Every year-end holiday, the same two questions come up in Malaysian travel groups: do I need an International Driving Permit, and is the licence on my phone enough? The short answers are "it depends where you are going" and "no". This guide sets out what JPJ actually requires, what it costs, and what the main destinations ask Malaysian drivers to carry.
It is built on primary sources read on 4 October 2026: JPJ's own International Driving Permit page (last updated 21 November 2025), JPJ's driving licence fee table and driving FAQ, JPJ's 16 May 2025 statement on foreign licences (reproduced in full by the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia), the Ministry of Transport's January 2026 decision on physical licence cards as reported by Free Malaysia Today and Autobuzz, Japan's National Police Agency Q&A on international permits, the UN Treaty Collection, and the Shanghai municipal government's page on temporary driving permits.
*Cover image: the JPJ Kuala Lumpur branch at Bandar Tasik Selatan. Photo: \*angys\*, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.*
What an IDP is, and what it is not
The International Driving Permit is a grey booklet that translates your Malaysian licence into a standard format other countries can read. Malaysia issues it under the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, which it acceded to on 10 September 1958, according to the UN Treaty Collection. It is not a licence on its own. Treat it as a companion to your Malaysian licence and carry both.
JPJ changed the booklet in May 2024. Car news site Carz reported JPJ's announcement that the permit would shrink from 155 x 115 mm to the convention's A6 size (148 x 105 mm) and turn from pale yellow to grey, with the new version issued as old stock ran out. That matters in Japan, as you will see below.
Who can apply
JPJ's IDP page lists two conditions, and its FAQ adds a third:
- You hold a competent driving licence (CDL) that is still valid for more than one year.
- You are not blacklisted, for example over unpaid summonses.
- You are 18 or older. JPJ's FAQ says probationary (P) licence holders cannot apply.
The one-year rule catches people out. If your CDL expires in eight months, renew it first. Renewal is done in the MyJPJ app, and our guide to renewing road tax and your driving licence online walks through it.
Cost, documents and where to go
The permit costs RM150 and is valid for one year, the same for citizens and non-citizens on JPJ's fee table. There is no two-year or five-year version, so a family that drives abroad every December pays RM150 each time.
Apply at any JPJ state or branch office. JPJ asks for:
- your MyKad, original and a copy
- your competent driving licence
- one colour passport-sized photo
If someone applies on your behalf, they must bring your original MyKad. JPJ's page does not state a processing time. Several travel guides describe an in-app IDP application in MyJPJ, but JPJ's own page lists counters only and we could not find the option on any JPJ page, so plan on a counter visit and go at least a week before you fly.
The licence on your phone does not travel
Since February 2023 the MyJPJ app has carried a digital licence, and most Malaysians renew there now. It is valid at home. It is not valid abroad. Carz reported that on 13 July 2026 a Malaysian driver stopped at a roadblock in Hat Yai was fined 1,000 baht for showing only the app.
The fix is cheap. From 23 January 2026, the Ministry of Transport told JPJ to stop asking for proof of overseas travel before printing a physical licence card. Any Malaysian can now get one at a JPJ or UTC counter for RM20 (non-citizens RM100). Autobuzz, reporting the ministry statement, listed three groups who get it free: senior citizens aged 60 and above, Class A and A1 holders, and OKU registered with the Welfare Department. JPJ's own fee table lists the "copy of driving licence" at RM20.
What each destination asks for
Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and the rest of ASEAN. JPJ's May 2025 statement cites the ASEAN Agreement on the Recognition of Domestic Driving Licences (1985), under which a licence issued by one ASEAN country is accepted in the others. In practice that means your physical Malaysian card, not an IDP. The Hat Yai case shows the card has to be the plastic one.
Japan. Japan's National Police Agency says only permits issued under the Geneva Convention are valid, that the booklet should match the convention's 148 x 105 mm size or it "may not be accepted", and that a digital copy on a phone is not acceptable. It also says you can only drive the vehicle types stamped in the permit. For an ordinary car, check that category B carries a stamp before you leave the JPJ counter.
South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. All four are parties to the 1949 convention, so the Malaysian IDP is the document they recognise. How long a visitor may drive, and what rental companies demand, varies by country and by state. Check the destination's transport authority and your rental terms before you book.
Mainland China. China is not a party to the 1949 convention, and an IDP does not let you drive there. Visitors apply for a temporary driving permit instead. Shanghai's government page says it lasts up to three months for short stays, needs a certified Chinese translation of your licence, and can be issued at counters in Hongqiao and Pudong airports. Hong Kong and Macao do apply the convention.
A simple checklist
- Check your CDL expiry date. Less than a year left? Renew in MyJPJ first.
- Clear any JPJ or police summonses so you are not blacklisted.
- Get a physical licence card (RM20) if you only have the app version.
- Going beyond ASEAN? Visit a JPJ counter with MyKad, licence and one photo, and pay RM150.
- Before you walk away, check the booklet size and the stamp next to the vehicle category you will drive.
If you are hiring a car once you land, our Penang car rental guide shows how rental firms write their own licence rules, which can be stricter than the law.
