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I am considering using Kuala Lumpur as a "home base" using the "3-month visa-free entry" for EU citizens. I plan to fly into Kuala Lumpur with an exit ticket to my native country in Europe. I do not want to conduct visa runs.

Would I be able to leave Malaysia to various countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong and Australia and possibly after each country return to Malaysia all within the 3-month window with no problems at immigration each time? I'd rather not be accused of constant visa runs if I have paid for accommodation for three months in Malaysia.

A scenario to illustrate what I am attempting to ask:

I fly into Kuala Lumpur from a third country (arriving on the 25th April), but I have a return ticket from Malaysia to my home country after 3 months (dated 23rd July). I arrange accommodation for three months in Malaysia.

I then travel to Singapore, and then back to Kuala Lumpur, then I fly to Seoul and return to Kuala Lumpur after which I fly to Australia and then back to Malaysia. A month later I fly to Seoul and then return to Malaysia again and so on.

After 3 months I return to my own country via Kuala Lumpur.

However, I imagine immigration might reissue me with visa-free stickers for each time and subsequently accuse me of a visa run but that is not my intention. I intend to holiday in Asia but have KL as a base to return to and recuperate.

Thanks.

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  • Possible duplicate of Can I extend my stay in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) beyond 90 days by doing a visa run?
    – Traveller
    Commented Apr 23, 2019 at 20:55
  • Perhaps I was not explicit enough as I am not attempting to extend my visa-free - quite the opposite. I would prefer to retain the 3 months when I return to Malaysia multiple times. I just imagine they might keep reissuing my sticker and then accuse me of attempting to do a visa run. I would like to use Malaysia as a "home" for three months but be allowed to leave within that 3-month window and then return (more than once).
    – jtravel
    Commented Apr 23, 2019 at 21:08
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    @Traveller This isn't about visa runs. The asker want to leave Malaysia within 90 days of their first arrival, but wants to come in and out of Malaysia multiple times during that period.
    – David Richerby
    Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 9:09
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    Not related to your question, and not meaning to be critical, but KUL-ICN is around 2900 miles, and SYD-KUL is almost 4100. That is about the same as Paris to Delhi, and farther than Paris to Kinshasa, for comparison. I'd say KUL is not an unreasonable base for SE Asia and Indonesia, but I don't see the benefit for Australia and East Asia, compared to making a circuit trip. Just my personal opinion.
    – choster
    Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 15:06
  • @choster Cost of living in Malaysia is far lower than Europe, and flights from KL to anywhere in Asia & Australia are dirt cheap thanks to AirAsia.
    – lambshaanxy
    Commented Oct 24, 2019 at 22:26

3 Answers 3

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Malaysian immigration will have to issue you a new visa-free sticker everytime you arrive and that wouldn't be a problem. As long you have a return ticket before the end of visa free period and accommodation, they'll happily let you come to the country. They might question you regarding your purpose to visit to Malaysia and as long as that matches the conditions of visa-free entrance, they'll be fine with it.

Visa runs are more like staying in Malaysia for 3 months and then and make a trip to come back for another 3 months, essentially making it 6 months. In your case it's all simply within 3 months.

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  1. There is no such thingy as a 3 month Visa allowed for visa free countries. Every entry is one visit.

  2. For every visit, you will be allowed 30 /90 days VISIT (country to country basis).

  3. There is no visa sticker issued for EU citizens. Those who were issued stickers visa is for specific purpose for long term visits. Malaysian Visa Issuance (Free Visa) is for tourists, is for entry purpose only. A Visit Pass is stamped into the travelers passport for the purpose of living inside for a specific period of time.

For your case.. it would be advisable to perform "round circular trip" rather than to make any countries to be a base country. More than 3 "in and out" trips, you can be "deny entry / NTL" by any ASEAN countries nowadays even if you have a valid passport. Visa runs is no longer tolerated in ASEAN countries. In the coming 2020, a NTL from one country can also attract a NTL from Fellow ASEAN countries

Just plan your trip wisely to avoid any innocent blacklisting of your travels.

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  • It's not a visa run if you leave well before your 3 months is up.
    – lambshaanxy
    Commented Jan 8 at 12:23
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Oldish question, but considering it was just pre-Covid, and as far as travel, especially in Asia, is concerned, 2020 to 2023 was a no-no, it feels like yesterday to me... Worth an update.

  1. You will not be issued stickers, but (square for entrance, and triangular for exit) stamps. And yes your passport will be stamped every time. Once you leave Malaysia, the current visa-free admission is ended. You don't have a visa, so once you leave, the clock is reset.

  2. You should not face too much scrutiny in Malaysia, as a European citizen. And if you get questions, answer frankly. What you plan to do is legal.

  3. HOWEVER, you might face questions, and could even be denied boarding, in some of the places you visit, when you "return" to Malaysia: the airline staff will ask you for (a) a resident visa, or (b) an onward ticket from KL, within the 90 days allowed by a visa-free entry. This happened to me a lot when I was travelling for work around Asia. From Incheon and Haneda to Yangon, staff asked to see my visa / resident card, or another flight reservation. I was almost denied boarding twice in Japan, as I didn't have the next flight with me in print (I had to look it up on my phone, and it became a full-time job to convince them to look at the screen). In Seoul, I had the new HKID card, and they didn't recognize it from their handbook (where they had only the old, green one), and it was a minute until I could convince them my ID card was real...

Bottom line, prepare TWO trips in advance, in order to avoid nuisance at check-in...

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