u/AsparagusCute6552

I am living here in Malaysia as a digital nomad (under De Rantau Visa). I work 100% remotely with a UK company, with $110K/year. I and do not have local malaysian bank. I receive my monthly salary through Wise, and I do not make internal transfers. Should I worry about paying taxes? I did my research and I got many different answers. My country and Malaysia do not have a common tax declaration agreement.

Most of website/reddit answers say that foreign income is tax-excempt. So, I should not pay taxes on my foreign salary income

But, the FAQ of MDEC De Rantau says that:

> foreign income will be eligible for taxation as per:

>1. Section 4(a) Income Tax Act 1967 (ITA 1967)

>2. Subject to the provisions of Section 7 of ITA 1967

Can anyone give me insights about this? Whether digital nomads living in malaysia need to pay taxes?

TITLE EDIT: IT SEEMS TO NOT BE WATER QUALITY PROBLEM

Greetings, locals here!

I'm a foreigner who moved to Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) 2 weeks ago for 2 years. Since I moved to KL, I noticed MANY back acne and pimples growing and spreading on my body. I asked expats, and many said they had the same issue due to water quality.

I'm curious: is this a common problem in Malaysia/SEA or specifically in KL? What treatment would you recommend (or worked for you) to mitigate this issue? Would installing shower filters be enough?

Since I arrived in Kuala Lumpur 1 week ago, I've been noticing MANY back acne and pimples on my back (some are growing on my neck as well). I visited a doctor and asked many expats here, and all suggested it could be a water quality issue, and indeed, I take at least one shower a day.

Do you have the same problem? And did anyone mitigate the issue? How? Would installing shower filters resolve the issue?

I'm having a muscle strain in my neck since yesterday and it is not going better, any doctor you recommend to help me release this strain in KLCC? I'm having international insurance, so preferably an option that is willing to accept this.

Thanks!

Hello, I'm staying for couple of months in Kuala lumpur soon. I came across Blueground, which seem they have flexibility in terms of rental duration (almost everyone else requires 1 year) with furnished appartments. Any one rented through them, what was the experience?

Also, one more question: in the price breakdown, they list $249 for utilities per month which includes electricity, water and wifi. Isn't this too much? I'm living solo btw, 25M

Hello, I'm trying to apply for C-1 Visa. I checked on the official immigration website, and it says that my passport requires an e-visa (I'm not eligible for VOA). The official portal says the required documents are:

>Document Requirement

>Passport valid for at least 6 (six) months (for holders of travel documents other than passports such as emergency passports, documents of identity, etc. must be valid for 12 months).

>Personal bank statement with minimum amount USD $2000 or equivalent the last 3 months period (including name, date of period, and balance account).

>A recent color photograph.

The confusing part is that when clicking the button "Apply", I get the warning: "This Visa can be apply via Guarantor, please contact your guarantor to appy this Visa!" Why do I need a guarantor while the portal doesn't list such thing as a required document? If I do need it, any reputable and trusted ones you recommend dealing with?

I have applied for the Digital nomad visa on January 22nd. On may 18th, the status was updated from "In Progress MDEC" to "In Progress Immigration", and since then no update. I have emailed them and they asked for a document that I already uploaded to the platform, which felt weird.

for digital nomads who went through the process, how many days it took for the status to update from "In Progress Immigration" to "Approved"?

Hello, I am foreign willing to live 2 years in Malaysia and I'm not sure which part to settle in. I have been to Kuala lumpur once before and I LOVED it, but I'm pretty sure there are many other cities/villages with same or even better vibes. I am looking for a city to settle in, here are my preferences and my lifestyle:

- 25M, solo traveler.

- As to the affordability, this shouldn't be a problem as I make $8K/month, which is roughly 34K RM/month.

- Social, I like discovering new cultures and foods. So, I'd like a place where approaching locals ,discovering their culture and making friendships is easy.

- I like traveling and discovering new places a lot, so preferably a place where transport infrastructure is well established.

- I like places where they are not too crowded (like KLCC), but also not empty.

- I like running a lot, I think I will always find a place in Malaysia where to do a run, so this shouldn't be a problem

I'm open to hear any suggestions, thank you very much.

