International shipping guide to Malaysia

On this page, you will find some of the essential information you’ll need if your business will engage in international shipping to Malaysia. We offer an overview of the import process, including the customs procedures and requirements for bringing goods into Malaysia, and a rundown of route information for both air and ocean freight shipping.

Freight Forwarding to Malaysia: Import and Customs Facts

The following information will help you to know what to expect when your shipments reach the Malaysian border.

If you are entrusting your shipments to the team here at Shipa Freight, or you find a good freight forwarder in Malaysia, you won’t need to worry too much about how to meet the various customs requirements that we outline in this section. That’s because the fees you pay for shipping include the services of customs clearance experts who interact with Malaysian customs on a daily basis, and have deep knowledge of the import process.

Therefore, the details here are just for your interest and information. Of course, if you do decide to manage customs declarations internally, it will be critical to extend your research beyond this page. In fact, you’ll need to become something of an expert on international shipping to Malaysia, and on the associated requisites to clear your shipments. Either that or you will need to recruit an employee with the necessary knowledge and shipping experience.

Malaysian Customs Service: Requirements for Imports

If you ask a freight forwarder in Malaysia about the customs procedures for inbound shipments, you’ll probably receive a response indicating that the process is not that hard, and indeed, in comparison with many other countries, it really isn’t. Even the customs documents have very simple titles, like “Customs Form No.1” and “Customs Form No.2”, with No.1 being the import declaration and No.2 being for exports.

These days, freight forwarding companies in Malaysia typically file import declarations online, on behalf of their customers, using the uCustoms system accessible from the Malaysian Customs website homepage.

If you decide to make your own declarations, you can find full instructions for using uCustoms on the Royal Malaysian Customs Department website. However, as even the smallest error or lack of clarity in the details of a declaration can lead to delays in customs processing, we recommend that you entrust the task to your freight forwarder in Malaysia, or of course to our team if you are a Shipa Freight customer.

Documents Required by Malaysian Customs

As already mentioned, you or your appointed agent must lodge your import declaration on Customs Form No.1. You will also need to make the following documents available for submission with the declaration:

• The bill of lading for your shipment;
• The commercial invoice
• Bank documents (such as a letter of credit)
• A packing list
• Certificates of origin for the goods you are shipping
• Copies of any applicable import licenses

When Malaysian Customs is in possession of the above documents, along with your declaration and the physical goods, they will calculate the duties and taxes that you must pay. The Customs Department will not release your goods their control until you have paid the full amount of calculated duty and/or tax.

Shipping to Malaysia: Prohibitions and Restrictions

The Malaysian government operates quite a liberal policy in terms of what it allows to be imported. However, it may prohibit imports of certain products, for certain periods, if it deems that local production of those products is sufficient to keep the country supplied. The government applies this particular policy mainly to dairy and poultry products, and to sugar.

If your business will be attempting to import these product types, you should first check with us (if you are a Shipa Freight customer) or with your shipping company in Malaysia, to ensure that no such prohibitions are currently in place.

Another important thing to remember if you will ship meat or animal products to Malaysia is that it must be certified Halal. You must also be in possession of an appropriate import license if you plan to ship these products to Malaysia. Other products that require an import license include:

• Agricultural products and foodstuffs
• Iron products
• Plants
• Vehicles and heavy equipment
• Chemicals

Ocean Freight Shipping to Malaysia

Ocean freight is the ideal way to transport your goods if you wish to minimize the shipping cost to Malaysia. Of course, you won’t enjoy the speed advantage of air freight, but you will have the flexibility to choose between less-than-container-load and full-container-load shipping, which will really help you to find the most cost-efficient way to ship your freight, depending on the size of your consignments.

You will also have the freedom to select either port-to-port or door-to-door shipping, both of which are services offered by Shipa Freight—and by some local freight forwarding companies in Malaysia.

Please note that the route information on this page relates only to port-to-port shipping, but if you want door-to-door shipping, you just need to select that option when requesting your quote on the Shipa Freight platform.

International Shipping to Malaysia: Top Ocean Routes

International shipping lines have no trouble filling their Malaysia-bound vessels with cargo. Capacity is in high demand and freight forwarding companies in Malaysia and around the world keep containers flowing in at a steady rate.

