Can Malaysian Driving License Be Used In Other Countries?
Once and for all, I wish to reiterate again, the answer to the above question is Yes. Malaysian licenses can very well be used over there.
However, readers are advised to ensure a few things are in proper order. Amongst the few things that you have to make sure are:
i) That your driving license is valid and not expired.
ii) That the license that you possess is a real license and not a fraudulently obtained one. I’m sure you must be aware what is meant as a license that has obtained via fraudulent means.
iii) As you will be visiting a foreign country, make sure that your license is translated into the language of that country.
In most countries, I’m sure English would be understood by the authorities there. Policemen, transport authorities personnel and so forth will obviously understand the English language. Therefore, you are advised to have your license translated into English before your going there.
Another frequently asked question that readers ask of me must surely be, “For how long can my Malaysian license be used when I’m in that particular country?”
For this, it is of my opinion that you are allowed to driver in a foreign country for a reasonable period of time.
Taking England as an example, Malaysians going to the United Kingdom, the rules and regulations there say that you can be allowed to drive in that country for as long as 120 days. After that, a foreign driver has to take steps to secure a domestic license by first of all securing a provisional or “L” (learner’s license) and eventually going for his real practical test.
We can safely then assume that Malaysian, be it in South Africa, Australia or Germany can therefore drive there for a reasonable period of time.
It might differ slightly from country to country. I’m certain that when the time comes for that particular country’s officials to take action against you for driving in that country, the time will then be up for you to leave that country after all.
Having answered the question of can Malaysian driving licenses be used to drive in a foreign country, we arrive next to the question of, do we have to convert our domestic license or Competent Driver’s License (C.D.L.) at all.
Some drivers would like to convert their domestic licenses into International Driver License (I.D.L) prior to their going over to a foreign country,
To secure an I.D.L, which is obtained from any state J.P.J. office of J.P.J. Headquarters at Putrajaya, one has to pay a sum of RM150. The above license can even be obtained at Automobile Association Malaysia ( A.A.M.) offices throughout the country also.
In actual fact, a Malaysian who wishes to drive in another country need not have to go through all the hassle of securing an I.D.L. at all. Just our ordinary Malaysian license will suffice.
There are a small group of drivers from our country, who after going over to say, United Kingdom, and after staying over there for a short period of time, then decides to convert our domestic driving license into U.K. driving licenses.
Many drivers have in fact written in to ask about this. Can Malaysian convert their driving licenses into U.K. driving licenses?
The United Kingdom permits only certain countries like Singapore, Australia, Germany etc to convert their driving license into British licenses.
But unfortunately, sad to say, the British authorities have a rather low opinion of our local licenses. Malaysia, which possesses one of the world’s highest accident rate is not a license that is acceptable by the U.K. authorities.
To end this article on the question of using Malaysian driving license overseas, a word of advice before I penned off. If you are planning to rent a car or a caravan to go sightseeing the country you are visiting, you are advised to secure the necessary insurance coverage required to protect yourself and your family.
Car rental enterprises should be aware of all these requirements. Leave it to them to take care of whatever you might need. Happy sightseeing and enjoy yourselves.
Demerit System Malaysia – How Your Points Are Deducted
i) “P” or new drivers who have just received their licenses.
ii) Competent Driver Licenses (C.D.L.) or passed drivers.
Learners Driver License or “L” drivers, being temporary license holders are not involved in this system at all.
In an earlier article on the Kejara System, I have promised to talk about traffic offenses and the demerit points which are accorded to drivers.
All in all, 18 important offenses are involved. I believe drivers would be rather eager to know what these offenses are. The offenses together with the demerit points, which would be awarded are as follows:
1) 15 demerit points.
5 traffic offences are accorded for various traffic offences. Amongst them are:
a) Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
b) Dangerous and careless driving.
c) Driving with undue care and in inconsiderate manner.
d) Speeding or road testing activities.
e) Without due good reasons, refusal to provide specimens of breath, urine and blood to the police when requested to do so.
2) 10 demerit points.
For this, 10 demerit points are involved. Basically, it involves 3 main traffic offences. They are:
a) Failure to obey traffic lights.
b) Failure to install P stickers both front and back of one’s vehicles.
c) Exceeding a speed limit of more than 40 km/h in a designated road.
3) 8 demerit points.
