Driving in Malaysia: Conversion of a German driving licence to a Malaysian driving licence

A German driving licence does not (permanently) permit driving in Malaysia. The Malaysian driving licence required to this end may be obtained by a conversion procedure. However, only the following persons are eligible to apply for a conversion of their German driving licence:

• Malaysian citizens,
• Spouses of Malaysian citizens,
• Diplomatic Identification Card Holders,
• Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) principals and their spouses
• Expatriate residents holding a Residence Pass-Talent (RP-T), an Employment Pass Category I or II and their respective spouses.

Any other person must obtain a Malaysian driving licence by way of the normal procedures and shall register at any Driving Institute in Malaysia.

The application for a conversion is to be submitted to any JPJ State Office. Such application requires, other than documents pertaining to the person and their residency status, a valid German driving licence and, additionally, a confirmation letter issued by the German Transport Authority or the German Embassy to prove the authenticity of the licence shown. If not issued in English, the document must be translated either by the Embassy or the Malaysian Institute of Translation & Books (ITBM).

The application will be processed within 30 working days. Successful applicants shall sit for six hours of theory classes and must pass a computer exam regarding traffic law. Only Diplomatic Identification Card Holders are exempted from this additional requirement. Afterwards, the driving licence is issued and must be collected from the same JPJ State Office, where the application was originally submitted.

Similar to new drivers, any person having proceeded with a conversion of their German driving licence will be issued a Probationary Driving Licence (PDL) only. After two years, the change to a Competent Driving Licence (CDL) may be effected without further testing involved. Diplomatic Identification Card Holders will be granted the CDL only after holding their Malaysian licence for more than three years.