The bulk of that cargo comes from the many Asian countries that enjoy trading relationships with Malaysia, as evidenced by the popularity of the following five top ocean routes for Malaysian imports:

• Ningbo (China) to Port Klang
• Ningbo (China) to Tanjung Pelepas
• Shanghai(China) to Port Klang
• Singapore to Tanjung Pelepas
• Surabaya (Indonesia) to Tanjung Pelepas

The Longest and Shortest Ocean Routes for Shipping to Malaysia

Any shipping company in Malaysia will have many customers booking transportation along the intra-Asian ocean trade lanes. However, as well as being the busiest, these lanes also comprise the shortest routes for international shipping to Malaysia.

Two of the very shortest routes bring freight to Malaysia from its two closest neighbors—Singapore and Indonesia. The two routes in question link Belawan in Indonesia with Port Klang, and the port of Singapore with Tanjung Pelepas. Both of them involve transit times of less than one day.

The longest route for ocean freight to Malaysia, as you might expect, is one that brings freight from Eastern Canada. That route originates in Montreal and terminates at the Georgetown port on the Malaysian island of Penang. The transit time for this route is around 52 days.

List of Ocean Routes for Shipping to Malaysia

From America

Country of Origin	Port of Origin	Destination Port	Duration
Brazil	Santos	Port Klang	25 Days
Brazil	Itaguai	Port Klang	23 Days
Canada	Vancouver	Port Klang	30 Days
Canada	Montreal	Pasir Gudang	45 Days
Canada	Montreal	Penang	52 Days
Canada	Montreal	Port Klang	44 Days
United States	Oakland	Port Klang	22 Days
United States	Atlanta	Port Klang	31 Days
United States	Atlanta	Penang	41 Days
United States	Atlanta	Pasir Gudang	33 Days
United States	Boston	Pasir Gudang	39 Days
United States	Boston	Penang	46 Days
United States	Boston	Port Klang	42 Days
United States	Baltimore	Port Klang	39 Days
United States	Baltimore	Penang	49 Days
United States	Houston	Port Klang	44 Days
United States	Houston	Penang	46 Days
United States	Charleston	Penang	38 Days
United States	Charleston	Port Klang	27 Days
United States	Long Beach	Pasir Gudang	26 Days
United States	Long Beach	Penang	26 Days
United States	Long Beach	Port Klang	23 Days
United States	Miami	Penang	40 Days
United States	Miami	Port Klang	40 Days
United States	Mobile	Penang	45 Days
United States	New Orleans	Port Klang	43 Days
United States	New Orleans	Penang	46 Days
United States	Norfolk	Penang	45 Days
United States	Norfolk	Port Klang	45 Days
United States	Port Everglades	Port Klang	40 Days
United States	Port Everglades	Penang	42 Days
United States	Savannah	Port Klang	29 Days
United States	Savannah	Penang	39 Days

