A US passport holder can travel to Malaysia without the need for a visa if they will be going there as tourists or for business purposes and will only stay there for not more than 90 days. Their passports will be stamped by Malaysian immigration officials when they arrive there. This immigration entry stamp will serve as their social visit pass or visa. It will also indicate how many days they will be allowed to stay in Malaysia. US passport holders must verify how many days they are given to stay and they must follow this. If they do not abide by this or overstay their permitted stay, they can face heavy penalties, be put in jail and be deported. US passport holders who would like to stay longer can apply for an extension at the different offices of the Immigration Department of Malaysia. Malaysian immigration officials usually give an additional 2 months for travelers who applied for extensions to their social visit passes.
US passport holders who are traveling to Sabah and Sarawak from the Malaysian mainland will be required to present their passports to immigration officials of these areas. They will be the ones to decide if a US passport holder can go into their territories and the number of days they can stay there. US passport holders must also check and follow the days they are permitted in Sabah or Sarawak.
Travelers must take note that there are numerous incidences of petty crimes targeting tourists and foreign nationals in Malaysia. Although there are many police stations and tourist police offices at main tourist destinations. The US government has issued warnings for their citizens who plan on going to the eastern part or Malaysia, particularly Sabah, since there have been incidences of violent crimes such as kidnapping and assault on tourists.
US passport holders are also advised to keep their passport with them all the time for identification and safety purposes.
For updates and inquiries about travelling to Malaysia, US passport holders can get in touch with either the Malaysian Embassy in Washington, the Malaysian Consulate in New York or the Malaysian Consulate in Los Angeles.
Embassy of Malaysia in Washington DC
3516 International Court NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
Telephone: (202) 572-9700
Fax: (202) 572-9882
Email: malwash@kln.gov.my
Website: www.kln.gov.my/web/usa_washington
Jurisdiction: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia
Consulate General of Malaysia in New York
Ground Floor
313 East 43 St.
New York, N.Y. 10017
Telephone: (212) 490-2722
Fax: (212) 498-2049
Email: malnycg@kln.gov.my
malnycg@yahoo.com
iminycg@yahoo.com
Website: www.kln.gov.my/web/usa_new-york
Jurisdiction: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin
Consulate General of Malaysia in Los Angeles
Suite 400
550 South Hope Street
Los Angeles, California 90071
Email: mwla@pacbell.net
Website: www.kln.gov.my/perwakilan/losangeles
Jurisdiction: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington State, Wyoming