Next under the Kejara System, offences which are deemed as important and therefore should not be violated by a driver are given 8 demerit points. What are the offences are we talking about? They are:
a) Speeding exceeding 26 km/h – 40 km/h at a designated place.
b) Offences involving overtaking and obstruction whilst in the process of overtaking.
c) Not giving way to ambulances, fire brigade, customs, police and J.P.J. vehicles.
d) Offences by drivers at zebra or pedestrian crossing areas.
e) Offences which involves non adherence to driving on the left hand side of the road.
f) Failure to stop at junctions.
g) Careless and not giving due care to the control of vehicles.
The above are 7 traffic offences which drivers are advised to keep a look out for.
4) 6 demerit points.
Exceeding speed limit at certain designated areas of speed of between 1 km/h – 25 km/h will get you a 6 point penalty.
5) 5 demerit points.
I can think of 6 offences which carries 5 demerit points. They are:
a) Using a motor vehicle at road block areas.
b) Disobeying directions and traffic signs.
c) Using worn out tyres.
d) Overtaking at double lines.
e) Failure to adhere to rules and regulations pertaining to P drivers under Kaedah 15A (Kaedah-kaedah Kenderaan Motor (lesen Memandu) 1992.
f) Failure to bring along one’s driving license while driving.
g) Failure to adhere to the requirement of alcohol content of breath, urine and blood being at 0.00 level.
Keeping an eye on the above important traffic offenses will g along way to prevent drivers getting demerit points.
In the process, you wouldn’t have to worry about your driving licenses getting black listed by the J.P.J. authorities. And you will have no problems at all getting your driving licenses renewed or your road tax issued when the time comes.
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Can Malaysian Driving Licenses Be Used In The United Kingdom?
There are certain countries in the world which adheres to strict norms or standards of driving.
United Kingdom, Germany, Australia even our neighboring country, Singapore, expect very high standards and discipline from its drivers. If they could, the United Kingdom and Australia, would not accept Malaysian drivers driving in their countries.
The reason for the above being, Malaysia, unfortunately are considered as one of the worst drivers in the world, so to say. Malaysia, even though a small country with a population of only about 30 million, which includes Sabah and Sarawak, has an accident rate the 3rd highest in the world.
The nation considered as possessing the highest accident rate is China, with India coming behind a close second.
As reiterated earlier, Australia and the U.K., due to its close political relationship with Malaysia, have little choice but to accept the use of Malaysian driving licenses in their countries.
Under the Geneva Conference of 1949 and 1968, the United Nations make it compulsory for all signatory countries to accept each other countries licenses for the sake of convenience to its people.
As such, people especially tourists, students and those coming over to countries like England, Australia, Germany and so forth, are permitted to drive, using their domestic licenses. But it should not be forgotten however, certain rules and regulations are imposed by the host nation.
Some countries even go to the extent of allowing certain countries to convert its licenses into their countries full license automatically.
Singapore drivers can convert their licenses into British full licenses. However, it is believed Malaysian drivers cannot have their licenses converted in this manner.
The British authorities, it is said, are not ready to accept Malaysian licenses for conversions. Malaysian licenses are considered not up to the standard by our British counterparts.
Whatever it is, Malaysians who come over or visit the United Kingdom as students or tourists can use their domestic licenses to drive in the United Kingdom if they so desire.
However, as the famous saying goes, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”. This essentially means that Malaysians should follow the rules and regulations that are imposed by the British authorities. For example, Malaysian should see to it that:
i) Their domestic licenses should be valid, that is not expired.
ii) That they should ideally possess International Driving Licenses (I.D.L.).
This license is normally issued by the country of origin, that in this case, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
As far as I am concerned, and according to a blog site which I read, Malaysian should remember that their domestic driving licenses and I.D.L. mentioned earlier can only be used for a period of not more than 120 days in the U.K. only.
Should a Malaysia driver in the United Kingdom wish to continue to drive in the country, then he or she should contemplate getting a full British license instead before the expiry of the 120 days permitted.
Driving after the above period will obviously land him in hot soup with the British authorities.
The procedures towards obtaining a full British license are:
i) Secure a provisional or “L” driving license first.
ii) Sit for the full British license later.
Malaysian should however realize that to get a full British license takes time. Unlike in Malaysia, getting such a license is no easy task!
Any foreigners, who is capable of securing a British driving license will obviously end up a good and better driver all round.
One in fact should feel immensely proud to be able to secure a U.K. driving license while he or she is on a social visit or on a student mission while in the United Kingdom. It is in fact an achievement in itself!
I will continue later to write upon in more detail on the procedure of getting a full British license in my forthcoming articles.
Suffice that this blog advises Malaysians driving in the United Kingdom to drive on the left, give way to traffic on the right always and also to remember to wear your seat belts, both front and rear passengers, and most important of all, have insurance coverage while you are driving there.