From Europe

Country of Origin	Port of Origin	Destination Port	Duration
Belgium	Antwerp	Tanjung Pelepas	21 Days
Belgium	Antwerp	Port Klang	20 Days
Croatia	Rijeka	Port Klang	30 Days
Croatia	Rijeka	Pasir Gudang	30 Days
Croatia	Rijeka	Penang	33 Days
Croatia	Rijeka	Tanjung Pelepas	27 Days
Denmark	Aarhus	Port Klang	35 Days
Denmark	Aarhus	Penang	38 Days
Denmark	Aarhus	Pasir Gudang	39 Days
Denmark	Copenhagen	Penang	46 Days
Denmark	Copenhagen	Pasir Gudang	44 Days
Denmark	Copenhagen	Port Klang	39 Days
Finland	Helsinki	Port Klang	43 Days
Finland	Helsinki	Pasir Gudang	47 Days
Finland	Helsinki	Penang	46 Days
Finland	Helsinki	Tanjung Pelepas	40 Days
France	Le Havre	Port Klang	24 Days
France	Fos-sur-Mer	Port Klang	28 Days
France	Fos-sur-Mer	Tanjung Pelepas	24 Days
Germany	Bremerhaven	Tanjung Pelepas	23 Days
Germany	Bremerhaven	Port Klang	30 Days
Greece	Athinai	Tanjung Pelepas	14 Days
Greece	Athinai	Pasir Gudang	22 Days
Greece	Athinai	Penang	22 Days
Greece	Athinai	Port Klang	19 Days
Ireland	Dublin	Port Klang	37 Days
Italy	Genoa	Port Klang	26 Days
Italy	Genoa	Tanjung Pelepas	23 Days
Italy	La Spezia	Tanjung Pelepas	27 Days
Lithuania	Klaipeda	Port Klang	44 Days
Lithuania	Klaipeda	Pasir Gudang	43 Days
Lithuania	Klaipeda	Tanjung Pelepas	41 Days
Lithuania	Klaipeda	Penang	47 Days
Netherlands	Rotterdam	Port Klang	32 Days
Netherlands	Rotterdam	Tanjung Pelepas	28 Days
Netherlands	Rotterdam	Penang	35 Days
Netherlands	Rotterdam	Pasir Gudang	35 Days
Norway	Oslo	Port Klang	41 Days
Poland	Gdansk	Pasir Gudang	37 Days
Poland	Gdansk	Tanjung Pelepas	40 Days
Poland	Gdansk	Port Klang	39 Days
Poland	Gdansk	Penang	42 Days
Portugal	Lisbon	Port Klang	38 Days
Portugal	Lisbon	Tanjung Pelepas	38 Days
Russia	Vladivostok	Tanjung Pelepas	18 Days
Slovenia	Koper	Tanjung Pelepas	21 Days
Slovenia	Koper	Port Klang	30 Days
Slovenia	Koper	Penang	46 Days
Spain	Barcelona	Tanjung Pelepas	32 Days
Spain	Barcelona	Port Klang	35 Days
Spain	Barcelona	Penang	42 Days
Spain	Valencia	Port Klang	30 Days
Spain	Valencia	Tanjung Pelepas	29 Days
Sweden	Gothenburg	Port Klang	35 Days
Sweden	Gothenburg	Penang	44 Days
Ukraine	Odessa	Port Klang	30 Days
Ukraine	Odessa	Pasir Gudang	34 Days
Ukraine	Odessa	Penang	33 Days
Ukraine	Odessa	Tanjung Pelepas	26 Days
United Kingdom	Belfast	Port Klang	37 Days
United Kingdom	Belfast	Tanjung Pelepas	39 Days
United Kingdom	Grangemouth	Penang	40 Days
United Kingdom	Grangemouth	Pasir Gudang	39 Days
United Kingdom	Grangemouth	Tanjung Pelepas	37 Days
United Kingdom	Grangemouth	Port Klang	33 Days
United Kingdom	London Gateway	Tanjung Pelepas	24 Days
United Kingdom	London Gateway	Port Klang	34 Days
United Kingdom	London Gateway	Penang	34 Days
United Kingdom	Felixstowe	Port Klang	34 Days
United Kingdom	Felixstowe	Tanjung Pelepas	24 Days
United Kingdom	Felixstowe	Penang	29 Days
United Kingdom	Southampton	Tanjung Pelepas	24 Days
United Kingdom	Southampton	Port Klang	35 Days
United Kingdom	Southampton	Penang	29 Days

