Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced on 26 November 2023 that Malaysia would grant visa-free entry to citizens of China and India for a stay of up to 30 days from 1 December. Anwar Ibrahim made the announcement during a speech at his People's Justice Party congress late on 26 November.

Currently, Chinese and Indian citizens have to apply for a visa to enter Malaysia.

India has already got visa free entry to Thailand-Sri Lanka:

It has already been announced to give visa free entry to Indians in Thailand and Sri Lanka. Now Malaysia has become the third Asian country to do so.
Malaysia previously granted this exemption to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Turkey, Jordan, and Iran.

Steps taken by Malaysia to promote tourism:

People from China and India visit Malaysia in large numbers for tourism. Among the most tourists visiting Malaysia, Chinese people are at fourth place and India is at fifth place. Both nations represent significant markets for Malaysia.
Government data reveal that Malaysia welcomed 9.16 million tourists from January to June this year, with 498,540 from China and 283,885 from India.
According to another data, before the pandemic, in the same period of 2019, 15 lakh people from China and 3 lakh 54 thousand 486 people from India had gone to Malaysia.
Malaysia implements this measure to revitalize its crucial tourism sector and stimulate its sluggish economy.

What is the meaning of visa free?

Being visa free between countries means that their citizens can easily come to each other without a visa; That means they do not require a visa to visit any country.
According to Henley & Partners' Passport Index, by March 2023, Indian passport holders can travel visa-free to many countries or avail visa on arrival. Currently, the Indian passport is ranked 84th in terms of freedom of travel.

Types of Visa:

Visa Free: Visa free travel is the benefit in which you can travel to any country without getting a visa. This generally applies if there is an agreement between the two countries or if the country you are visiting has unilaterally opened its borders to foreign nationals.
- Currently there are 28 countries like Albania, Barbados, Bhutan, British Virgin Islands, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka etc. where Indians can travel without visa.
Visa on Arrival: Also known as arrival visas, these are given to visitors at the port of entry. Government authorities at the port of entry exclusively handle the entire visa issuance process.
- At present, India has the facility of e-Visa on arrival in 32 countries like Bolivia, Mauritania, Botswana, Mozambique, Burundi, Myanmar, Cambodia etc.
E-Visa: These are official documents issued online by the immigration officer of a country that allow visitors to enter the country. These are an alternative to regular paper visas that are issued by a country's embassy.
- Currently, India has the facility of e-Visa in 26 countries like Angola, Malaysia, Antigua and Barbuda, Moldova, Australia, Morocco, Azerbaijan, Russia, Bahrain, Sao Tome and Principe, Singapore etc.
Entry Permit: Countries issue entry permits to their visitors instead of visas. Entry permits are documents that allow foreigners to legally enter the country and stay for a certain period of time.