were cracking down on visa runs from September '18 onwards. She said that anyone who is in Malaysia for more than six months per year should have a visa.

I was a bit worried, and rightly so. I was stopped at KLIA2 just a couple of days ago. I had left on 88 days and stayed out a week. The officer looked at the stamps in my passport and said "In the country more than six months, must have visa". I was sent to the room. Bit of a wait. Then the usual questions. Asked to provide proof of funds. Grudgingly they let me in for 90 days but said it would be 'hard' in future.

I'm looking at my options. I know all about MM2H (both Peninsular and Sarawak) but both seem to have big drawbacks for me. MTEP may be a way in, but that's only for a year.

It's a pity because I'm bringing in more than RM100K per year of UK funds for rent etc and contributing to Malaysian GDP. I don't work here, never have. Anyway, rules are rules.

Just wanted to update folks. Thanks to Gravitas for all the informative posts btw.

Yeah. And who said Thailand? Forget it, its worse than here and here is already no longer doable.

Aside from any specific rules, how Malaysia has always seen it is that if a person comes as a tourist, how long does it take to see the country? They estimate a month but give three to certain countries. If one is here  longer, what is it that you havent seen yet and why is it taking you so long to see it? Maybe you are a lazy tourist, maybe you sleep too much, maybe you need to go back to your country and sleep there.  I had a conversation like that once.

Its true of all the countries around here too, and they are not interested in someone making a claim if dropping a lot of money into the economy as a tourist after the first go. As the countries gained strength they pushed foreigners out. They just dont need or want us anymore, not like 30 years ago when they were on their hands and knees. Expats are a nuisance in Asia, government doesnt like us, locals dont like us. It was all OK when there were few of us but when things began to sour at home politically and economically 10 years ago, the exodus from home was staggering. Expatism killed all its opportunity to live abroad by its own weight. In the past few years Ive scoped out alternatives to Malaysia but those places TOO have now become positively overrun with expats, possibly killing those chances now.

If a person has a serious reason to be here like setting up a factory with 5,000 local jobs, sure check it out. Otherwise just pass and keep moving--is my best advice.

I should add,

Under Mahathir the politics of expatism are reverting back to the older days because Mahathir always disliked expats and never helped them. He believed expats were polluting the culture and didnt want any stayers. Changes since September, 2018 make perfect sense to me because its him again. He also hated small players, the individual expat with $5K in his pocket desirous of a new or different life.

The second important thing is that Malaysia has a growing problem with crimes by foreigners, especially illegals and overstayers who work on drug, financial and other crimes. Like in other countries, people hide here and the bad ones are hard to catch. So the honest expat get caught in that net and is easiest to snag because its the honest one who shows up for his immigration appointments and follows the timing of 90-day visas. Criminals dont. So the govt snags the low-hanging fruit.

I cant say in my 20 years here that there was ever an easy time, visas have always been problematic. And I cant say what may happen when Mathathir dies and Anwar takes over. But its fair to assume ASEAN follows each other and none are hospitable to expats anymore unless they are super rich.