CURRENCY

Population:
c.a. 20,800,000

Capital:
Kuala Lumpur

Flag:
Fourteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow fourteen-pointed star; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam; the design was based on the U.S. flag.

Shop Hours:
Department stores and supermarkets are usually open from 10am to 10pm and shops from 9:30am to 7pm. In Kuala Lumpur, as well as in most major towns, there are several 24-hour stores.

Bank Hours:
Monday through Friday from 10am to 3pm, and Saturday 9:30am to 11:30am.

Holidays:
Weekly holidays vary from region to region. In Selangor, Melaka, Penang, Perak, Pahang and Negri Sembilan, there is a half-day holiday on Saturday and a full-day holiday on Sunday. In the states of Johor, Kedah, Perlis, Teren gganu and Kelantan a traditional half-day holiday is observed on Thursday and full-day holiday on Friday; Saturday and Sunday are treated as weekdays.

January 1 - New Year's Day (except Johor, Kelantan,
Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis)

April 13 - Good Friday

May 1 - Labor Day

May 9 - Vesak Day (except for Federal Territory of
Labuan)

June 6 - Birthday of Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King)

July 23 - Maal Hijrah

August 31 - National Day

December 25 - Christmas Day

In addition, many moveable feasts are observed, depending on the Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu calendar.     

• Chinese New Year (2 days; except Kelantan and Terengganu - 1 day)
• Hari Raya Puasa (2 days)
• Hari Raya Haji (1 day; 2 days in Kedah, Kelantan,
  Pahang, Perlis)
• Prophet Mohammed's Birthday
• Awal Ramadan

Note: If a holiday falls on a weekend or Friday, the following day becomes a holiday.

Time:
13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and16 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time, 7 hours of GMT;

Tipping:
Tipping is usually not necessary, unless service is excellent. Most hotels and large restaurants automatically add a 10% service charge in addition to the 5% government tax to the bill (indicated by a ++ sign on menus and rate cards).

Restaurants:
10% service charge added automatically. Additional tipping is unnecessary, unless service is excellent.

Porters:
Tip porters about M$1 per bag. Any tip less than 50 sen would be considered insulting.

Hotel maids:
Service charge added automatically. Additional tipping is unnecessary, unless to acknowledge excellent service.

Taxis:
Most taxis are fitted with meters, but these are used only in major towns such as Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and Ipoh. Taxi rates are currently M$1 for the first kilometer (.62mi) and 30 sen for each subsequent half kilometer (.31mi). A 20-30% air-conditioning charge is added to the fare and is not optional. Malaysians usually tip drivers with their coin change. To acknowledge excellent service, 10% is greatly appreciated but not expected. When traveling early in the morning or late at night, drivers prefer to fix a price for the destination. Negotiating is advisable.

VISAS AND PASSPORT

No visas are required for stays not exceeding three months for citizens of: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Luxemburg, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, Tunesia, U.S.A. ,France and Germany (except for local employment).

Upon departure, an airport tax is collected. For domestic flights, the tax is M$3, for flights to Brunei and Singapore, M$5, for international flights, M$15.

CUSTOMS REGULATIONS