In just 150 years, Kuala Lumpur has grown into a major economic, cultural and political centre for Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
Citizens of the United States, Canada, and most Arab, Commonwealth and European countries do not need visas for visits of less than three months.
You may view entry requirements by country of origin from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Malaysia.
The Malaysian currency is the ringgit, divided into 100 sen (cents). It is abbreviated both as RM and MYR.
Credit cards are accepted in hotels and department stores but cash is commonly used in rural areas.
Here are the most recent exchange rates for some common currencies.
MYR 1.00 equals:
Hotels and restaurants include a government tax of 6% and a service charge of 10%.
Tipping is not customary in Malaysia.
Bank Hours 9:30am - 4pm, Monday through Friday
Office Hours 8am - 5:30pm, Monday through Friday (Government) 9am - 5pm, Monday through Friday (Business)
Shop Hours10am - 10pm
Ensure that all food is well cooked and consume only bottled mineral water outside of the hotel.
Lightweight clothing is ideal and shirts, jackets and ties are normal business attire.
Do note that shorts, miniskirts and sleeveless garments for women are not advisable in Government Offices, places of worship and certain rural areas.
KL has a tropical climate of warm, sunny weather throughout the year. Rain is most frequent from November to January, but can be expected in any month.
Heavy p.m. t-storms; otherwise, a shower
Mostly cloudy with a shower or t-storm
Population1.8 million
LanguageBahasa Malaysia, English
Time ZoneGMT + 8 hours
MeasuresMetric System
Voltage220 / 240 volts
Plug Type
Mobile PhonesGSM 1800, G3