This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec
Bringing things into Malaysia
Duty-free allowance
No duty-free tobacco allowance at all
1 L of spirits
MYR 1,000 of other goods
Cash to declare
USD 10,000 or more
The threshold covers cash and equivalents carried by one traveller. Not declaring it is what causes the money to be seized, not the amount itself.
The one litre is the total across wine, spirits, beer and malt liquor together, not one litre of each. Tobacco and vapes have no allowance at all — duty and tax are owed on the first cigarette — and the RM 1,000 for other goods applies to arrivals by air; by land or sea it is RM 500. The allowance only applies if you satisfy the officer you intend to stay at least 72 hours, so it does not cover a short stopover, and allowances cannot be pooled between travellers.
Malaysia's arrival card carries a death-penalty warning for drug trafficking, and it is not a formality.
Drug trafficking carries the death penalty. The threshold quantities are low, the warning is printed on the arrival documentation, and carrying something for someone else is no defence.
Cash equivalent to USD 10,000 or more must be declared on entry and on exit.
Alcohol and tobacco allowances are small and were cut in recent years, and Langkawi, Labuan and Tioman are duty-free islands with separate rules for what may be carried back to the mainland.
Pornographic material and material deemed offensive to Islam are prohibited, and this is applied to items in luggage rather than to what is on your phone.
The land crossings from Singapore and Thailand are full customs borders, and the Johor causeway is where the alcohol and cigarette limits are actually checked.
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