Nigerians who plan to visit Malaysia must first obtain a Malaysian visa before travelling to the country. Luckily, the Malaysian Government has simplified the process of getting this visa by introducing evisas. Did you know about this?
I didn’t but I have Seun of Private trips.ng to thank for putting me on to this information. Because of this tip, I was able to apply for my visa using the evisa portal, rather than making the trip to the embassy or respective application centre to apply in person.
In this article, I will tell you about the entire application process and tips to improve your chances for a successful Malaysian visa application.
Trip Planning Resources
Book your flights: on Qatar Airways
Book your accommodation: Find accommodation options for any budget on Booking.com
Purchase Travel Insurance: I use SafetyWing for both my travel and visa application needs
Activities: Find fun activities and tours in your destination via Get Your Guide, Viator or Klook Travel
Be aware that: As a Nigerian, you will not be allowed to travel into Malaysia via the land border, even if you have a valid visa. You must enter the country by air. Read about my experience in this post.
What's Covered in this Post
Malaysian Visa for Nigerian Citizens – Required Documents
To apply for the visa online, you would need the following documents to begin:
- Passport Biodata page
- Passport Photograph that matches the website’s specification *
- Flight Itinerary (merge multiple documents/pages and upload as a single file)
- Hotel Accommodation (merge multiple documents/pages and upload as a single file)
- Others *
I will now highlight some details to take note of for the documents with an asterisk mark.
Malaysian Visa: Passport Photograph
During the evisa application process, I had issues uploading my passport photograph. The website can be quite strict when it comes to accepting uploaded passports. The best thing you can do is to format your passport using the recommended dimensions before uploading it to the system.
If you are still facing issues uploading the passport after formatting it correctly, simply delete the existing application and start a new one. This was how I was able to resolve the upload issue on my end.
Malaysian Visa: Other Documents
For other documents, I decided to upload my payslip and bank statements for the last 3 months, as well as my employment letter. Since each section allows users to upload a single file below 2MB, I simply merged all my documents and used a tool to reduce the size before uploading it to the portal.
Now that you know what documents you need, here’s a breakdown of the application process. Note that the visa officer may request additional documentation after you submit, so always log back into the website to check until you receive an email stating that your visa has been approved.
Malaysian Visa for Nigerian Citizens – Application Process
The first step to applying for a Malaysian visa online is to visit the official Malaysia visa website at this address. Click the “I’m New Apply” button to create a new account if you’re logging in for the first time, otherwise, select “Returning User Login”.
Note that the captcha is case-sensitive, so it must be entered exactly as the letters appear in the reference text.
Once you have successfully logged into the system, click on the “Apply Now” button and follow the prompts to fill out the required information.
Again, you would need to check on your application often as there are often requests made for additional documentation that does not get sent by email.
For example, I received further requests to submit my Kenyan work permit, scanned yellow card and updated flight itinerary. I also used the opportunity to include a cover letter as well as a breakdown of each day’s activities.
Malaysian Visa Application: eVisa Processing Time and Fees
It took exactly 7 working days for me to receive my visa and this time, I received an approval notification via email. At the time of my application, I paid a total of 126 Malaysian Ringgit (RM) – which was approximately $30.
Please note that travellers are expected to print out this evisa (in colour) to present to Immigration Officers in Malaysia. In addition, the document must not be wrinkled and it should be folded just once, in case you decide to fold it.
Also, note that the Malaysia evisa does not automatically grant you access to the country. Travellers might be asked to present their return or onward ticket and show proof of good financial standing and travel insurance. I have been purchasing my travel insurance for all my trips since last year with SafetyWing and I can easily recommend their services to get yours as well.
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If you plan to apply in person for this visa, you can do so by visiting the VFS office in Abuja located at the address below:
Malaysian Visa Application: Where to Physically Apply in Nigeria?
The Malaysian Visa Application Centre is located in Sterling Bank Plaza, 3rd Floor, Plot 1083 Mohammadu Buhari Way, Central Business District, Abuja-Nigeria.
They are open from Monday to Friday (apart from Nigerian and Malaysian public holidays) from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm for submissions and 08:00 to 15:00 for passport collections.
