O. R. SalahudeenFor any potential traveller to the Asian nation of Malaysia from Nigeria, this piece ‘Travel to Malaysia from Nigeria step by step guide that is designed to assist you to have a smooth departure and hitch-free arrival and to settle down with peace of mind
WHERE IS MALAYSIA?
Malaysia is relatively a developed country situated in South-East Asia, popularly known in Africa for its unique Palm oil production. The capital and the largest city is Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is a diverse society, with various nationalities or ethnicities living in Malaysia, these include the Malaysians that constituted half of the entire population, Chinese, Indian and indigenous inhabitants.
According to the Wikipedia recent report, Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia. Malaysia’s economy in 2014-2015 was one of the most competitive in Asia, ranking 6th in Asia and 20th in the world.
WHY MALAYSIA?
If you check the rate of visa rejection in Nigeria by most of the Western European countries and their North American counterparts, likewise, if you calculate the monetary and time wastage in processing those visas, it will be sensible for a rational mind to shift his or her focus elsewhere and try the eastern part of the world.
Exploring Malaysia for further studies or business undertakings to this Asian pride may be a reasonable alternative, instead of struggling for a Schengen or a North American visa that has almost zero chances of success, you will do yourself a lot of good if you focus your energy on how to head eastward.
IS MALAYSIA A VISA-FREE COUNTRY FOR NIGERIANS?
Currently no, Nigeria passport holders are expected to obtain a visa to travel to Malaysia Regardless of your aim of travelling to Malaysia be it visiting, touring, holidaying, researching, business, relocating, working, sojourning, medical or Studies an entry visa is a prerequisite for entering Malaysia.
TYPES OF VISA YOU CAN OBTAIN AT THE MALAYSIA EMBASSY IN NIGERIA
1. Student visa
2. Business visa
3. Social visa
1. The Student visa – The type of visa is an issue to an applicant who is interested in studying or do educational research in Malaysia.
2. Business visa – This is mainly for anyone travelling for a business-related issue, such as conference, business invitation, meetings trade fairs, exhibitions etc. An original letter of invitation from an organisation or company in Malaysia must be obtained.
3. Social visa: This is a type of visa issued to anyone going to Malaysia on a short visit, sojourning, touring, buying materials, visiting family or friends.
STILL ON TRAVEL TO MALAYSIA FROM NIGERIA STEP BY STEP GUIDE
IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE PROCESSING MALAYSIA VISA
1. Getting a Malaysia visa is not difficult if you meet their requirements.
2. Studying in Malaysia is possible because English is their second language.
3. All visa application processing channels through VFS Global, Malaysia Visa Application Centre Abuja.
4. Before placing in your application be clear on your reasons for visiting Malaysia.
5. It’s possible to obtain a short visit visa in 5 working days.
6. If your intention is to get a job in Malaysia, be sure you do the processing from your country of residence because jobs are very difficult to find. Unless you’re a well-qualified person in certain sought after fields, there is certainly no job for an unemployed or new arrival. That’s the truth.
7. Avoid a short-stay visa. 14 days visas are generally unfair and unreasonable.
Depends on your reasons for travelling to Malaysia, going to a far distant country such as an Asian country and getting a 14 days visa, by all standards is very harsh and unreasonable. Before you venture into this type of visa, ask yourself, what can you do in a foreign country in less than two weeks?. Little or nothing. In most cases, you will just start to acclimatize.
7. Besides going to Malaysia with the purpose of buying and selling legally recognised commodities, the other reasonable thing you can do with a 14 days visa is crossing to other countries in the region such as Australia, Vietnam, Fiji and sone Oceania countries where your country enjoy visa-free entry.
8. Go for the student’s visa. That’s the way to peace of mind. Furthermore, search the internets there is a scholarship available for a certain category of students. With a scholarship, you can start living in Malaysia and study how their system operates.
9. If you intend to stay for a long time, the easiest way to settle down is to embark on a course of studies that will enable you to get a job. A profession such as Information Technology, Software development/engineering, Teaching of English, etcetera may be very useful in this regard.
HOW TO PROCESS THE MALAYSIAN VISA
1. The foremost thing to do is to download the Malaysian visa application form
2. Carefully complete the form and append your signature.
3. Attach all the required documents
4. After the compilation of all the required documents, you’re to submit them personally at VFS GLOBAL, Malaysia Visa Application Centre, Abuja. Nigeria.
5. At the point of submission please note the following:
1. Pay the visa application processing fee.
For the Social visa is N2,000 and the VFS Service charge is N9,900.
The Business visa is N2,000 and the VFS Service charges are N9,900
The Student visa is N2,000 and the VFS Service charges are N9,900
6. Please enquire if you need the biometric fingerprint scans
7. Please leave a minimum of 6 working days for your visa processing.
8. Please note the Malaysian Visas without reference are valid for a maximum of 14 days. If you require an extension you need to apply to the Director-General of the Immigration Department of Malaysia for approval.
