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I'm an Indian passport holder. My brother and I are planning a 2-week trip through South East Asia namely Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia (in that order). This week I'll be applying for visas through VFS global (not sure if there is any other way). Anyway, since India is the country where all these visas will be issued, I wonder the following:

Are we expected to enter Singapore and Malaysia from India? We want to enter Singapore from Thailand and Malaysia from Singapore (all by air and not road), are we allowed to do so?

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    You will need to get the Malaysia visa first (final destination), then Singapore, then Thailand. Each successive country will want to know that you can enter the next country on your itinerary.
    – Traveller
    Jul 10, 2022 at 19:27
  • You can apply Malaysia online and Thailand has visa on arrival. You have only Singapore to worry about.
    – Anish Sheela
    Jul 12, 2022 at 1:51

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A visa is permission to enter a country.

Where you're coming from doesn't matter. If you have a visa permitting you to entry country x, you can arrive in x from any other country. (There are restrictions on ports of entry for some travel between India and Nepal, and sometimes other country combinations, but that's not asked-about in this question.)

It's worth noting that in the current time of covid, there are often covid-specific requirements as well: while some countries in the recent past refused entry to travelers who've been in other, specified locations during the past days or weeks, those prohibitions have disappeared. Many countries do, however, require travelers to show proof of vaccination or to quarantine. A reputable source for such travel information is Sherpa. Both Singapore and Malaysia require quarantine if the traveler is unvaccinated.

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    some countries refuse entry to travelers who've been in other, specified locations => AFAIK that's no longer true since ~January 2022 when Omicron showed up. By now countries have given up on the whack-a-mole approach of targeting specific nations.
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Jul 10, 2022 at 4:03
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    @JonathanReez before COVID, this was also often the case for political reasons. There's little reason to think that would have changed. DavidSupportsMonica: there are some cases where visas are valid only for a particular port of entry. These are rare, but I believe India issues such visas to travelers arriving from Nepal.
    – phoog
    Jul 10, 2022 at 4:39
  • @JonathanReez Yes, that's true. Thanks for the correction. I'll amend the Answer.
    – DavidSupportsMonica
    Jul 10, 2022 at 5:45
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    @phoog Yes, I think that's correct too. But the OP isn't talking about India <> Nepal travel. Still, a parenthetical mention is warranted. Thanks.
    – DavidSupportsMonica
    Jul 10, 2022 at 5:48
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    Some countries only allow certain visas/types of entry at certain points of entry as well.
    – CMaster
    Jul 11, 2022 at 11:05
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Some specific answer for this itenary.

Yes, you are allowed to enter from any country, provided your visa rule allows that. I have travelled 7 countries successively once and there was no issues.

Regarding your itenary, you can take visa as follows.

  1. Thailand has visa on arrival. You have to take travel insurance that covers covid. For Thai airways and most other, it might be included in airfare, or there is a box to check to purchase. See when you book that. No need for VFSglobal.
  2. Singapore. You have to take visa from any travel agent. You have to submit your bank statements and proof that you are working (or equivalent). You will usually get it in a week or so. You may have to submit the passport. You will get a separate paper to print and show. Get vaccination certificate from here - https://go.gov.sg/vcp-portal , After uploading your 'Travel vaccination certificate' from cowin, which contains your passport and date of birth. 3 days prior to arrival in Singapore, fill arrival card online - https://eservices.ica.gov.sg/sgarrivalcard/. If you have a friend or relative who is a PR/citizen of singapore, ask them to apply visa on your behalf. You can skip travel agent and proof of income and all and you will get visa in matter of hours.
  3. Malaysia. You can take from here - https://malaysiavisa.imi.gov.my/evisa/evisa.jsp. Although eNTRI is enough for your case, take eVisa to avoid any hassles. Pay fees online and you will get visa within a day or so. I am not sure about vaccination requirements and all.

Some tips.

  1. You can travel to Malaysia from Singapore using land border. You can book from easybook.com. Take a bus that goes via Tuas link for faster clearance. Don't take during weekends, as it can take hours to cross the border. Its cheapest way.
  2. Take a travel insurance that covers covid for the whole trip. If you get covid, especially in Singapore, hospitalization and isolation facilities will cost too much.
  3. Always carry prescription for medications you are bringing.
  4. Although RT-PCR is not required, it would be wise to test before journey and carry the results.

Happy journey.

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  • Thanks Anish. Its really very helpful.
    – Lawhatre
    Jul 13, 2022 at 1:18

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