Before you start

A valid licence from your home country, plus an International Driving Permit obtained before you leave — you cannot get one in Malaysia
A long-term pass (Employment Pass, DE Rantau or MM2H) before JPJ will convert your licence
A Touch 'n Go card for tolls, parking and Rapid Penang buses

Step-by-step

1
Get a Touch 'n Go card on day one
It pays both bridge tolls, Rapid Penang bus fares and most council parking. Buy the physical card at any convenience store or toll plaza and top it up there, at ATMs or in the eWallet app. Both bridges toll only in the island-bound direction, which surprises newcomers who expect to pay twice.
In personWho: Everyone15 minutesCard price plus whatever you load
2
Use Grab and Rapid Penang while you decide
Grab is the dominant ride-hailing app and covers the island densely and the mainland adequately; fares across George Town are small. Rapid Penang runs the bus network, including the airport routes and the Bridge Express services. The Rapid Ferry between Raja Tun Uda terminal in George Town and Sultan Abdul Halim terminal in Butterworth carries foot passengers and is the pleasant way across if you are not driving.
Mobile appWho: EveryoneImmediateGrab fares are modest across the island; bus fares are a few ringgit
3
Drive on your foreign licence for the initial period
A valid foreign licence, carried with an International Driving Permit if it is not in English, covers you for a limited window after arrival — commonly stated as three months. Carry the original licence, the IDP and your passport together. If you are stopped without the IDP and your licence is not in English, that is the problem, not the licence itself.
In personWho: New arrivalsRoughly the first three monthsIDP cost in your home country
4
Convert at JPJ once you hold a long-term pass
Go to a JPJ office in Penang with your foreign licence, IDP, passport, pass endorsement and photographs. Whether you convert straight across or must sit tests depends on your issuing country — several Commonwealth countries have long-standing reciprocal recognition, while other licences require the theory paper and sometimes a practical test through a registered driving school. Ask JPJ which applies to your specific licence before booking anything, because driving-school packages are the expensive path and are not always required.
In personWho: Long-term pass holdersOne to four weeks, longer if a course is requiredModest for a straight conversion; several hundred ringgit if a school course applies
5
Buy or rent a vehicle if you are outside George Town
Used cars hold value in Malaysia because of import duties, so a five-year-old car is not the bargain it would be elsewhere. Long-term car rental and scooter rental are both established in Penang and worth a few months' trial before you commit. Note that RON 95 petrol is subsidised for Malaysian citizens through the BUDI95 scheme, verified by MyKad at the pump — foreigners pay the unsubsidised float, which resets weekly, so budget at market rate from day one.
In personWho: Residents outside the walkable coreDays to weeksRoad tax and insurance annually; fuel at unsubsidised rates as a foreigner

Documents you’ll need

Home-country driving licence (original)
International Driving Permit, obtained before departure
Passport with valid pass endorsement
Passport photographs for JPJ
Proof of Penang address for vehicle registration or insurance

Things most newcomers don’t know

Both Penang bridges toll only in the island-bound direction — so a mainland home is cheaper than the toll table first suggests.

You pay crossing onto the island and nothing crossing back to Seberang Perai. People comparing a Butterworth flat with a George Town one often double the toll in their heads and reach the wrong answer. The genuine cost of living on the mainland is not the toll; it is the queue at peak hour on both bridges, which is unpredictable and can swallow forty minutes on a bad morning.

Source: Penang bridge toll structure

The Rapid Ferry is a real commuting option again, and it bypasses the bridges entirely.

The George Town–Butterworth crossing carries foot passengers between terminals that sit next to the Butterworth transport hub and a short walk from George Town's core. For anyone working in the old town and living on the mainland, it removes the bridge from the equation altogether. It is a passenger service on a published timetable rather than a turn-up-and-go shuttle, so plan around the schedule rather than assuming continuous sailings.

Source: Rapid Penang ferry service

As a foreigner you pay the unsubsidised pump price, and there is no way to register into the subsidy.

Under the BUDI95 scheme, subsidised RON 95 is verified by MyKad at the point of sale. There is no residency document, permit or petrol-station registration that makes a foreigner eligible — the exclusion is by design. Prices for the unsubsidised grades are reset weekly by the Ministry of Finance, so treat any specific figure you read as a snapshot and check the current week if fuel is a material part of your budget.

Source: BUDI95 programme rules (Ministry of Finance Malaysia)

The Mutiara Line LRT is a construction project, not a transport option — do not choose a neighbourhood for it.

Construction on Penang's LRT began in 2025 along an alignment linking the George Town area to Bayan Lepas and the airport, with operations projected into the 2030s. It is already reshaping traffic through lane closures and works zones. The mistake is choosing a flat now on the promise of a station later: you will live with the construction for years and may well have moved before a train runs. Weigh the disruption, not the future line.

Source: MRT Corp / Penang state LRT Mutiara Line project

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving without an International Driving Permit — you cannot obtain one in Malaysia and a non-English licence alone is not enough
Booking an expensive driving-school package before asking JPJ whether your specific licence converts without a test
Assuming a Bayan Lepas job is compatible with a car-free George Town life — the route is not usefully served on foot
Choosing a mainland home on toll arithmetic alone and discovering the peak-hour bridge queue is the real cost
Budgeting fuel at the subsidised RON 95 price you see quoted online, which is available only to Malaysian citizens

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.