If you have any questions about the visa application process, leave me a comment below and I’ll be sure to get back to you! Please note that this post focuses only on tourist visas.
Hello Amarachi, thank you for this detailed information.
Please is NDLEA certificate and Police Clearance certificate a requirement to apply for the Malaysia Visa for Nigeria citizens at this time?
I look forward to your feedback.
Hi Harmony, currently, a police certificate is not needed. As for the NDLEA certificate, sometimes, it’s requested from travellers who haven’t been out of Nigeria. You can submit valid visas you have in place of this.
Hello,
Please does the e-visa approach also work for multiple entries?
Look forward to your feedback.
Thank you
Hello, yes you can apply for a multiple entry visa via the same website.
How much do I need to have in my bank account before applying for Malaysia visa Nigeria
There’s no particular amount stated by the Malaysia Govt. You need to have enough to cover your trip and a good in and outflow.
Hi, this post helped out so much to figure things out. I just wanted to ask about the yellow fever card. I got mine in 2021 and i believe its the newest one but i wanted to make sure from you when you got yours? And also you took the vaccine once right? Im asking because im back in Nigeria for holidays as i study in a different country an want to get all the documents ready before going back cause i will be applying from abroad.
Hello Sharon, yes the 2021 card is the latest. I took the vaccine and got mine in 2019.
Hello
Thank you for sharing this insightful post.
I am at the payment page of the eVisa application process. I have used several of my naira debit cards to make payment. However I am getting an error message saying:
“Your payment was unsuccessful. please check your details and try again. I have tried repeatedly and still this issue”.
What could possibly be the cause? Any idea.
Thanks
Hello, I think the issue might be with the Naira Mastercard. It’s better to try with a Dollar MC or a foreign/virtual card
Gooday, please I will like you to put me through, I have a friend who’s studying at Malaysia and I would like to pay him a visit. What documents can I upload on the Accomodation section? Do I need hotel reservation doc or what?
Hello, you can either upload hotel reservation documentation or include a letter from your friend stating that he will host you, as well as documents showing his address and residency status in Malaysia.
Thanks so much for the prompt response. I’m very grateful !
I just wanted to say thanks a lot for sharing these tips! My tourist visa got approved today and I just had to pay $27 on the website as oppposed to the N300K being charged by travel agents.
So glad to hear that! That’s massive cost savings, happy for you!
I was motivated by your post to apply for Malaysian visa by myself instead of using an agent. However, I’m stuck in the hotel and flight booking part. Please do I need pay for the flight and hotel ahead?
No you don’t need to. For hotels, you can make a reservation that’s free to cancel using booking.com.
Same for airlines. ET and Qatar allow you hold your reservation for up to 72 hours, so you can use that as well.
You should not pay for flights or accommodation until you get your visa.
Thanks for the Great Info..
Is a NDLEA cert required to apply for Malaysian eVisa no mention in your post
No, it is not part of the requirements at the moment.
Iwant to apply visa because I continue my study in Malaysia in KUIPS thank you
You can check the linked website to see it you’re eligible to apply for an evisa.
Good day, thanks for your tips, my evisa has been approved.
Please, can dependant (my Wife and the Children) equally apply for evisa to Malaysia? Thank you.
I believe so. The process should be the same. I don’t remember seeing a section for dependants when I applied (I might have missed this though)
You can check and if you don’t find it, you should just create an account for each applicant and follow the same process. I’d recommend including a cover letter stating your visa status and the visa number, as well as, any supporting docs to show you’re a family and travelling together.
I also just realized you can have multiple application under your profile. This will be better.
Thanks for always replying me. Please, I was asked to upload some documents, do I need to upload the 5 requested documents as a single file or one after the other?
Yes, you need to upload all documents as a single file. Unless if it’s your flight itinerary or accommodation. There’s a separate spot to upload these.
After receiving the evisa, is there need to go to Abuja?
No, there’s no need to. You can fly into KLIA with the printed (coloured) copy of the visa.
Thank you so much
Is pta ask of by immigration at the Malaysian airport before allowing you into the country and if its most how much is required as a pta
The immigration officers at KLIA did not ask me about PTA. However, I don’t know if this is always the case.