Driving in Malaysia

If you are coming to Malaysia for holiday, to work or as a student, can your country issued driving license be used in Malaysia?

The answer is Yes.

However, there are a few conditions.

The conditions are:

1) Your license has to be valid, meaning it is not expired.

2) Your license has to be in the right vehicle class.

Meaning, if you hold a motorcycle driving license, you are allowed to ride only a motorcycle.

If you hold a car driving license, you can only drive a car.

3) Translate to English or Bahasa Malaysia.

If your driving license is not printed in English, you have to get the license details translated into either English or Bahasa Malaysia.

For how long?

How long can you use your local license to drive in Malaysia?

That is a very subjective question and honestly, I don’t think there is a fixed answer.

You can use your license to drive in the country, as long as it is not expired.

Get it converted

If you are planning to stay in Malaysia permanently or for an extended period of time, it is recommended that you convert your local license to a Malaysian driving license.

However, there are certain conditions you have to meet before the license conversion can be made.

Remember, driving without a valid driving license is a serious offence in Malaysia.

If you are caught by the traffic police for driving without a license, you will be summoned and asked to appear in court.

Official countries

The following is an official list of 154 countries driving licenses which can be used in Malaysia as published by the Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan or the Malaysian Road Transport Department.

  1. Afghanistan
  2. Albania
  3. Algeria
  4. Argentina
  5. Austria
  6. Bahamas
  7. Bahrain
  8. Bangladesh
  9. Barbados
  10. Belarus
  11. Benin
  12. Bolivia
  13. Bosnia Herzegovina
  14. Botswana
  15. Brazil
  16. Bulgaria
  17. Burkina Faso
  18. Burundi
  19. Cameroon
  20. Canada
  21. Central Frican
  22. Chad
  23. Chile
  24. Colombia
  25. Congo
  26. Costa Rica
  27. Cote D’lvore
  28. Croatia
  29. Czechoslovakia
  30. D. Kampuchea
  31. Dahomey
  32. Dominican Republic
  33. Ecuador
  34. El Salvador
  35. Estonia
  36. Ethiopia
  37. French Polynesia
  38. Gabon
  39. Gambia
  40. Georgia
  41. Ghana
  42. Greece
  43. Guatemala
  44. Guinea
  45. Guyana
  46. Haiti
  47. Holy See
  48. Honduras
  49. Hungary
  50. Iceland
  51. India
  52. Indonesia
  53. Ireland
  54. Israel
  55. Cote D’Ivoire
  56. Jamaica
  57. Jordan
  58. Cambodia
  59. Kenya
  60. Kuwait
  61. Latvia
  62. Lebanon
  63. Lesotho
  64. Liberia
  65. Liechtenstein
  66. Lithuania
  67. Luxembourg
  68. Madagascar
  69. Malawi
  70. Maldive Island
  71. Mauritania
  72. Mexico
  73. Monaco
  74. Mongolia
  75. Morocco
  76. Namibia
  77. Nepal
  78. Nicaragua
  79. Niger
  80. Norway
  81. Pakistan
  82. Panama
  83. Paraguay
  84. Peru
  85. Republic of Macedonia
  86. Republic of Moldovaa
  87. Romania
  88. Rwanda
  89. San Marino
  90. Saudi Arabia
  91. Senegal
  92. Seychelles
  93. Sierre Leone
  94. Slovakia
  95. Slovenia
  96. Somalia
  97. South Africa
  98. Southern Yemen
  99. Sri Lanka
  100. Sudan
  101. Swaziland
  102. Sweden
  103. Syria
  104. Taiwan
  105. Togo
  106. Trinidad and Tobago
  107. Tunisia
  108. Turmenikistan
  109. Uganda
  110. Ukranian Soviet Socialist (Ukraine)
  111. United Kingdom
  112. United States of America
  113. Uruguay
  114. Uzbekistan
  115. Venezuela
  116. Vietnam
  117. Western Samoa
  118. Yemen
  119. Yugoslavia
  120. Zaire
  121. Zambia
  122. Zimbabwe
  123. Australia
  124. France
  125. Laos
  126. Philippines
  127. Belgium
  128. Germany
  129. Libya
  130. Poland
  131. Brunei
  132. Hong Kong
  133. Mauritius
  134. Russia
  135. China
  136. Iran
  137. Myanmar
  138. Spain
  139. Denmark
  140. Iraq
  141. Netherlands
  142. Switzerland
  143. Egypt
  144. Italy
  145. New Zealand
  146. Thailand
  147. Fiji
  148. Japan
  149. Nigeria
  150. Turkmenistan
  151. Finland
  152. Korea
  153. Papua New Guinea
  154. Singapore


If you are from a country not listed above, it is recommended you get your country issued international driving permit in order to drive a vehicle in Malaysia.


By | 2017-05-23T08:46:04+08:00 May 23rd, 2017|Driving License|5 Comments

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5 Comments

  1. Serene October 16, 2017 at 12:21 pm - Reply

    Good day Cikgu Yap,

    Can you verify the source of this, thank you!

    Because a foreigner (Indonesian) knocked into my car and he only possessed an Indonesian Driving Licence. And my insurance claim still pending due to the fact that they need International Driving Licence.

    • Cikgu Yap October 28, 2017 at 8:58 am - Reply

      You can sue the vehicle owner irregardless of the status of his licence.

  2. Zee Iq February 20, 2019 at 1:33 pm - Reply

    Hi Cikgu Yap,
    Can you verify that in 2019 this information is still valid or not ?
    because I have “heard” that foreign domestic license can no longer be used. I tried googling but couldn’t find an official source.
    The countries list is also no longer available on JPJ site : (

  3. Leepeklin August 5, 2019 at 10:44 pm - Reply

    Hi Cikgu Yap
    I hold a Singapore diving license as a Spore PR. Now l intend to live in Malaysia for good n ģive up my PR .Can l have the Spore license converted to Malaysian license i e wthout having to spend driving school fees n be tested again. Kindly confirm the current regulation. Much obliged for your advice.

    • Cikgu Yap August 6, 2019 at 7:23 pm - Reply

      Rules/Regulations change periodically. Can Singapore license be converted into Malaysian license?If previously it could, there might exist new regulations that J.P.J currently follows. The best thing for you to do is call over at any J.P.J nearby for further ADVICE.

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