The Road Transport Department has announced that the longstanding practice of converting foreign driving licences to Malaysian ones has been discontinued, with a few key exemptions remaining in place.

In case you weren’t aware, from May 19, 2025, Malaysia’s Road Transport Department (JPJ) stopped accepting applications for the conversion of foreign driving licences to Malaysian-issued licences. The move was confirmed by JPJ Director-General Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli in an official statement, marking a significant change in how foreign residents and visitors may obtain the legal right to drive in the country.

Under the new regulation, foreign nationals will need to follow the same process as Malaysian citizens when applying for a local driving licence – a step JPJ says is aimed at improving road safety, enhancing administrative governance, and raising service quality. Up to now, most expatriates in Malaysia could convert their valid foreign licence by submitting a short list of documents, including their original driving licence, passport, immigration-issued visa or pass, and the relevant JPJ application forms. Now, if they wish to hold a local licence, they must follow the same onerous and expensive procedure as Malaysians who are getting their first licence, a process which includes enrolling in a weeks-long course at an approved driving school at their own considerable expense, even if they’ve been driving for many years.

There are, however, important exceptions. Diplomats and holders of the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) status will still be allowed to convert their licences. Additionally, foreign nationals staying in Malaysia for less than 12 months may continue driving with an International Driving Permit (IDP), provided their home country is a signatory to either the 1949 Geneva Convention or the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Drivers from ASEAN countries remain unaffected, as they are permitted to use their home country’s licence while in Malaysia. Similarly, Malaysians who previously held foreign licences before obtaining their local one are not impacted by this change.

It is to be hoped that a reversal on some parts of the requirements may be reassessed, such as the need to enrol in a local driving school. We feel that just taking a practical or written test should, in most cases, suffice for expats who hold a valid driving licence from an approved country.

Source: JPJ Facebook