How do you get a Malaysia visit visa from Pakistan? (2026)

Do Pakistanis need a visa to visit Malaysia?

Yes. Pakistan is on the list of countries whose nationals must get a visa before entering Malaysia. You cannot fly in on a Pakistani passport and ask for a visa at the airport.

What the official list says

As of 15 September 2026, the Immigration Department of Malaysia lists Pakistan among the countries required to apply for a visa to enter Malaysia. Pakistan does not appear among the countries exempt from the visa requirement. The department is often called by its Malay initials, JIM, and its website is imi.gov.my.

eVISA or eNTRI?

You may see two online systems mentioned, eVISA and eNTRI. On the same Immigration Department page, eNTRI is described for Indian and Chinese nationals only. For a Pakistani passport holder, the online route is the eVISA, applied for on the department’s official portal, malaysiavisa.imi.gov.my.

The High Commission of Malaysia in Islamabad also directs tourist visa applicants to the online eVISA system. So an agent who says a Pakistani can use eNTRI, or get a visa on arrival, is either mistaken or not being straight with you.

Where and when to apply

The official eVISA terms say you can apply from anywhere in the world except Malaysia, Israel and North Korea. In practice, you cannot enter first and sort out a visa later. The same terms ask applicants to apply 14 days before travelling, so do not leave it to the week of your flight.

If you are still choosing a destination, compare the entry rules first. The Turkey visa guide, the Dubai visit visa guide and the Saudi visit visa guide explain those routes for Pakistani travellers.

Which Malaysia eVISA do you need, and how long can you stay?

Most Pakistani tourists and family visitors need a Single Entry Visa (SEV). It allows one entry and a stay of up to 30 days. A Multiple Entry Visa (MEV) exists for specific categories, such as business and medical visitors.

Validity is not the same as length of stay

An eVISA has two different periods. The validity is the window in which you must make your journey. The stay is how long you may remain once you enter. As of 15 September 2026, the official eVISA terms say an SEV is valid for a single journey within six months from the date of issue, or three months for some categories.

The Immigration Department’s general page on visa types describes a single entry visa as normally valid for three months from issue. Because the two official pages word this differently, rely on the dates printed on your own eVISA. Plan your flight inside that window, and your return inside 30 days of arrival.

Single entry means one entry

If you enter Malaysia on an SEV and cross into Singapore or Thailand for a few days, the visa is used. You would need a new visa to come back into Malaysia. Plan your route before you apply, so the visa fits the whole trip.

Extensions are the exception

Do not plan a trip on the hope of extending it. The Immigration Department’s page on the short term social visit pass says extensions may be granted in special circumstances, such as illness, accident or war in the home country. The visitor must appear in person with the passport, form IMM.55, supporting evidence and a confirmed return ticket.

How much does a Malaysia eVISA cost from Pakistan?

The price has several parts: the visa fee set by the Malaysian government, an eVISA processing charge and a payment gateway charge. Any agent in Pakistan adds their own service charge on top.

The official fee lines

As of 15 September 2026, the Immigration Department’s visa fee table lists MYR 20 for a single or multiple entry visa for Pakistani nationals, and MYR 20 for a transit visa. The government’s MyGovernment portal for non-citizens lists the eVISA charge as MYR 105, plus the visa fee for your country, plus up to 1.7% as a payment gateway service charge.

On those figures, a Pakistani applicant pays MYR 125 before the gateway charge. The eVISA terms also mention a separate convenience fee for optional extra services, which is not part of the processing fee. Check the total on the payment screen before you confirm.

Payments are not refundable

The official eVISA terms say all payments are strictly non-refundable, whatever the outcome. If your application is refused, or you type the wrong passport number and have to apply again, you pay again.

What an agent’s quote should show

• the visa type (SEV or MEV) and the number of entries;
• government visa fee and eVISA processing charge, listed separately;
• their own service charge;
• any ticket, hotel or insurance included in the package;
• what happens to your money if the eVISA is refused.

I would treat a quote that shows one lump sum, with no breakdown, as a reason to slow down. The official fee lines are modest, so most of a high quote is someone’s margin.

What documents do you need for a Malaysia visit visa from Pakistan?

The eVISA form asks for uploads, and immigration officers in Malaysia can ask for more when you land. Build one file that works for both: passport, photo, return ticket, paid accommodation and evidence that you can pay for the trip.

