Malaysia is looking at joining the United States visa waiver travel programme in the next 18 months, said Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The programme would allow Malaysians to enter the US without having to apply for a visitation visa and for them to stay in the US for a maximum of 90 days for tourism or business purposes.
37 countries have already joined the US visa waiver programme, including regional neighbours Singapore and Brunei.
Zahid, who is in New York City as part of the Federal Government’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly, said Malaysia’s inclusion into the US waiver programme was discussed by Prime Minister Najib Razak and US president Barack Obama during Obama’s visit to Malaysia in April.
In preparing for visa waiver requirements, Astro Awani reports Zahid saying the government would work on tightening security measures for Malaysians travelling abroad, including enforcing measures such as reporting lost passports within 24 hours, and imposing stricter border security checks.
Zahid also said the Malaysian and US governments had stepped up their cooperation in combating terrorism.
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