Moving to Malaysia
Visas and residency, citizenship, tax, company and banking, cost of living and the places to live in Malaysia, in one place.
South-eastern Asia
Navid lived hereThinking about moving to Malaysia?
In Malaysia, I lived in Kuala Lumpur.
Here's how long you can stay, the ways to live there for good, what you'd pay in tax and what everyday life costs, each figure from an official source.
In this guide, I'll show you:
- How long you can stay, by passport
- The visas and residency routes that let you live there
- How long citizenship takes
- How tax works, with the rates
- What it costs, and the internet and safety
- The best places to live
- The basics: capital, currency and languages
Pick your passport at the top of the page, and the stay rule shows for you.
TL;DRKey takeaways
Malaysia at a glance
How long can you stay in Malaysia?
It depends on the passport you hold.
Here's the rule for the most common ones:
US passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
UK passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
EU passport (German)- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Canadian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Australian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Indian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 30 days
For any other passport, pick yours at the top, or see every country on the visa-free countries map.
Visas and residency in Malaysia
Malaysia has a visa for people who work remotely:
- DE Rantau Nomad Pass – an income of $24,000 a year, for 12 months
Compare them with every other country in the digital nomad visa finder.
These routes don't need a local job either:
- Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) (golden visa (residency by investment)) – A fixed deposit of USD 150,000 (Silver), USD 500,000 (Gold) or USD 1 million (Platinum), plus a home you keep 10 years
See the investor routes side by side in the golden visa finder, and the ones for retirees in the retirement visa finder.
Citizenship in Malaysia
Naturalization takes about 12 years of residence.
Dual citizenship isn't allowed, so you'd give up your passport.
Work out your own timeline with the second passport calculator.
Tax in Malaysia
Malaysia taxes foreign income only when you bring it into the country.
See where it sits among every country on the territorial tax map.
The main rates:
- Lowest income tax band – 0%
- Top income tax rate – 30%
- Corporate tax – 24%
- VAT or sales tax – 10%
- Capital gains tax – 10%
Where you're a tax resident usually comes down to days.
Count yours with the 183-day rule calculator.
Company and banking
Compare the banks and cards that work for people abroad in the bank account finder.
Move money for less with the money transfer comparison.
Setting up a company here?
See the fees and yearly costs in company formation compared.
Many people who live abroad run a US LLC instead; check yours with the US LLC for non-residents checker.
Cost of living in Malaysia
Everyday prices in Malaysia are about 32% of US prices.
That's the World Bank's price level for 2025: its purchasing power conversion factor divided by the exchange rate.
That makes it one of the cheaper places to live on a foreign income.
Convert what things cost with the currency converter.
Is Malaysia safe?
The US State Department rates Malaysia Level 1 ("Exercise normal precautions", updated 2026-02-22), the same level it gives Austria, Portugal, Japan and Australia. Level 1 is normal travel. Some advisories are stricter for parts of a country, so read the full advisory before you go.
See every country's level on the travel advisory map.
Internet in Malaysia
In M-Lab's open speed tests across Malaysia over the last 12 months, half came in above 32 Mbps download.
The fastest quarter of lines came in above 109 Mbps, closer to a good fiber connection (1,779,164 tests).
By place:
- Kuala Lumpur – 32 Mbps typical
- George Town – 93 Mbps typical
Test your own line when you arrive with my internet speed test.
The best places to live in Malaysia
- Kuala Lumpur – I lived here
- George Town, Penang
Compare them with places everywhere in digital nomad locations.
Malaysia: the basics
| What | Malaysia |
|---|---|
| Capital | Kuala Lumpur |
| Currency | Malaysian ringgit (MYR) |
| Languages | Malay, English, Chinese |
| Population | about 31.5 million |
From GeoNames' country data (CC BY 4.0).
More tools for Malaysia
- Passport index and compare passports
- Time zone overlap calculator for calls with home
- eSIM finder for data when you land
- Card fees abroad calculator before you spend
Malaysia FAQs
Visa-free, for 90 days.
Pick another passport at the top of the page to see its rule.
It depends on your passport.
Pick yours at the top of the page to see the days, and whether you need a visa first.
Yes: DE Rantau Nomad Pass.
It asks for an income of $24,000 a year.
Yes: Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H).
A fixed deposit of USD 150,000 (Silver), USD 500,000 (Gold) or USD 1 million (Platinum), plus a home you keep 10 years
About 12 years of residence.
No.
You'd give up your other passport to naturalize.
Malaysia taxes foreign income only when you bring it into the country.
Check the details with a tax adviser before you move.
Everyday prices are about 32% of US prices, by the World Bank's price level for 2025.
Rent in the biggest cities can be higher than that suggests.
The US State Department rates it Level 1.
Levels 1 and 2 are everyday travel; read the full advisory for any regions it warns about.
Half of M-Lab's tests there came in above 32 Mbps download over the last 12 months.
The fastest quarter of lines passed 109 Mbps.
The places I cover there are Kuala Lumpur and George Town.
Each has its own guide with the weather by month, internet and costs.
The Malaysian ringgit (MYR).
The main languages are Malay, English and Chinese.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
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