Before arriving, get an international driving licence from the authorities in your home country. This will allow you to drive legally in Malaysia for three months and comes in handy as you must have a valid work permit before applying for a licence. Spouses of work permit holders may also apply. Some overseas licences may be valid for this three month period but if your licence doesn’t have a photograph or isn’t in English, you may have problems when hiring a car or if you are stopped by the police for any reason.

As with many rules in Malaysia, there seems to be some flexibility and many long-term expats drive on their home country licences for years. Since converting to a Malaysian licence is relatively simple, it doesn’t cost much and you get to keep your original licence, so it’s worth doing to be on the safe side.