International convention and customs procedures of Malaysia

International Conventions: Member of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
Party to the Kyoto Protocol
Party to the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Party to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal
Party to the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer
International Economic Cooperation: Malaysia is a member of the following international economic organisations: IMF, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), ICC, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Commonwealth, G-15, G-77, WTO, among others. For the full list of economic and other international organisations in which participates Malaysia click here. International organisation membership of Malaysia is also outlined here.
Non Tariff Barriers: Import regulations in Malaysia are liberal compared to other ASEAN countries' regulations. Most goods can be freely imported under General Open License. Some specific sectors, considered as strategic, are protected by a system of restricted import licenses. Items covered under this category are the iron and steel industry, cement, the sector of the automobile and its components and also polyethylene and polypropylene.
The restrictions in import licensing also affect other sectors in terms of approval (electrical products) and sanitary items (foodstuffs or veterinary products), without being a protectionist measure.
Quotas are not frequently applied to imports and apply to certain products whose local production is favoured (rice, meat, fruits and vegetables). In extreme cases (frozen chicken, eggs, liquid milk or sugar), if it is considered that the local production is self-sufficient, import is forbidden. There are other products that are forbidden or subject to special licenses for safety, religion or morality reasons.
Customs Duties and Taxes on Imports: Simple average applied tariff for industrial goods: 5.6% (WTO-UNCTAD, 2017 - latest data available)

Customs Classification: Malaysia applies two systems of tariff classification, one for trade inside ASEAN and the other, the Harmonised System, for trade with other countries up to the six figure level.
Import Procedures: All goods to be imported whether or not subject to import duties must be declared in writing on Customs Form No. 1. All declarations should indicate a full and true account of the number and description of goods and packages, value, weight, measurement or quantity, and the country of origin or the final destination. Declarations must be submitted to the Customs station at the place where the goods are to be imported. All duties/custom taxes imposed on imported goods will need to be paid in advance before the goods can be released (import tax and goods and services tax). Documents required by Malaysian Customs include: Custom Form No.1, bill of lading/airway bill; commercial invoice or Pro-forma invoice; packing list; any relevant permits, licenses or certificates.

For more information, please visit the website of the Malaysian Customs.
Importing Samples: Malaysia is part of the ATA carnet convention.