Month: September 2020

• According to the Viet Nam Government portal, on 21 March, due to the seriousness of the neo-crowned pneumonia epidemic, the Government of Viet Nam has decided to suspend the entry of foreigners from 22 March onwards, requiring declaration in order to be allowed to enter the country in special cases and isolation after entry.
• From 0000 hours on 22 March, all foreigners are banned from entering the country, which does not apply to people entering Viet Nam for "diplomatic" or "official" purposes or those entering under special circumstances (e.g. foreign guests attending, serving important foreign activities; experts. enterprise managers and highly skilled labourers); visa-free entry certificates issued to foreigners of Vietnamese origin or their family members are temporarily invalid. Persons entering Viet Nam are subject to health inspection procedures and centralized quarantine, and persons entering for diplomatic and official purposes and in special circumstances (foreign guests attending, serving important foreign activities; experts, business managers and highly skilled labourers) are quarantined at their places of residence in accordance with regulations.
• From April 1, Vietnam-Laos and Vietnam-Cambodia border crossings and passages are temporarily closed; international crossings allow entry of people for diplomatic and official purposes and other special circumstances.
• On April 9, the news called for continued control of border areas and restrictions on foreigners and out-of-town Vietnamese entering Vietnam (except in special circumstances); suspension of operation of international flights (except those approved by the Government's Prime Minister for civil protection missions); maximum restrictions on domestic flights; and continued reminding out-of-town Vietnamese citizens not to return to the country until April 15. Quarantine of all arrivals, etc.
• In accordance with the requirements of the National Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of the New Coronary Pneumonia Epidemic in Vietnam, foreign investors, experts, business managers, and highly skilled workers are required to complete real-time fluorescence technology (RT-PCR) nucleic acid testing within three to seven days prior to entering the country.
  The tests must be performed at a government-approved testing facility or a WHO-system testing facility. The above requirements do not apply to persons who entered the country before August 5, 2020.

• With effect from 18 March, departure of Malaysians and entry of non-Malaysians is prohibited. Foreign tourists, visitors and foreigners on labour, student, work, skilled professional, family and second home permanent visas are not allowed to enter the country. Foreign workers employed in industries declared by the government as essential are allowed to enter the country and are required to provide a letter of certification from their employers, as well as pass a health check at the gate and self-quarantine for 14 days. Spouses and children of Malaysian citizens holding long-term family visas are allowed to enter the country, subject to medical clearance at the border and self-segregation for 14 days. The Malaysian government allows connecting flights to third countries through the Malaysian transit zone (without going through immigration), however, due to individual travel circumstances, it is important to check with the airline carrier for further details on the availability of connecting flights from Malaysia.
• According to the Malaysian Prime Minister's televised speech on 7 June, the Restorative Movement Control Order (RMCO) will be implemented from 10 June to 31 August to resume inter-state travel, subject to outbreak prevention and control measures, except for areas under total lockdown. According to the notice issued by Malaysia Visa Centre on 9 June, all foreigners from outside the country will be prohibited from entering Malaysia during the implementation of the MRO. All visa types including eNTRI, eVISA, VOA, Visa on Arrival, Visa Sticker, Malaysia and endorsement visas will not be allowed to enter Malaysia and the issuance of these visas will be suspended. It will be suspended until further notice. Holders of valid visas are advised to avoid entering Malaysia during this period.
• Malaysian Prime Minister Robert Muhyiddin announced tonight (28) in a nationally televised speech that the Recovery Type Action Control Order (RMCO), which was due to expire on 31 August, will be extended until the end of this year, i.e. 31 December. Malaysia will continue to extend the Recovery Type Action Control Order (RMCO) for four months as the neo-coronary pneumonia epidemic is not yet over.

The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) has suspended the processing of applications for paper visas and electronic travel permits until further notice in line with the Philippine government's response to the spread of the "novel coronavirus" epidemic.

• Temporarily banned the entry of any person from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions, except for Filipino citizens and holders of permanent residence visas issued by the Philippine government, who are subject to mandatory quarantine for 14 days after entry.
• A state of national disaster was declared on 16 March. The issuance of visas was suspended at all Foreign Service Offices of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and visas previously issued were rendered invalid.
• Effective 22 March, foreign nationals holding 9A temporary and tourist visas were barred from entering the Philippines, but visas held by staff of foreign governments and international organizations will continue to be valid, as will visas held by foreign spouses and children of Filipino nationals.

Suspension of all visa-free entitlements, including holders of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passports, Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) passports, Macau-Portugal passports, and British National Overseas Passports (BNO), but excluding spouses and children of Filipino citizens.