The Prime Minister of Malaysia announced yesterday at 10:00pm Malaysia Time (GMT+0800) that a Restriction Movement Order (RMO) will take affect from 18 Mar 2020 – 31 March 2020.

Briefly, the RMO includes –

  • Ban on mass gatherings, including sports, culture, religious and social activities.
  • Ban on entry for all foreign visitors.
  • Ban on Malaysians travelling overseas.
  • Malaysians are allowed entry but must self-quarantine 14 days.
  • Closure of all government and private education institutions.
  • Closure of all government and private premises except those providing essential services like utilities, food supplies, pharmacies, telcos, post offices, transportation, fuel, broadcasting, healthcare, airports and security.

From an Immigration and Pass processing perspective, at the time of writing, there has been no official updates / clarification yet from the Immigration Department in Putrjaya (HQ) or any of the related immigration processing Authorities. We have done some checks with the Immigration HQ itself and also at the KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) this morning and appended below is the summary we know so far –

Processing of all Passes (Employment Pass, Dependent Pass, Long Term Pass, RP-T etc)

Processing Authorities  

18 Mar 2020 – 31 Mar 2020

Immigration Department Putrajaya (HQ) Open half day (morning) with limited resources
MyXpats (processing of applications under ESD) Closed
MDEC (processing of applications under eXpats) Closed
MIDA (Malaysia Investment Development Authority) Closed


Please expect delays in processing of all existing applications that have already been submitted.

 

Summary of Travel Restrictions

 

Exiting Malaysia (18 Mar 2020 – 31 Mar 2020)

Restrictions
For Malaysians NO
For Foreigners, including all Pass holders and Diplomats YES
 

Entering Malaysia (18 Mar 2020 – 31 Mar 2020)

Restrictions
For Malaysians YES but must self-quarantine for 14 days
For Diplomats YES but must self-quarantine for 14 days
For Foreigners, including all Pass holders like Employment Pass, Dependant Pass, Long-Term Pass, Student Pass, RP-T, PR etc) NO
Malaysians daily commute to Singapore by land

(18 Mar 2020 – 31 Mar 2020)

 

NO

Suggestions : Malaysians are advised to find accommodation in SG during these 2 weeks or arrange with their SG employers to work from Malaysia.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.