Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
195
sources for information, as they hav e on-
the-ground kno wledge that 's mor e cur-
rent. For each destination, I have provided
websites, telephone contacts, and locations
of information offices.
2
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
PASSPORTS
To enter M alaysia y ou must hav e a v alid
passport. For information on obtaining a
passport, please see “P assports” in Appen-
dix B (p. 296).
required to show proof of yellow fever vac-
cination. Contact y our near est Tourism
Malaysia office to see which ar eas fall into
this category.
CUSTOMS
What You Can Bring into
Malaysia
With r egard to curr ency, y ou can bring
into the country as many foreign currency
notes or traveler's checks as you please, but
amounts ex ceeding RM10,000 or its
VISAS
Citizens of the U nited States do not need
visas for tourism and business visits, and
upon entr y ar e granted a S ocial/Business
Visit Pass good for up to 3 months. Citi-
zens of Canada, A ustralia, New Z ealand,
and the U nited Kingdom can also enter
the countr y without a visa and will be
granted up to 3 months entr y as well. For
other countries, please consult the near est
Malaysian consulate befor e y our trip , for
visa regulations.
Also note:
Travelers hold-
ing Israeli passpor ts ar e not permitted to
travel within M alaysia (like wise, M alay-
sians ar e forbidden fr om trav eling to
Israel).
MEDICAL
REQUIREMENTS
If you are arriving fr om an ar ea in which
yellow fever has been reported, you will be
equivalent in for eign currency need to be
declared.
Social visitors can enter Malaysia with 1
liter of alcohol and 1 car ton of cigar ettes
without paying duty—anything o ver that
amount is subject to local taxes. Prohibited
items include fir earms and ammunition,
daggers and kniv es, and pornographic
materials. Be advised that, similar to S in-
gapore, M alaysia enfor ces a v ery strict
drug-abuse policy that includes the death
sentence for convicted drug traffickers.
11
3
WHEN TO GO
There are
two peak seasons
in M alaysia.
One peak tourist season falls roughly from
the beginning of D ecember to the end of
January, co vering the major N orthern
Hemisphere winter holidays—Christmas,
New Year's D ay, and Chinese N ew Year.
Hari Raya P uasa, celebrating the end of
Ramadan, shifts dates from year to year. If
you plan to trav
September, I highly r ecommend calling
Tourism Malaysia to find out exactly when
this holiday will fall.
The second peak season falls in the
months of June, July, and August, and can
last into mid-S eptember. D uring this
period, hotels ar e booked with families
from the M iddle East, as this is school
holiday season for many of the r
el to M alaysia ar ound
egion's
