AIRPORT
TAX
RM 45-per person is levied on passengers leaving
Malaysia for international
flights(inclusive of Singapore and Brunei).
RM 6-is levied on passengers/take off for domestic
flights + Insurance RM 5.00 per way. The airport
tax is usually in included in the ticket.
BANKING
Banking hours in most states Malaysia are normally
from 9.30am-15.30pm on Mon-Fri and 9.30am-1130am
on Sat (First and Third week Saturday are close).
CLIMATE
The climate in Malaysia is hot and humid all rain
round, with some rain in the afternoon .The average
temperature ranges from 24 degree Celsius to 30
degree Celsius in the lowlands. The days are generally
sunny and warm and the nights are cool. At the
East Coast the rainy season is from early November
to middle of February.
CLOTHING
Recommended loose summer clothing, flat walking
shoes and hat. It is always advisable to bring
a bottle of mineral water and sun block lotion
to prevent over sun exposure and dehydration.
CREDIT CARDS
International credit cards are widely accepted.
Banks and licensed money change offer better rates
than hotels and shops, where a service charges
may be levied (usually 2-4 per cent).Make sure
that you have enough cash in local currency before
you leave for smaller towns or remote areas.
CURRENCY AND EXCHANGE
The unit of currency is the Malaysian Ringgit.
Notes in circulation are RM 100,RM 50,RM 10,RM
5 and RM 1.Coins in circulation in the denomination
of RM 1.00, 0.50, 0.20, 0.10, 0.05, 0.01 cent.
The approximate exchange rate is (at time of printing
) USD 1.00 to RM3.75
Please take note!
All arriving must fill in a Travellers Declaration
Form (TDF) and departing travellers(including
children) regardless of the amount of currency
carried. The TDF is available in all inbound Malaysia
Airlines’ flight and at check in counters.
It should be handed over to the immigration Officer
together with the Disembarkation Card and Passport.
With effect from October 01 ,1998,please take
note of the following currency regulations for
travellers to Malaysia.
Local Currency (Malaysian Ringgit-MYR):
Residents and non-resident travellers are not
allowed to bring in or take our more than RM 1,000
-per person.
Foreign Currency:
Resident travellers are not allowed to take out
more than the equal of RM 10,000.-worth of any
foreign currency from Malaysia(i.e. maximum of
RM 10,000-worth of foreign currencies)
Non-resident travellers are allowed to take out
not more than the amount of foreign currencies,
which they had brought in at the time of their
arrival.
Definitions:
Resident-means a citizen of Malaysia residing
in Malaysia or a non-citizen of Malaysia who is
residing permanently in Malaysia
A non-resident means any person not residing in
Malaysia, whether the person is a citizen or not.
CUSTOMS
Prohibited Goods
-Trafficking of illegal drugs carries the mandatory
death penalty in Malaysia
-A special permit is required for the carriage
of firearms and ammunition.Other prohibited items
include flick knives, daggers and pornographic
material
-Taped videocassettes should be submitted for
clearance by customs.
-Export of antiques and historical object is not
allowed unless export license has been obtained
from the Director General of Museums, Malaysia,
or if the antiquity was originally imported and
declared to customs.
CUSTOMS
-All passengers must declare the following items
to the Plant Quarantine Office upon arrival; plants
and plant parts including fresh plant produce
and processed product, soil and growth/rooting
media, insects and other organisms, micro-organisms,
herbarium and dried flower. Penalty for failure
to do so is up to RM 1,000 fine or up to six months
imprisonment or both. Penalty for malicious introducing
a pest or plant in to Malaysia is a fine not exceeding
RM 1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding two years
or both.
DOCTORS,DENTISTS,HOSPITALS
In all major cities and towns ,we have government
hospitals, which charge just a nominal fee
of around RM1,000 for Accident and Emergency treatment
.Patient are treated according
to medical priority and not order of arrival.
And in most major cities and towns, there are
private clinics and even private hospital, which
are generally of international standard .Private
dental clinics are also abundant in major cities
and towns, and are of generally good standard.
Most pharmacies can be found at major shopping
complexes.
DRINKING WATER
Tap water (boiled) is safe to drink, but we recommended
not taking any drinks with ice-cubes during hot
weather, to avoid stomach upsets. Also bottled
mineral water can be found at every supermarket
and also at local coffee shops, at relatively
cheap prices.
ELECTRIC USAGE
The voltage system in Malaysia is 220 - 240 volts
AC at 50 cycles per second.
GENERAL ADVISE ON TRAVELLING IN MALAYSIA
Official name :Malaysia
Country :Federation of Malaysia comprises Peninsular
Malaysia and the states of Sabah
and Sarawak on the island of Borneo.
