Exemption of Visas for Malaysian to visit Japan

Great news for Malaysian who are planning to visit Japan! From 1st of July 2013, in celebration of the 40th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, the Government of Japan has decided that visa is no longer required for nationals of Malaysia in possession of ordinary International passports meeting the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards (with ICAO’s IC passport symbol on the front cover) to get entry to Japan for short-term stay for up to 90 day.

Having said that, the visa exemptions shall only apply to those with an ordinary International passport in compliance with ICAO standards. Those who renewed or applied and got their Malaysian Passport after February 2010 will benefit from this compliance. I renewed mine in 2009 which is without the ICAO symbol, so I’m still encouraged to obtain a visa before hitting the road.

Here is the example of 2 different versions of Malaysian Passport (Image by Embassy of Japan in Malaysia)

After all, visa application for short term entry to Japan is always a swift process as long as you are genuine travelers and have followed my visa application guide to Japan. That said, this is no doubt a bonus for those who agreed with me that Japan is the perfect travel destination. It just encouraged me to plan for another trip to Japan again! 🙂 – Travel Feeder 

About The Author

Cecil Lee

The author is an avid traveler and photography hobbyist who loves to share with others his travel and photo-taking experience in many popular tourist destinations around Europe, Asia and Australasia. Read the exciting stories with many photos captured on his journeys.