Documents named in the official terms

• Passport. The eVISA terms require a passport or travel document with at least six months of validity.
• eVISA. A printout or the digital eVISA, to show at check-in and at the immigration counter.
• Return ticket. A confirmed return ticket, where applicable.
• Accommodation. Proof of paid accommodation, such as a hotel booking that shows payment.
• Boarding pass. The terms also list a boarding pass, ticket or arrival pass where applicable.

The portal sets its own photo specification and upload format. Follow the instructions on the application screen, and use a recent photo that matches how you look in your passport.

Documents that answer the money question

Malaysian law treats a person who cannot show the means to support themselves as a prohibited immigrant. The Immigration Department does not publish a fixed amount of money for visitors, so there is no magic figure. What helps is evidence that the trip is affordable for you.

• a recent bank statement in your own name, with ordinary activity;
• for employees, a letter from the employer confirming your job and approved leave;
• business owners can carry registration papers, such as NTN or chamber membership;
• where a relative pays, their bank statement and a short letter explaining it.

None of this is a published Malaysian checklist for tourists. It is the paperwork that answers the questions visitors are most often asked, at both the Pakistani and the Malaysian airport.

Family visits

If you are staying with relatives in Malaysia, carry their full address, phone number and a copy of their Malaysian identity card or pass. A short invitation letter saying who you are, how long you will stay and who is paying makes your answers easier to check.

Do you need to fill in the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card?

Yes. As of 15 September 2026, foreign visitors, including Pakistani passport holders, must submit the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) online within three days before arriving. It is free, and it is separate from your eVISA.

What the official sources say

The MyGovernment portal for non-citizens says the MDAC applies to all foreign nationals, apart from certain nationalities, and must be submitted within three days before arrival. It lists no fee and says the requirement took effect on 1 January 2024. The High Commission of Malaysia in New Delhi states the same three-day rule.

The exemptions cover narrow groups, such as Singapore citizens, diplomatic and official passport holders, and Malaysian permanent residents and long-term pass holders. An ordinary Pakistani passport holder on an eVISA is not exempt.

How to do it safely

• Use only the Immigration Department’s own MDAC system, at imigresen-online.imi.gov.my.
• Submit it inside the three days before you land, not a week early.
• Enter your passport details exactly as printed, and check the flight and address fields.
• Keep the confirmation on your phone, with a printed copy in your file.

The official MDAC service is free. A website asking you to pay for an “arrival card” is not the Immigration Department. Every foreign traveller in your group needs to be registered, so check on the MDAC system how to add children.

What happens at Malaysian immigration when you land?

An immigration officer checks your passport, eVISA and arrival details, and decides whether to let you in. An approved eVISA does not give you a right to enter. The final decision is made at the counter.

The officer’s discretion

As of 15 September 2026, the official eVISA terms say issuance or approval of an eVISA does not in any way give you the right to enter Malaysia, and entry is at the sole discretion of the officer at the entry point. That is not unusual. Most countries keep the same power at the border.

Questions you should be ready for

• Why are you visiting, and for how many days?
• Where are you staying, and can you show the booking?
• When is your return flight?
• How much money are you carrying, and who is paying for the trip?
• What work do you do in Pakistan?
• Do you know anyone in Malaysia?

Answer briefly and truthfully, and let your documents back you up. A traveller who says “holiday” but has no hotel, no return ticket and very little money gives the officer every reason to look closer.

Funds and the prohibited immigrant rule

Section 8 of the Immigration Act 1959/63, as set out on the Immigration Department’s website, includes a person who cannot show the means to support themselves and any dependants, or who is likely to become a burden on the public. That is why funds and a return ticket matter. The law sets no figure, so be ready to show your statement and cards.

If you are refused entry

A traveller who is refused entry is not admitted and has to leave Malaysia. I cannot tell you what a particular officer will decide, and neither can any agent. What you can control is a file that tells a consistent, true story.

Can you work in Malaysia on a visit visa, and what if you overstay?

No, you cannot work on a visit visa. Working without the right pass, or staying after your pass expires, are immigration offences in Malaysia that can lead to fines, prison, deportation and a ban on returning.

Working without the right pass

As of 15 September 2026, the official eVISA terms say applicants may not accept any unauthorised employment, attend school or represent the foreign media. The Immigration Department’s enforcement page lists breaching pass conditions on employment under regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963. The penalty is a fine of up to MYR 1,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both.

Employers face heavier penalties. Under section 55B of the Immigration Act, the department lists a fine of MYR 10,000 to MYR 50,000 for each foreigner employed without a valid pass, or up to 12 months in prison, or both. An employer who asks you to start work on a visit visa is breaking the law and putting you at risk.

