14 Foreign Nationals fined over Kelantan visa breaches

Photo courtesy of New Straits Times

PASIR MAS, KELANTAN: Fourteen foreign men were charged at the Sessions Court here on 19 July with illegal entry, overstaying and misusing their passes, in one of several immigration enforcement operations carried out across Kelantan this month.

Twelve of the men pleaded guilty. Two Pakistani nationals claimed trial before Sessions Court Judge Zulkifli Abdullah and were granted bail of RM5,000 each, with a trial date fixed for 16 August.

The group, aged between 21 and 46, included eight Pakistanis, two Myanmar nationals, and one national each from Thailand, Indonesia, Laos and India. All were detained by the Kelantan Immigration Department during operations carried out between 5 and 12 July in Pasir Mas, Pasir Puteh, Jeli and Kota Baru.

Fines and jail terms

Six of the accused were fined RM10,000 each under Section 15(1) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for overstaying, with three months' jail in default of payment. Five others, charged under Section 6(1)(c) for entering without valid travel documents, were fined RM6,000 each or two months' imprisonment. One migrant, charged under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963 for misusing a pass, was fined RM1,000 or one month's jail.

A reminder for foreigners living in Malaysia

Cases like this are a routine feature of Malaysia's immigration courts, but they carry a real warning for the country's much larger population of foreign residents. Overstaying, even briefly, or entering on the wrong type of pass can lead to fines running into thousands of ringgit, a criminal record and jail time.

Foreigners living in Malaysia, including MM2H participants and those on employment or social visit passes, are expected to track their pass validity closely and renew or extend well before expiry.

19 July 2026