Greetings. I applied for the digital nomad visa 5 months ago, and it's been a month since the status changed to "In Progress Immigration", which is supposed to mean that MDEC approved the application and the immigration department is reviewing. For those who got their digital nomad approval, how many days did it take for the status to change from "In Progress Immigration" to "Approved"? Thanks!

I will be living in Malaysia for 1 year, and I'm a person who likes to relocate once per 3/4 months, so I can explore as many cities in Malaysia as I can. I was looking to rent an apartment in Kuala Lumpur with a verified agent (who signs a contract with me, so I'm protected by the law), but it seems all of the ones I reached require a minimum of 1year rental. My question is, is it possible to find short-term rentals with contracts? If yes, where? I've been looking mostly at PropertyGuru

I just came back home from a visit to Malaysia. This was my second time being in Malaysia, and after each trip, I fell in love with this beautiful country. I like the vibe this country gives and how the Malays, Indians, and Chinese all contribute. The local people I met are friendly and welcoming. I had many interesting chats and enjoyed every moment during my trip.

I've been mostly in big cities; the next time I come again, I will go to small villages to learn even more about your beautiful culture. At the end, I wanted to say that you guys are amazing and lovely. Peace!

Hello. I entered Malaysia for the first time on December 22nd, 2025, and exited on January 1st, 2026. On January 22nd, I applied for the digital nomad visa, and on April 23rd, the status was updated from "In Progress MDEC" to "In progress Immigration", so I expect the initial approval is already done, and they are finalizing it in the immigration department. The thing is I entered Malaysia again on May 2nd and I'm planning to stay here until May 23rd, and yesterday I got a follow-up from the MDEC team saying:

>Remark by MDEC team :  

>1.Based on the Immigration system, you are currently in Malaysia. Therefore, to proceed with the approval, kindly upload a copy of your latest exit stamp.

>2.Please update the field “Currently in Malaysia” to NO.

>3.Kindly check and confirm the Visa Collection Centre, as this will be finalized in the approval letter.

>Note: You must remain outside Malaysia until the approval letter is issued. Entering Malaysia before approval may delay the processing of your application.

>Thank you.

In the first point, for the "latest exit stamp", is it the latest exit stamp before applying for the DE Rantu visa, so that I prove I applied when I was out of Malaysia, or are they genuinely asking me to leave the country to finalize the approval, given the 2nd point and the note?

Also, regarding the note, I didn't know that I must remain outside Malaysia while my application is in progress, and there is no available official resource stating this. Is this noted somewhere and I missed it?

Has anyone encountered a similar situation before? Any insights would be helpful

Hello. I entered Malaysia for the first time on December 22nd, 2025, and exited on January 1st, 2026. On January 22nd, I applied for the digital nomad visa, and on April 23rd, the status was updated from "In Progress MDEC" to "In progress Immigration", so I expect the initial approval is already done, and they are finalizing it in the immigration department. The thing is I entered Malaysia again on May 2nd and I'm planning to stay here until May 23rd, and yesterday I got a follow-up from the MDEC team saying:

>Remark by MDEC team :  

>1.Based on the Immigration system, you are currently in Malaysia. Therefore, to proceed with the approval, kindly upload a copy of your latest exit stamp.

>2.Please update the field “Currently in Malaysia” to NO.

>3.Kindly check and confirm the Visa Collection Centre, as this will be finalized in the approval letter.

Note: You must remain outside Malaysia until the approval letter is issued. Entering Malaysia before approval may delay the processing of your application.

>Thank you.

In the first point, for the "latest exit stamp", is it the latest exit stamp before applying for the DE Rantu visa, so that I prove I applied when I was out of Malaysia, or are they genuinely asking me to leave the country to finalize the approval, given the 2nd point and the note?

Also, regarding the note, I didn't know that I must remain outside Malaysia while my application is in progress, and there is no available official resource stating this. Is this noted somewhere and I missed it?

Has anyone encountered a similar situation before? Any insights would be helpful

Hello! I am, and I have been in Kuala Lumpur many times, and I noticed a pattern that many Malaysian couples are young, like they look 20/21 yo. I'm wondering, is it standard that you guys get married at a young age, or did I just see many edge cases? What is the average marriage age here? Google says 27 for men and 25 for male, but that's not what I'm seeing outside

Hello, I am here at KLCC for 3 weeks. I work remotely, so I am looking for some good coworking spaces in the area. Must be in KLCC with basic needs like coffee and good internet speed.