From Asia and Oceania

Country of Origin	Port of Origin	Destination Port	Duration
Australia	Brisbane	Tanjung Pelepas	11 Days
Australia	Sydney	Tanjung Pelepas	19 Days
Australia	Adelaide	Pasir Gudang	14 Days
Australia	Adelaide	Penang	16 Days
Australia	Adelaide	Tanjung Pelepas	17 Days
Australia	Adelaide	Port Klang	11 Days
Australia	Fremantle	Tanjung Pelepas	11 Days
Australia	Fremantle	Penang	14 Days
Australia	Fremantle	Port Klang	14 Days
Australia	Fremantle	Pasir Gudang	14 Days
Australia	Melbourne	Port Klang	14 Days
Australia	Melbourne	Tanjung Pelepas	19 Days
Australia	Melbourne	Penang	18 Days
Australia	Melbourne	Pasir Gudang	17 Days
Bangladesh	Chittagong	Port Klang	4 Days
Bangladesh	Chittagong	Tanjung Pelepas	5 Days
China	Dalian	Port Klang	17 Days
China	Fuzhou	Port Klang	10 Days
China	Ningbo	Port Klang	9 Days
China	Ningbo	Tanjung Pelepas	8 Days
China	Nansha	Port Klang	6 Days
China	Nansha	Tanjung Pelepas	4 Days
China	Shanghai	Tanjung Pelepas	9 Days
China	Shanghai	Port Klang	11 Days
China	Qingdao	Tanjung Pelepas	12 Days
China	Qingdao	Port Klang	13 Days
China	Fuzhou	Tanjung Pelepas	7 Days
China	Xiamen	Port Klang	8 Days
China	Shekou	Tanjung Pelepas	4 Days
China	Xingang	Port Klang	13 Days
China	Tianjin	Tanjung Pelepas	12 Days
China	Dalian	Tanjung Pelepas	19 Days
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Port Klang	7 Days
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Tanjung Pelepas	6 Days
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Penang	11 Days
Indonesia	Semarang	Tanjung Pelepas	2 Days
Indonesia	Belawan	Port Klang	1 Days
Indonesia	Surabaya	Tanjung Pelepas	4 Days
India	Chennai	Port Klang	4 Days
India	Mundra	Port Klang	9 Days
Japan	Yokohama	Penang	15 Days
Japan	Hakata	Tanjung Pelepas	16 Days
Japan	Nagoya	Tanjung Pelepas	15 Days
Japan	Yokohama	Tanjung Pelepas	12 Days
Japan	Yokohama	Port Klang	12 Days
Japan	Kobe	Penang	15 Days
Japan	Kobe	Tanjung Pelepas	15 Days
Japan	Kobe	Port Klang	10 Days
Japan	Hakata	Pasir Gudang	12 Days
Japan	Tokyo	Pasir Gudang	20 Days
Japan	Nagoya	Pasir Gudang	18 Days
Japan	Shimizu	Pasir Gudang	18 Days
Japan	Kobe	Pasir Gudang	17 Days
Japan	Yokohama	Pasir Gudang	20 Days
New Zealand	Auckland	Port Klang	19 Days
New Zealand	Auckland	Penang	26 Days
New Zealand	Auckland	Tanjung Pelepas	28 Days
New Zealand	Auckland	Pasir Gudang	23 Days
New Zealand	Tauranga	Tanjung Pelepas	18 Days
Pakistan	Karachi	Port Klang	10 Days
Philippines	Manila	Port Klang	11 Days
Philippines	Manila	Tanjung Pelepas	14 Days
Philippines	Manila	Penang	10 Days
Singapore	Singapore	Tanjung Pelepas	1 Day
Singapore	Singapore	Pasir Gudang	11Days
Sri Lanka	Colombo	Tanjung Pelepas	4 Days
Sri Lanka	Colombo	Port Klang	4 Days
South Korea	Busan	Tanjung Pelepas	19 Days
South Korea	Incheon	Penang	8 Days
Taiwan	Kaohsiung	Tanjung Pelepas	7 Days
Taiwan	Taipei	Tanjung Pelepas	11 Days
Taiwan	Taipei	Pasir Gudang	7 Days
Thailand	Laem Chabang	Tanjung Pelepas	2 Days
Thailand	Laem Chabang	Port Klang	3 Days
Thailand	Bangkok	Port Klang	4 Days
Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	Penang	6 Days
Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	Tanjung Pelepas	2 Days
Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	Pasir Gudang	2 Days
Vietnam	Da Nang	Tanjung Pelepas	4 Days
Vietnam	Qui Nhon	Tanjung Pelepas	3 Days
Vietnam	Haiphong	Tanjung Pelepas	6 Days

Trade Lanes for Air Freight to Malaysia

If your import strategy prioritizes speed over the need to minimize the shipping cost to Malaysia, air freight will be your natural choice of transportation. As a full-service logistics and shipping provider, Shipa Freight offers competitive rates on air freight to Malaysia, and as with our ocean freight services, you have the possibility to select from door-to-door or port-to-port shipping.

Busiest Routes for Air Freight Shipping to Malaysia

In terms of freight volume, trade lanes for air freight to Malaysia mirror those for ocean freight, particularly in the fact that intra-Asian routes are the busiest and most popular with shippers. The five following routes are among the most patronized by businesses importing goods to Malaysia by air:

• Singapore to Kuala Lumpur
• Jakarta(Indonesia) to Kuala Lumpur
• Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) to Kuala Lumpur
• Hong Kong(Hong Kong) to Kuala Lumpur
• Bangkok(Thailand) to Kuala Lumpur

Air Freight to Malaysia: Longest and Shortest Flights

The longest direct route for air freight to Malaysia is from the United Kingdom. The transit time for this route between London Heathrow Airport and Kuala Lumpur, is approximately 13 hours. This of course, does not mean 13 hours is the maximum transit time for air freight to Malaysia.

