Exporting Household Goods from USA to Malaysia
Shipping household goods and other personal effects from the United States to Malaysia is fairly easy nowadays because of the availability of many shipping companies. Depending on where you expect to reside in Malaysia, you can ship your goods to the nearest ports in Malaysia including Port Klang in Kuala Lumpur.
Customs Regulations
You will need to provide your shipper with a copy of basic documents like a letter of authority, Malaysian Customs Form No.1, your passport, contact address, packing list and the OBL/AWB when shipping to Malaysia. Your household goods and personal effects will be subjected to customs examination when it enters any port in Malaysia. Expect goods less than six months old to be levied duties and taxes.
As a shopper, you are required to be physically present to sign documents when necessary, before the Customs releases its clearance for the goods. If you are shipping electrical household goods then make sure it is accompanied by a National Electricity Board import license. In case your personal effects include video tapes, expect to pay between $5 and $15 per video tape approved by Malaysia’s Film Censorship Boards.
Used household goods
Household goods including electrical appliances that are more than six months old can be shipped to Malaysia on a Duty-Free basis. This applies to returning Malaysian citizens and to expatriates who intend to work in Malaysia. However, you need to present documentary evidence of the age of the item including sales receipts or invoices.
The Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have to approve household goods shipped under the Diplomatic Shipments status. The Embassy of the shipper is required to submit the original shipping documents and the Diplomatic ID card. While the approval by the Ministry will take two to three weeks, it will take a shorter period of up to 12 days for Customs to clear the shipments from the time of the arrival of the vessel at the Port.
Household imports with restricted entry
If you are planning to import household equipment and apparatus such as electric smoothing irons, electric kettles, television, rice cookers, hair dryers and other equipment that operate at 50 or 120 volts then you need to meet the other regulatory requirements of Customs before it approves or disapproves your shipment. The same rule applies to radio communications systems with a 3000 GHz frequency band or lower, motor vehicles, batik sarong and video machines.
If you are bringing a few personal effects with you, either you will wear it or carry it in your baggage during your trip to Malaysia then these personal effects can be exempted from duty. But if you are bringing gifts for friends in Malaysia of any amount, then you have to pay the required duties and taxes.
By choosing a reputable shipping company to ship your household goods and personal effects to Malaysia, you can be assured that it has a database and legal access to the Customs-operated computer systems in Malaysia to make your shipping transactions fast and efficient. Thus, your shipment details including the shipping manifests and other data can already be examined by the Malaysian Customs agents in advance.
In case you have any problem with your shipments to Malaysia, you can check your shipping records with your shipping company since those who do business with Malaysia are required by the Sales Tax Act of 1972 and the Customs Act of 1967 to keep records of importers for six years.
Once all the documents required by the Malaysian Customs have been submitted like commercial invoices of the goods, bill of lading and CI or Import Declaration, and the necessary payments made then your shipment will be released.