Border passes to Thailand back in operation from May 5

PADANG BESAR: Travellers from Malaysia and Thailand can now use their border passes to enter the two countries starting Thursday (May 5).

Perlis Border Relations and Cooperation Committee chairman Ruzaini Rais said the relaxation was given after Malaysia and Thailand reached an agreement to spur the economic recovery of both nations.

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He said travellers or tourists who wanted to use the border pass needed to apply through the Thailand Pass web portal 24 hours prior to their departure.

"However, only residents in four states, namely Perlis, Kedah, North Perak and Kelantan are allowed to use this border pass.

"Those who use the pass are also only allowed to enter Thailand for three days,” he said after visiting the Immigration, Customs and Quarantine Complex (ICQ), here today.

Commenting further, Ruzaini said travellers or tourists from Thailand who use the border pass were also allowed to travel back and forth into the country provided that they had been fully vaccinated.

He said the same standard operating procedures (SOP) imposed for the reopening the country’s borders on April 1 also applied to travellers or tourists who used passport to enter Malaysia.

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"They are also required to have travel insurance and undergo a health screening first,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ruzaini said 82 travellers had been recorded crossing the Malaysia-Thailand border using the Padang Besar ICQ border gate as of 10am Thursday.

He said the number of travellers was expected to increase within a week.

On April 1, the Wang Kelian border gate was reopened to citizens of Malaysia and Thailand after being closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. - Bernama