Customs duty and duty free details

Tourists who stay in Malaysia for more than 72 hours are exempted from paying tax on the following items:

• wines, spirits/malt liquor not exceeding one litre
• tobacco not exceeding 225 grams (or 200 cigarettes)
• matches not exceeding 100 sticks
• apparel not exceeding 3 pieces
• one pair of footwear
• 1 unit each of portable electrically and/or battery operated appliance for personal use
• food preparation(s) valued at not more than RM75
• cosmetics, soaps and dentifrices stored in open containers valued at not more than RM200
• souvenirs and gifts valued at not more than RM200. If the goods are imported from Labuan, the exempted value should not exceed RM500

A 50% tax will be levied on items that exceed the above limits. Except for souvenirs and gifts, duty free goods purchased should be for personal use.

Besides the above, items not subjected to customs duties include fountain pens, cigarette lighters (except those made of plastic), printed books, newspapers and journals, skin care products and cosmetics, portable radios weighing less than 10kg, watches, cameras and flashbulbs, films, pocket calculators, video tapes, projectors and sound recorders for films of less than 16mm.

Restrictions

Import licenses are required for firearms and commercial quantities of gold. Please note that Malaysian laws provide the death penalty for drug trafficking. Other forbidden items are pornography, flick knives, broadcast receivers of a certain frequency, goods from Israel, and animals like piranhas. For more information please visit the Malaysian Customs and Excise website at http://www.customs.gov.my

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