How can my domestic helper re-enter Malaysia after her holiday in endemic times? (2022)

Last Updated: 2 December 2022

As an employer of a foreign domestic helper or maid in Malaysia, your helper may request to take a short vacation to her home country and visit her loved ones, especially if she has been employed by your family for an extended period of time.

You might be wondering the documents which has to be prepared for your helper to travel out of the country and be permitted re-entry now as we enter the endemic phase. If your foreign domestic helper or maid has a valid domestic helper visa/ work permit (Pas Lawatan Kerja Sementara/PLKS), she can travel back to her home country and re-enter Malaysia at the end of her vacation (under current Immigration guidelines) so long as their work permit is not expired and passport is valid for at least 6 months upon re-entry.

If you are currently an employer of a Filipino domestic helper, here are additional steps your helper must undertake before she is allowed to return to Malaysia:–

1. Ensure that your helper has a valid Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Employment Contract with you, and present a printed copy to the Philippine airport authorities upon her date of exit from the Philippines/ return date to Malaysia.
2. Apply for her Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) and present a printed copy of the OEC to the Philippine airport authorities upon her date of exit from the Philippines/ return date to Malaysia.

Here are some things to check for before you and your helper plan her vacation leave and timeline:

1. Check the expiry date of her domestic helper work permit (validity of more than 3 months is advisable and recommended).
2. Check the expiry date of her employment contract. For Filipino helpers, this refers to the POEA contract (validity of more than 6 months is advisable and recommended).
3. Check the expiry of her passport. Validity of the passport of at least 6 months upon her return date to Malaysia is required.
4. Ensure that all of the expiry dates do not fall within the period of your helper’s exit and re-entry into Malaysia.
5. If any of these documents are expiring soon, it may be worth renewing them before her travel. You may refer to our post on renewing your helper’s POEA contract and on renewing her domestic helper work permit for further information.
6. Check for any embassy-specific requirements, guidelines and/or travel advisories based on your helper’s nationality.

Here is a comprehensive checklist of important requirements to consider before your helper goes on her vacation leave back to the Philippines:

BEFORE FLIGHT TO THE PHILIPPINES

1. Covid-19 RT-PCR Test Result for unvaccinated travellers: Unvaccinated travellers need receive a negative Covid-19 result not more than 48 HOURS (2 DAYS) before her flight. She will need to bring the original and printed test results and present them upon check-in at the airport in Manila.
   
   Fully-vaccinated travellers (travellers who have received at least 1 booster shot) are not required to do a pre-departure Covid-19 test as of 30th May 2022 (source: https://www.rappler.com/nation/boosted-filipinos-foreigners-pre-departure-covid-19-requirements-when-entering-philippines-may-30-2022/).
   
   
2. Download Traze App: your worker is required to download and register on the Traze App (visit https://www.traze.ph/ to download and to find out more). It is mandatory to use Traze Mobile Application to generate and scan QR codes when entering in, boarding from, and upon arriving in all Philippine Airports starting November 2020, as mandated by the Philippine Department of Transportation.
   
   
3. e-Travel Registration: your worker must register as early as 72 HOURS before her flight back to the Philippines through https://etravel.gov.ph. As of 1 December 2022, tourists and returning residents must register on the new e-Travel Registration online portal within 72 hours before entering the Philippines. The e-Travel Registration has replaced an older form called OneHealthPass.
   
   
4. Quarantine: Quarantine is no longer a requirement for fully-vaccinated individuals.
   

Have more questions? Pinkcollar is more than happy to guide you through our process. Kindly contact us at hello@hirepinkcollar.com or visit our Our Services page. Our friendly Pinkcollar officers are ready to share our service offerings with you!