Visa, living and people!

EU Citizens (Spain) can stay 3 months in Malaysia with no visa.

wonderful! thanks Gravitas
I would like to know where can I live with not many tourist ?

Hi

Holiday or work depends what you do in Malaysia and the budget off course.
You might get valuable info associating with tourist.
Dressed up moderately advisable,and shoving affection in the public is not a norm,they will not interfere but you will get my point when its happen.
Of course not making any negative comment about anything including politics or any other sensitive subjects advisable.
Other than that staying Malaysia is piece of cake.
Locals will give you VIP treatment,
You might not even want to go back to your own country.
Like some of the expats giving you advice on this blog still searching a job and still staying in Malaysia.

Have a nice stay in Malaysia

There is no point coming to Malaysia and wanting to stay away from the Tourist trail. Most Europeans find the suburbs very boring and not particularly safe as they end up having a high profile.  Plan an itinerary of where you want to go or what you intend to do e.g. volunteering. I always suggest Penang as a good place to visit.  Malaysia is getting more expensive quite rapidly, even outside the main cities. Define your purpose and can then provide more information. Main issue will be accommodation as it is rare to find say a flat share for just 3 months - so you will have to stay at cheap hotels (c. RM 100 per night) and backbacking hostels (c. RM 35 per night) unless you plan to take a suite at the Hilton.

Hi thanks for the info when you said I should dress moderately you mean that since I am a woman and not Muslim I could get into some trouble ? or are they used to European woman ?

Hi! thanks for replying. I will like to go to a place that is not incredible full of tourist mostly because I want to be in peace, not partying or so on. But I have not been in Malaysia before and I don't know what type of tourism is in there anyways if you can recommend peaceful places I will be very happy to visit them.

Hi There

And God created women,
Richard Burton Loved Elizabeth Taylor
Hitler was a bad man,South American people are very bright people (well,most of them)
If Shakira goes to Asia there will be no problem.
And we are holding our breath regarding your visit to Malaysia.

Adios Bambino

thanks

Just to add my 2 sens worth.

I'm currently living in Pandan Indah (near Ampang) found there are not really many tourists here, a sprinkle of expats and some locals. Found that I dont have a large enough profile to attract attention (except what is expected of course)

Mainly, near an LRT and slightly out of the main areas would be alright if you want to stay away from tourists. If this is the case definitely avoid the city locations (KLCC, Bukit Bintang etc)

It will be busiest in January as people travel for the festive season and new year and then it gets quiet again. Not very many busy tourist spots as in KL at least, it is just the city and its ambiance to experience. F&B outlets or areas will generally be quite busy especially in the evening. Suggest you may like a trip to Penang Island and the UNESCO Heritage Zone as it has about the most culture in one place. KL has not got enough to do for a 3 month trip. Travelling in the region is quite cheap (apart from Singapore) so Seim Reap / Anchor Wat is another proposal. There are some quiet beaches dotted around the region too. It Chinese New Year (31 January) and Jade Emperor afterwards, which are fun festivals. Penang always has the most celebrations - tonight just bumped into the Birthday parade for the Goddess of Mercy - very beautiful and a wonderful legend.

Nice, thank you all for the information.
I just found a nice web side where I can go to stay on farms, on the jungle and other remote places, so I am pretty satisfied with it.
I was just wondering if I like it and I want to stay for more that 3 month what can I do? thanks for your help!

To stay longer you will have to leave the country and return again. At immigration they will decide how long you can be in the country again. The maximum will be 3 months.  Be careful about staying in remote places as you may lack language skills to communicate and attract undue attention. Malaysia tends to have a more Islamic flavour outside KL.  In fact some areas are 97% Muslim and Westerners may be seen as a bad influence on the local women who are adhering to Islamic principles of modesty, etc.

Can't I just open my own firm? be a freelancer? will that give me a working visa?

Yes you can open up a company.  You need RM500K in capital and 2 directors.  You have to pay yourself and the other director a minimum salary of RM5k per month and pay income tax on that amount. You get an employment pass if you meet the above requirements. 

If you want to set up a company with a Malaysian, then the capital required is RM350 000 and the same salary and tax payment is needed to get a work permit for the foreign owner. 

The Capital can be used to fund the activities, but the original amount has to be returned to the balance sheet every year for the report and accounts. 

You are required to have an office that has public access (i.e. it cannot be your home address) and pay for that and various other expenses, including a company secretary to formalize your company in Malaysia.  It probably costs around RM10k to set up a company.

There are certains types of consultancy and work that are not allowed to be carried out in Malaysia by foreigners. 

http://malaysiabizadvisory.com/type-of- … -malaysia/

This website provides some details - it would be good to look around it to see the various aspects that need consideration.

http://malaysiabizadvisory.com/malaysia … oreigners/

Otherwise consult the immigration website:

http://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/main … expatriate

Hi all,

Please note that some posts going against the forum's code of conduct have been removed from the thread.

Thanks
Armand
Expat.com Team