How to convert your foreign driving license to a Malaysia driving license

Updated on 13^th February 2022

Like many expatriates in Malaysia, I was driving with my international driving license. However, with the pandemic and the strict border control of Malaysia, I haven’t been able to go home for the past 1,5 years and possibly renew my international driving license. It’s now expired.

Until late December 2020, only MM2H holders were able to convert their foreign driving license into a Malaysian driving license. The JPJ office has issued new flexible rule for EP1 and EP2 holders, as well as for their spouse. This news was not really advertised at all – or I totally missed it then. It’s also not published on their website.

I believe this new regulation is a temporary one to offer flexibility during this pandemic. Who knows how long this opportunity will last to get a Malaysian driving license without passing the test again!

I went to the main office of JPJ in Kuala Lumpur to start my process of renewing my Malaysian driving license (that I got on my first stay 8 years ago) and since I was already there, I went asking about the process for my expatriate friends.

Eligible: Expatriate (residence pass, talent pass, employment pass I and II ) and MM2H holders.

• Driving license application form (JPJL1)
• Application form Exemption Application Method 5 ( Appendix B-2 – or Lampiran B-2)
• Passport (original & copy of biometric page)
• Visa/Pass issued by immigration (original & copy)
• Valid foreign driving license (original & copy)
• A translation of your foreign driving license in English – must be official translation & certified – original. I believe if your driving license is already in English, a certified copy by your Embassy should be enough.
• MM2H only: Confirmation / Offer letter from Immigration (original & copy)
• EPI and EPII only: Offer letter or confirmation letter from Employer
• Resident / Talent pass only: Residence pass or Talent pass Letter
• If the foreign driving license is issued by a country which is not the applicant nationality: a proof that the applicant was living in that country at the time the foreign driving license was issued.

Cost of the process is RM40. Then you pay RM60 for each year you wish your driving license to be valid for. (max 5 years).

Process to convert your foreign driving license:

1. You must go to a main JPJ office (not a branch): For opening hours & address check the JPJ website.
2. Visit in person the JPJ office with all the documents. They will check your documents and give you an appointment date and time. At that time (25^th March 2021), the waiting time was about 10 days for an appointment.
3. Come back at the appointment date and proceed submitting all the documents. They will send all documents for processing in Putrajaya main office.
   On JPJ website, you must visit this section to follow up on your foreign driving license application status and know when it's ready for collection. You will not receive any notifications. Check it regularly. Once your application is confirmed, you have 2 months from the approval to go to JPJ main office with the letter downloaded and printed from the website.
4. Don't forget to bring 1 photo on white background (25mm x 32mm). You will then walk away with your Malaysian driving license valid for how long you wished to pay for (see above RM60/year of validity). A Malaysian driving license can be renewed quite easily at a nearby branch for a small fee. For foreigner, you have to go to any JPJ branch, you can't renew at Poslaju ( I tried ), because you must hold a MyKad for the staff to renew there.
    

For Spouse of above categories, the documents are below. Process is the same:

• Driving license application form (JPJL1)
• Application form Exemption Application Method 5 ( Appendix B-2 – or Lampiran B-2)
• Passport (original & copy of biometric page)
• Visa/Pass issued by immigration (original & copy)
• Valid foreign driving license (original & copy)
• A translation of your foreign driving license in English – must be official translation & certified – original. I believe if your driving license is already in English, a certified copy by your Embassy should be enough.
• Wedding certificate (original & copy)
• Passport of Spouse ( copy )

This article covers only expatriates. But Malaysians, diplomats or spouses of Malaysians can also convert their driving license.  Download here the documents for all categories. Sorry but the original document retrieved there was of poor copy quality, the scanner didn’t improve it…

I hope this will help some of you who are facing the same issues to continue driving legally in Malaysia. We do not know how long we will need to wait before traveling back to our home country again. It’s great to stay and follow the rules as much as possible, especially when Malaysia has opened ways to support us to follow an official guideline.
 

Photo credit: by Anvesh Reddy from Unplash