Location states :Between 2 and 7 degrees north
of the Equator with Peninsular Malaysia of separated
from the Sabah and Sarawak by the south China
Sea. Neighbours of
Peninsular Malaysia are Thailand to the north
and Singapore to the south. Sabah
and Sarawak are bounded by Indonesia and Sarawak
also shares a border with
Brunei.
HEALTH REQUIREMENTS
No vaccinations are required. However visitors
arriving from Yellow Fever and
Endemic Zones and other affected areas are required
to present International
Health Certificates showing Yellow Fever vaccination.
This regulation does not
apply to children below the age of one.
INTERNET
Internet service is well spread in most of the
tourists' areas including Islands and National
Parks.
Prices are from 1 to 10 USD p/hour depending on
places.
Following are some Internet address with relevant
information on Malaysia:
The Star Newspaper home page : www.thestar.com.my
Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board home page :
www.tourism.gov.my
LANGUAGE
The national language is Bahasa Malaysia, although
English is widely used.
Many other languages and dialects like Mandarin,
Cantonese, Hokkien and Tamil are also commonly
used.
Local native languages and dialects like Iban,
Bidayuh, Melanau, etc., is widely spoken in Sarawak,
while Kadazan is widely spoken in Sabah.
LOCAL TIME
Malaysian runs at GMT +8 hours and 16 hours ahead
of the U.S Pacific Standard Time. Malaysia is
in the same time zone as Singapore, Hong Kong
and Perth.
PASSPORT & VISAS
Visitors must be in possession of national passports
or other internationally recognised travel documents,
endorsed for travelling in Malaysia and with a
validity period of at least six months beyond
the time of stay allowed in Malaysia. Malaysia
Borneo ( Sarawak and Sabah) have their own immigration
Department and when one enters Malaysia Borneo
through Mainland Malaysia, one has to go through
Immigration check again and a new stay permit
is issued again ,mostly for 30 days only
All visitors are required to complete a Disembarkation
Card, which has to be shown to the Immigration
Control upon arrival and departure from the country.
This card can be obtained on all inbound Malaysia
Airlines’ flights.
Visitors on social and business visit purposes
are to be guided the following visa requirements:
Visa Exemption:
No visas are required for citizens of Commonwealth
countries (except Bangladesh, India, Pakistan,
Sri Lanka and Nigeria),British Protected Persons
or citizens of the Republic of Ireland and citizens
of Switzerland, Netherlands, San Marino and Liechtenstein.
Three Months Visa-Free Visit:
Citizens of Albania, Austria, Algeria, Argentina,
Bahrain, Belgium, Czech Republic of Slovakia,
Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary,
Iceland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Luxembourg,
Lebanon, Morocco, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Slovak,
Spain, South Korea, Republic of Bosnia, Sweden,
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, United
States of America, United Arab Emirates and Yemen
are eligible for three months visa free visit.
One Months Visa-Free Visit:
Applicable to citizens of ASEAN countries.
14-Days Visa-Free Visit:
Citizens of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya and
Syria are eligible for 14-days visa free visit.
7-Days Visa-Free Visit:
Applicable to citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Republic of Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia,
Kazakstan, Kirghizstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia,
Romania, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Air travellers on transit (not exceeding 72 hours)
are eligible for a visa-free visit.
Travel Tips and General Information
Social or Tourist Visit Pass:
A Social or Tourist Visit Pass does not permit
the holder to take up employment, business
of professional work in Malaysia. The Business
Visit Pass allows foreign visitors to enter Malaysia
for business negotiations or inspection of business
houses but cannot be used for employment purposes,
or for supervisory work or construction of a factory.
No fee is charged for a Business Visit Pass issued
for a period of up to 3 months. A nominal fee
is imposed for each month beyond this.
Foreign visitors, except from the Republic of
Singapore, who have entered Malaysia on social
Visit Passes may contact the Immigration Department
to convert their passes to Business Visit Passes.
As regulation may change from time to time, it
is advisable to check with the nearest Malaysian
Embassy before your departure.
POST OFFICE AND TELEPHONE FACILITIES
Most post office are open from Mon-Sat, from 8.00am
to 6.00pm, and some open on Sun from 10.00am to
1.00pm. International calls can be made from most
public card phones. Major hotels all have quiet
and convenient card phone booths. In smaller towns,
these card phone booths can mostly be found at
the Telecom Office. Telephone cards are also sold
in sundry shops and hotel lobby shops.
SHOPPING
Exotic local handicrafts like Batik, gold and
silverware, pewter ware, exquisitely straw woven
items, woodcarvings, pottery are among the many
invaluable moments..
Bargaining at small shops is encouraged. Average
discount expected from a bargain can range from
10 %-30%, but all prices are fixed at major shopping
centre. Most shops are open from 10.00am to 9.00pm
daily. All supermarket stores are open daily.
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