**UPDATE January 2021**
According to recent social media posts, JPJ have changed the eligibility criteria for the conversion of foreign driving licences. For the past couple of years JPJ have only allowed foreigners on Diplomatic Passes and MM2H visas to convert their licences. With effect from December 2020 the following applicants are also being accepted:
Expatriates on Resident Pass (and their spouse)
Employment Pass I (and their spouse)
Employment Pass II (and their spouse)
Spouse of Malaysia Citizen (who may need to hold a Long Term Social Visit Pass (LTSVP))
The following Facebook posts have a lot of useful information on the process and the documents needed (you will need to join the 'Expats in Kuala Lumpur' Facebook group to read these posts):
If you hold a UK licence you will need to phone DVLA and ask them to send you a 'Certificate of Entitlement to Drive'. You should note that this certificate states that if you exchange it for a non-UK licence that your UK licence is no longer valid (even if JPJ return your UK licence to you!).
If you do not fall into any of the above visa categories, or you do not wish to convert your foreign licence, then you can still drive on your foreign licence providing you also hold a current International Driving Permit (IDP). However, you may only be permitted to do this for a limited period of time. To be certain that you are complying with the law (and that your insurers won't refuse a claim!) you should get a Malaysian driving licence.
You can also choose to take the JPJ driving test. I took the test in March 2020 - see my post here: https://spousevisamalaysia.blogspot.com/2020/03/malaysian-driving-lessons-test-for.html
**UPDATE November 2020**
I have recently seen a lot of social media posts asking if a UK (or other country’s) driving licence can still be used with an International Driving Permit (IDP).
Some people have stated that ‘the rules changed last year’ but provide no evidence of what ‘rules’ they are referring to. The Road Transport Act 1987 (which sets out the rules for driving in Malaysia) is still in force, and has recently been amended to bring in stricter penalties regarding dangerous driving and drink driving.
I decided to email JPJ to check for certain and I received a response from them on 30 October 2020 confirming you “can use UK Valid Domestic Driving License and International Driving Permit (IDP) (According to the defined format on the Convention on Road Traffic Geneva 1949) to drive in Malaysia.”
If you hold a licence other than from the UK you will need to check with JPJ, but my understanding is that for many countries you will be able to use your home licence and an IDP.
There is more detail on the Road Transport Act 1987 here:
As getting an IDP from my home country can be inconvenient and/or costly I have now taken the JPJ driving test. See my post here: https://spousevisamalaysia.blogspot.com/2020/03/malaysian-driving-lessons-test-for.html
**UPDATE August 2018**
The JPJ website has been amended, but still confirms that, subject to certain criteria, a foreign driving licence can be used in Malaysia, providing the licence was issued in a country that is a party to the "UN Conference on Road and Motor Transport, Geneva, 1949 & 1968"
The new link to the JPJ website is:
http://www.jpj.gov.my/en/web/main-site/pemandu-en/-/knowledge_base/driver/recognition-of-driving-licenses-of-foreign-countries
Details of countries which are party to the UN Conference can be found here:
UN Convention on Road Traffic 1949
UN Convention on Road Traffic 1968
I keep a print out of the JPJ web page in my car plus a print of this page confirming my home country is party to the UN Conventions.
If your home country is not party to the UN Conventions and you wish to convert your foreign licence to a Malaysian licence, details of how to do this are here:
http://www.jpj.gov.my/en/web/main-site/pemandu-en/-/knowledge_base/driver/application-for-conversion-of-foreign-driving-license-non-automatic-
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It used to be the case for many non-Malaysian citizens that in order to legally drive in Malaysia for an extended period (over 3 months in my case as a UK citizen) that either:
1) Your non-Malaysian drivers licence was converted to a Malaysian licence, or
2) You obtained an International Driving Permit from the licencing authorities in your home country
There was added confusion, because some countries (Group A) could automatically have their licence converted without problem, whilst the remainder (Group B) had to go through a more complicated process
The good news is that JPJ (the Malaysian licencing authority) have amended their website to show that nationals of many countries are now permitted to drive in Malaysia using their home licence, apparently without any restrictions. According to JPJ the only requirements are:
a) your licence remains valid in your home country, and
b) if it is in a language other than English you will need to have it translated into English or Malay
Further details can be found on the JPJ website:
**Note - this link has been superceded - see top of page** http://www.jpj.gov.my/web/eng/acceptance-of-foreign-driving-license
The list of countries is not completely in alphabetical order (it appears that the Group A countries from the old system have been added to the bottom of the list of Group B countries). Also, some countries names are in Malay rather than English - so check the list carefully for your country!
I have had confirmation from the UK Foreign Office of these new rules, and these are reflected on their Malaysia travel advice website (scroll down to the section headed 'Road travel')
I now keep a printed copy of the JPJ website in my car in case I ever need to provide details to the police
If you have found this information useful, please say thanks by buying me a coffee by clicking on this link:
Thanks!