This is where to submit your completed visa application
Malaysia Visa Application Centre,
Sterling Bank Plaza,
3rd floor, Plot 1083,
Muhammadu Buhari Way,
Central Business District,
Abuja.
The office hours are 08.00 am – 12.noon for submissions Monday to Friday
O8.00 am – 03.00p.m, for passport collection. Monday to Friday.
It is possible to track your application online.
Finally, you have the option of collecting your passport personally or allow a courier service to do the delivery.
HOW TO GET TO MALAYSIA
Currently, the only way to get to Malaysia is by flight. There are various Airlines operating flights from Nigeria to Malaysia.
Airlines such as Ethiopia Airline, Emirates Airline, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airline, Malaysia Airlines, Jetstar Asia, etc. All with one or two stopovers, with an average price range between $484 to $556
Up to date, Ethiopia Airlines offers the best deal from Lagos to Malaysia.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE DEPARTING FOR MALAYSIA.
After you might have secured your visa, please note the following before departure.
1. Be sure you arrive at the Airport early prior to the commencement of airline check-in activities.
2. If they form a queue, do not stay by the wayside, join them as quickly as possible to save time.
3. As soon as you conclude the checking in of your luggage and obtained the boarding pass move straight to the immigration departure counters.
4. At the Immigration departure counters and the Airport Authority security checking area be expecting long queues. Therefore try as much as possible to avoid lateness to the Immigration departure counters. Lateness to these important areas may lead to missing your flight.
5. Remember, missing your flight may entail paying additional charges to the Airline and Airport Authority, therefore take seriously your departure activities by checking in early.
6. Avoid any intimidation from corrupt security officers because your documents are genuine and complete avoid given bribes, no matter the pressure.
STILL, 0N, TRAVEL TO MALAYSIA FROM NIGERIA STEP BY STEP GUIDE
ARRIVING KUALA LUMPUR AIRPORT
When you disembark at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport please note the following points before reaching the Immigration Arrival clearance counters:
1. Ensure you do not carry large luggage in a short visit, this usually sends the wrong signal to the security agents that you have the intention of staying for a longer period, which could lead to refuse entry.
2. Make sure your passport, return ticket, health certificate such as yellow card and basic travelling allowance is in your hand luggage to avoid embarrassment or delay in waiting for your suitcases.
3. Very important, do not carry anything for anyone, it could be dangerous.
4. Do not make friends with a stranger until you reach outside the airport.
5. When facing the immigration control officer, be confident, his job is to admit you in.
TAKING TRANSPORT TO YOUR DESTINATION
As as you step out of the Airport and decided to take transport to the city, avoid chartered caps or any special arrangements. They’re expensive and exploitative. Go for a mode of public transport.
There are 3 viable or cheaper options you can use from the Airport.
1. TAKES A TRAIN.
There are excellent train services from the Airport to the city centre
Ask for KLIA Ekspres or KLIA Transit train services. These are one of the fastest and reliable train services in Southeast Asia.
2. TAKE A BUS
If you want to feel the beauty of Kuala Lumpur city and its environment take a bus, because the fast train may disallow you a better view of the area. Ask for bus ticket counters in the airport, they’re there at reasonable rates.
3. TAKE AIRPORT COACH
Like the buses, there are Airport coaches that depart every 30 minutes from the Airport to the Kuala Lumpur city centre. You can get their tickets inside the Airport counters.
ACCOMMODATION IN MALAYSIA
When you’re doing worldwide comparison accommodation in Malaysia is a lot cheaper than in most advanced countries.
There are lots of nice places to stay at a reasonable price.
If you don’t have pre-arranged accommodation, it’s advisable to contact the professionals in the accommodation business to do the searching for you.
Organisations such as booking.com, trivago.com, hotel.com etcetera are there for you.
A TOURIST’S PARADISE
If holiday or tourism is your reason for travelling to Malaysia, you’re in for a good time because Malaysia is adjudged to be a tourist’s paradise
Malaysia presents to you two unique experiences: the peninsula and Borneo. While Borneo an island shared with Indonesia and Brunei, consist of interesting wildlife, combined with beautiful Islands and luxury resorts. The Peninsula where you have the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur consist of different ethnicities such as Chinese, Indian and Malaysian which makes Malaysian culture a unique experience.
MALAYSIA’S WEATHER.
Malaysia’s climate is tropical. The country enjoys tropical weather year-round. It’s never too hot or too cold making Malaysia a beautiful place to visit any time of the year.
That’s all for now on Travel to Malaysia from Nigeria step by step guide.
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