EVISA, eVCOMM facilitate tourist arrivals without compromising security

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday launched two important initiatives by the Immigration Department, the eVISA and the eVISA Communications Centre (eVCOMM) to facilitate tourist and visitor arrivals without compromising national security.

When launching the key initiatives here yesterday, Najib pointed out that the Immigration Department carried out important responsibilities to ensure the security and sovereignty of the nation was well-guarded and preserved at all times from possible external threats in today’s borderless world.

He also said the immigration services also played a very critical role in welcoming and facilitating the entry of genuine foreign visitors and travelers to Malaysia – from holiday-goers to investors as well as students.

Commenting on the eVISA programme, Najib said it was an online facility which was userfriendly which would enable international tourists and students as well as expatriates to get the visa to Malaysia within 48 hours without having to go to the embassies or consulates as was the previous practiced.

“The eVisa programme is not only capable of taking the country to a higher level of security but will also help promote Malaysia as a country which is safer for the people, tourists and business community,” he said.

He said the government implemented the eVISA for nationals from China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka, followed by Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Serbia and Montenegro in March last year under which they could apply for the eVISA from anywhere in the world.

Commending the Immigration Department’s strategy to set up the eVISA Regional Hub, Najib said through the eight hubs in the programme, it could play an important role in facilitating applications for and approvals of the eVISA.

“This initiative will indirectly open up new opportunities which have a wider market, with an estimated more than 100 million diaspora from 10 countries throughout the world who will be given the eVISA facility,” he said.

At the event, Najib announced the opening of two more eVISA Regional Hubs, namely in Brasilia, Brazil and Moscow, Russia by the end of this year. He said the two hubs would facilitate the application for and approval of eVISA applications for people from 10 countries in South America, Eastern Europe and Middle East.

Najib said during his visits to China and India, he received proposals to facilitate the process for the entry of tourists from both these countries into Malaysia.

He added that this led to the Visa-less Programme, which is more commonly known as eNTRI (Electronic Travel Registration and Information) and eVISA (Multiple Entry). Based on statistics from Tourism Malaysia, he said between March last year and April this year, there was an increase of 284,606 and 323,173 tourists from China who applied for the eVISA and eNTRI.