How to obtain international driving license from JPJ Malaysia

This article applies for a Malaysian holding a valid driving license (issued in Malaysia) and wishes to obtain an international driving license in order to drive overseas from JPJ office in Malaysia.

Purpose of an international driving license: A standard document translated in major languages to enable you to drive in certain countries round the world. You may do research to find out if your Malaysian issued driving license can be accepted in the country that you are planning to visit. In some countries like Australia, you can use your Malaysian issued driving license to drive for 90 days.

When I plan to stay in Thailand for an extended time, I would go and get an international driving license issued. No doubt, it is mentioned that the Thai Consulant have confirmed that Malaysians can use their driving license when driving within Asean countries. However, the forums also mentioned that some people may encounter difficulties in smaller towns where the officers are not aware of the allocation.

In the past, I would pass my details to a driving school and pay an additional fee of RM20 for their help to issue the license. This time, I decided to go to JPJ office myself to apply for the international driving license. I went to the JPJ office in Petaling Jaya (located within walking distance of Amcorp Mall LRT station).

Documents to prepare beforehand:

1. Original NRIC and photocopy

2. Original driving license (with more than 1 year from expiry) and photocopy

3. One recent passport photo

4. RM150 being fee for the issuance of International Driving license. Note: You can only apply for one year duration. There is no 2 years duration available.

Note: If you are going on your own, you need not fill up any forms. Get your documents photostated- there is a shop located outside the JPJ office but it may not be opened especially if the staff is out for break. If you are requesting a third party to renew for you like via a driving school or runner, then you would need to provide your original license to them and fill up a form.

I arrived early in the morning about 7.40am. Their office open at 7.30am. There is ample parking available (and it is free but the parking is only meant for people visiting JPJ and the Mahkamah (court)).

After parking my car, I went to Pintu A where there is an officer at the counter who would issue a number for me after checking on my inquiries. He then asked me to proceed to Pintu B (Door B) where it is for driving license related.

I did not have to wait long for my number to be called. I presented the document at the counter. And then, I also decided to get my Malaysian driving license renewed for another year (till my birthday in 2022) since I am already there. The officer proceeded to issue the International Driving License for me (since I have the photocopy license indicating the expiry till 2021 which is more than 1 year from expiry).

After I got my international driving license, another counter proceeded to renew my driving license. Biometric verification is required for the issuance. When renewing driving license, you need not supply any photos as the photo in your driving license would be synced to your NRIC photo. My previous license carried my younger face but after I changed my NRIC last year,  it automatically synced to the photo in my new IC.

Overall my experience was pleasant and I find the JPJ service to be very efficient and fast, and their officers very courteous. Mainly I did not need to wait for long time because I arrived very early- almost at their opening hours. I would advice you to go early as well- perhaps drop by before work or take the Kelana Jaya line train and stop at Amcorp Mall LRT station, then walk to the office. You would be able to get your license immediately- if you hand to a third party, you would need to wait for a few days for your license to be ready.