For example, if you are shipping from a location in the United States, your freight will likely fly indirectly, either by two or more legs on one aircraft with refueling layovers or by transshipment to a different aircraft at some point midway between its origin and final destination.

Shippers bringing freight to Malaysia from Singapore have no such concerns about flight time. It’s possible to send air freight from Changi Airport to KLIA (Kuala Lumpur) on one of the many daily flights between the two cities. The flight takes less than one hour, making Changi to KLIA the shortest international route to Malaysia. Indeed, it is likely that the transit time to and from airports will be much more of a concern than the flight time.

Some Example Air Freight Routes and Transit Times to Malaysia

From Africa and the Middle East

Country of Origin	Airport of Origin	Destination Airport	Duration(Approx.)
Oman	Muscat	Kuala Lumpur	7 Hours
Qatar	Doha	Kuala Lumpur	8 Hours
Saudi Arabia	Jeddah	Kuala Lumpur	9 Hours
Turkey	Istanbul	Kuala Lumpur	11 Hours
United Arab Emirates	Dubai	Kuala Lumpur	7 Hour

From Europe

Country of Origin	Airport of Origin	Destination Airport	Duration(Approx.)
Germany	Frankfurt	Kuala Lumpur	12 Hours
Netherlands	Amsterdam	Kuala Lumpur	12 Hours
United Kingdom	London Heathrow	Kuala Lumpur	13 Hours

From Asia and Oceania

Country of Origin	Airport of Origin	Destination Airport	Duration(Approx.)
Australia	Sydney	Kuala Lumpur	8 Hours
Australia	Melbourne	Kuala Lumpur	8 Hours
Australia	Perth	Kuala Lumpur	6 Hours
Australia	Brisbane	Kuala Lumpur	9 Hours
Bangladesh	Dhaka	Kuala Lumpur	4 Hours
Cambodia	Phnom Penh	Kuala Lumpur	2 Hours
China	Guangzhou	Kuala Lumpur	4 Hours
China	Beijing	Kuala Lumpur	6 Hours
China	Shanghai	Kuala Lumpur	6 Hours
China	Shanghai	Penang	5 Hours
China	Xiamen	Kuala Lumpur	5 Hours
China	Guangzhou	Penang	4 Hours
China	Chengdu	Kuala Lumpur	4 Hours
China	Shenzhen	Kuala Lumpur	4 Hours
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Kuala Lumpur	4 Hours
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Penang	4 Hours
India	Chennai	Kuala Lumpur	4 Hours
India	Mumbai	Kuala Lumpur	5 Hours
Indonesia	Denpasar	Kuala Lumpur	3 Hours
Indonesia	Jakarta	Kuala Lumpur	2 Hours
Indonesia	Surabaya	Kuala Lumpur	3 Hours
Japan	Tokyo	Kuala Lumpur	7 Hours
Japan	Osaka	Kuala Lumpur	6 Hours
Japan	Tokyo	Penang	7 Hours
New Zealand	Auckland	Kuala Lumpur	10 Hours
Philippines	Manila	Kuala Lumpur	4 Hours
Singapore	Singapore	Kuala Lumpur	<1 Hour
Singapore	Singapore	Penang	1 Hour
South Korea	Seoul	Kuala Lumpur	6 Hours
Sri Lanka	Colombo	Kuala Lumpur	4 Hours
Taiwan	Taipei	Kuala Lumpur	5 Hours
Taiwan	Kaohsiung	Kuala Lumpur	4 Hours
Thailand	Bangkok	Kuala Lumpur	2 Hours
Thailand	Bangkok	Penang	2 hours
Vietnam	Hanoi	Kuala Lumpur	3 Hours
Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	Kuala Lumpur	2 Hours
Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	Penang	2 Hours

Shipa Freight: Your Forwarder for Malaysia, Asia, and the World

Whether your business is based in Malaysia or elsewhere, whether you want air freight or ocean freight services, from port to port or door to door, and whether your shipments are large or small, Shipa Freight is here to simplify your fulfillment processes.

Our logistics experts have deep knowledge and experience of working with shipping lines and customs authorities—as much as you are likely to find in any freight forwarding company in Malaysia or elsewhere, and our technology helps you get fast, competitive freight quotes, and fast, efficient transportation for your international shipments.

Visit the Shipa Freight platform now, and see how simple it can be to get your goods on the move to Malaysia, Asia, or anywhere around the world.