Overstaying

Overstaying is an offence under section 15(4) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. As of 15 September 2026, the Immigration Department’s page on frequently committed offences lists a fine not exceeding MYR 10,000, imprisonment of up to five years, or both, and a compound of MYR 3,000. It is a criminal matter, not an administrative fee.

The enforcement page also says that breaking the rules leads to deportation or repatriation and possible future bans on entering Malaysia. An overstay record can also cause problems later, because many visa application forms ask whether you have ever breached immigration rules in any country.

Can you visit Malaysia for business meetings or medical treatment?

Yes, within limits. Business meetings and similar short activities are allowed on a visit pass, and the eVISA system has business and medical visitor categories. Neither lets you do paid work in Malaysia.

Business visits

The Immigration Department’s short term social visit pass page lists purposes such as meetings and conferences, business discussions, factory inspections, auditing company accounts, signing agreements and surveying investment opportunities. Taking a job or doing paid work for a Malaysian company is a different matter, which needs the correct pass.

As of 15 September 2026, the eVISA terms list a Multiple Entry Visa for business visitors, valid for six months from issue, with up to 30 days per entry. Carry an invitation from the Malaysian company and a letter from your Pakistani employer explaining the purpose of the trip.

Medical treatment

The eVISA terms also list a medical visitor category for the multiple entry visa, valid for six months from issue, with up to 30 days per entry. Read the medical eVISA conditions on the official portal before you apply, and carry the hospital’s appointment and treatment papers when you travel.

What happens at the Pakistani airport before you fly to Malaysia?

FIA immigration officers check that your passport and visa are genuine and valid, and they may ask about your trip. Visitors should carry a return ticket, accommodation details and proof of funds. Anyone travelling for work needs emigration protection.

What FIA says it checks

As of 15 September 2026, FIA’s published FAQ lists these for visit visa travellers: a valid passport, a return ticket, a confirmed hotel booking with advance payment, and sufficient funds. Its Travellers’ Guide says officers ask questions to confirm your identity and the authenticity of your passport and visa. A second officer then re-checks the documents before you enter the departure lounge.

If you are offloaded

Being stopped from boarding is often called offloading. FIA’s guide says the shift in-charge will personally tell an offloaded passenger the reasons. It also says that if your passport and visa are genuine and valid, with no apparent misdeclaration of facts, immigration staff are not authorised to offload you. FIA’s helplines are 1991 and 051-111-345-786.

The protector requirement for work

Under the Emigration Ordinance 1979, every Pakistani going abroad on a work visa must be protected by the Protector of Emigrants. Protection involves a Foreign Service Agreement with the employer or a licensed Overseas Employment Promoter. FIA’s FAQ lists a protector stamp among the documents for work visa travellers.

A person who is really going to Malaysia for a job cannot fix that by holding an eVISA. As a lawyer, the point I stress to families is simple: the story at the counter must be the true one.

How do you spot a fake eVISA website or a Malaysia job scam?

Use only the Immigration Department’s own portal for an eVISA, and treat any job that starts on a visit visa as a scam until proven otherwise. Both problems cost Pakistani families real money.

Fake and unofficial eVISA websites

The Immigration Department has published an important notice telling applicants to use malaysiavisa.imi.gov.my for official eVISA applications. The eVISA terms add that the department is not responsible for problems arising from unofficial or third-party websites.

• Look-alike sites with “Malaysia visa” in the name that charge far more than the official fee lines.
• A site asking for payment for the free arrival card.
• Emails or WhatsApp messages with an “approved eVISA” you never applied for.
• Any page that promises approval, or sells a faster “VIP” eVISA.

Once you have an eVISA, compare the name, passport number and dates with your passport. The official portal also has a facility for checking an eVISA’s authenticity, which is worth using if an agent applied for you.

The “visit visa with a job” offer

The usual pattern is a package: an eVISA, a ticket and a promised job in a factory, restaurant or plantation, with the work permit to be “arranged after arrival”. Malaysia’s eVISA terms forbid unauthorised employment. The Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment advises Pakistanis not to accept a tourist visa for work.

• The job starts on a visit visa, and the work permit comes “later”.
• No BEOE licence can be shown, and there is no job order.
• You are told to say “holiday” to FIA.
• Payment is in cash with no receipt, or into a personal account.
• Someone keeps your original passport.

What Pakistani law says

Only a licensed Overseas Employment Promoter may recruit people in Pakistan for work abroad. Section 22 of the Emigration Ordinance 1979 makes it an offence for anyone else to take money for providing, or pretending to provide, a job abroad. Check the promoter’s licence with the Bureau before paying.

