Driving in Malaysia
Australian citizens visiting Malaysia on a social visit pass can drive in Malaysia with a valid international driving permit (IDP) accompanied by a valid Australian driver’s license.
If you wish to apply for a Malaysian driver’s license, the Malaysian Road Transport Authorities (locally known as JPJ) will request a letter from the transport authority in Australia, confirming your driver’s licence details. This letter can only be issued by the authority who issued your license in Australia. The Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur does not issue this letter.
JPJ has advised that people under the categories below are allowed to convert and apply for a Malaysian driver’s licence. If you do not fall under these categories, please check with JPJ if you are permitted to convert your Australian driver’s licence to Malaysian.
- Malaysian citizen
- Diplomatic Card Holder
- Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) participant
- Resident Pass Talent holder & spouse
- Employment Pass Category I (EP1) holder & spouse
- Employment Pass Category II (EPII) holder & spouse; and
- Spouse of Malaysian citizen.
Most of the transport departments in Australia offer online services. You can obtain the confirmation letter via their online portal (if available), or it can be emailed or posted to you directly.
The confirmation letter needs to be accompanied by your original valid Australian driver’s license when you submit your paperwork to JPJ.JPJ may ask you for your contract letter or offer letter even if you already have a work permit.
If required by JPJ, we can certify true copies of the confirmation letter from Australia. If your original document was issued electronically, your will need to show us the source email you received from the road transport authority in Australia. A copy can be forwarded to [email protected].
All notarial services (certification of documents) are available by appointment only. For more information on certification and appointment booking, please refer to Notarial Services (highcommission.gov.au).
Australian residents in Malaysia can still choose to drive with a valid international driving permit (IDP) and a valid Australian driver’s license. However, we would advise that you check with your vehicle’s insurance provider to ensure that this will not affect your insurance claims, if any.
For more information about driving in Malaysia, please visit JPJ’s website, www.jpj.gov.my or if you wish to speak to a JPJ officer, you can call them via the Malaysian Government call centre on +603 8000 8000 and ask to be put through to the relevant department at JPJ.