It’s no secret that one of the most stressful parts of planning a trip is dealing with visa applications. But worry no more, because there’s fantastic news for Malaysian passport holders! It’s official — Malaysians can continue to travel to China without a visa for an extended period of five years. The announcement was made by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on Tuesday, 22nd April 2025.
“We will continue this for five more years with the option to extend it for another five years after this period ends. This means that Chinese nationals entering the country as tourists can do so for 90 days (visa-free), with China also reciprocating,” said Saifuddin. On Wednesday, 16th April 2025, Malaysia and China signed 31 agreements, with the highlight being a mutual visa exemption for travellers between the two countries.
The visa waiver has already proven successful. Saifuddin revealed that nearly one million Chinese tourists have visited Malaysia so far this year, attributing the surge in part to the visa-free policy. He noted that what began as a 30-day exemption has since been extended to 90 days, and while Malaysia had initially asked for reciprocity, China’s first offer was a more limited 15-day stay.
“In the trial period, we saw the impact through an increase in tourism. It stimulated our economy at an immediate pace,” he added. Prior to this announcement, Malaysians could only travel to China visa-free until 31 December 2024, while Chinese nationals had until the end of 2025 to enjoy their waiver in Malaysia.
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and China’s President Xi Jinping. The visa exemption comes as part of the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China. Are you planning a trip to China in the near future?
Source: The Star
Nakhla Sabrina contributed to this article