The guide to checking a visa consultant in Pakistan sets out the registration and licence checks, and where to report fraud. If you have already paid someone and have doubts, you can book a free first consultation and bring the receipts and messages.

How do you apply, step by step?

The order below works for most Pakistani tourists and family visitors. Settle the purpose first, and the rest follows.

1. 1

   Confirm the purpose and the visa type

   Write down why you are going, for how many days and where you will stay. A holiday or family visit needs a Single Entry Visa. Business and medical visitors should check the multiple entry categories. Work needs a proper employment route, never a visit visa.

2. 2

   Check your passport and build your file

   Make sure your passport has at least six months of validity. Collect a recent photo, a confirmed return ticket, proof of paid accommodation, a bank statement and evidence of your job or business.

3. 3

   Apply on the official eVISA portal

   Register on the Immigration Department of Malaysia’s eVISA portal, malaysiavisa.imi.gov.my, from outside Malaysia. Apply at least 14 days before travel, as the eVISA terms ask, and upload clear copies in the format the portal requests.

4. 4

   Check every detail, then pay

   Payments are non-refundable, so check your name, passport number and travel dates before you pay. Look at the total on the payment screen: the visa fee, the processing fee and the gateway charge. Keep the receipt and application number.

5. 5

   Check the eVISA and submit the arrival card

   When the eVISA arrives, compare your name, passport number and dates with your passport. Within three days before arrival, submit the free Malaysia Digital Arrival Card on the Immigration Department’s own MDAC system.

6. 6

   Travel with your file and leave on time

   Carry printed copies of the eVISA, the MDAC confirmation, your return ticket, hotel booking and bank evidence for FIA and Malaysian immigration. Leave Malaysia within your permitted stay, because overstaying is a criminal offence.

What goes wrong most often?

Applying on an unofficial website

A search for “Malaysia eVISA” can bring up paid third-party sites before the official portal. Travellers pay several times the official charges, and sometimes receive nothing. Type the official address yourself, and check it before you enter card details.

Treating an approved eVISA as a promise of entry

The eVISA lets you travel, but the officer at the entry point decides. Travellers who arrive with no hotel, no return ticket and little money risk being refused entry, and the visa payment is not refunded.

Forgetting the arrival card, or filing it too early

The MDAC must be submitted within three days before arrival. A traveller who fills it in a week ahead, or not at all, starts the arrival process on the wrong foot. Set a reminder for three days before your flight.

Crossing to Singapore or Thailand on a single entry visa

Leaving Malaysia uses up an SEV. Travellers who plan a quick side trip, then try to come back on the same visa, find they need a new one. Plan the full route before applying.

Travelling for a job on a visit visa

This is the costly one. The traveller pays for a visa and a promised job, travels without protection, and finds no lawful work on arrival. The money is gone, and staying on turns a bad deal into a criminal offence.

A realistic example

This is a hypothetical illustration, not a real client. Sana and her husband Adeel live in Gujranwala. Adeel works in a bank, and they want a 12-day holiday in Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi in December.

• Six weeks before. They check their passports. Sana’s has only five months left, so she renews it before anything else.
• Four weeks before. They book refundable hotels, hold a return flight, and gather Adeel’s bank statement and a leave letter from the bank.
• Three weeks before. Each of them applies for a Single Entry Visa on the official portal, checks the passport numbers twice, and pays the charges shown on screen.
• The eVISAs arrive. They compare names, passport numbers and dates, then pay for the hotels and confirm the return flight on day 12.
• Two days before. They submit the free MDAC for each of them on the Immigration Department’s own system.
• At both airports. They carry printed eVISAs, MDAC confirmations, the ticket, hotel receipts and the bank statement. Their answers match their papers.

Nothing in their file is clever. It simply tells one true story, with the paperwork to back it.

The version that goes wrong

Now imagine Adeel’s cousin Faizan, 23. An agent in the local market offers a “Malaysia visit visa with a factory job” for PKR 700,000, keeps his passport and says the work permit will be sorted once he lands. The agent has no BEOE licence and gives no receipt. Faizan is told to say he is going sightseeing. If FIA’s questions uncover the plan, he may not fly. If he flies and the Malaysian officer doubts his story or his funds, he may be refused entry. If he gets in and works, he breaches his pass conditions, and once his 30 days end, staying on is an overstay offence.

Key takeaways

Frequently asked questions