Moving from Singapore to Malaysia

• Transit times: Typical road transit times are:
  • Johor Bahru: 1–2 days
  • Kuala Lumpur: 1–3 days
  • Penang: 3–5 days, as shipments transit through our Kuala Lumpur warehouse first
  • Sabah and Sarawak: shipped from Singapore, usually 7–14 days
  Shared (groupage) loads may take longer depending on the consolidation schedule.
• Cost: We provide an estimate after a free survey of your home, conducted in person, by video call or from photos. The final price is confirmed once your items have been packed and the shipment volume is known. Costs depend on the volume, distance, access conditions and services selected. See what affects the cost.
• Singapore export permit: An export permit is not required when your household goods travel as accompanied baggage. It is required when the goods are shipped as manifested cargo.
• Pets: Yes. Dogs and cats travelling from Singapore to Malaysia require a Malaysian import licence.
• What can affect transit times: Customs clearance, collection and delivery access, public holidays and the choice between dedicated and shared transport can all affect the final delivery date.

Moving an office across borders involves more than transporting desks and equipment. Your relocation needs to be carefully planned around lease dates, business operations, staff requirements and the timing of your new premises. R7 coordinates the packing, documentation, transportation and delivery of your office contents, helping your team settle into the new workplace with minimal disruption.

Most moves between the two countries go by road. This is what happens, and what we take care of at each stage.

1. Survey in Singapore. A move coordinator visits your home to assess what is moving, what is staying and what may go into storage. We also check access requirements, including lift bookings, loading bays and parking at both addresses. You receive a written estimate and an inventory.
2. Documents and customs paperwork. Before moving day, we ask you to provide:
   • A copy of your passport
   • A Malaysian electricity bill or water bill in the same name as the passport; or
   • A tenancy agreement in the same name as the passport

   An Employment Pass (EP) is optional but can be provided if available.

   We review these documents alongside your inventory and prepare the required customs paperwork for your household goods 2-3 days before your move date. R7 prepares and files the Malaysian customs declaration and will let you know if any additional documents are needed.

3. Packing and loading. Our crew packs your belongings using export-grade materials, wraps furniture, crates fragile or high-value items where required and labels every carton against the inventory.
4. Crossing the border. Road moves leave Singapore through one of the two land checkpoints, Woodlands or Tuas, both of which operate 24 hours. The truck then clears Malaysian customs on the Johor side.
5. Delivery and unpacking. At your new home, we unload your belongings and place furniture room by room. Depending on the service you choose, we can also reassemble beds and wardrobes, unpack your items and remove the packing materials.

Before moving day, check whether your building requires a move-out permit, lift booking, loading-bay access or parking arrangements for the moving truck.

For the full planning calendar, from the first quotation to the first night in your new home, see our international relocation timeline.

We deliver to every state in Peninsular Malaysia by road, and to Sabah and Sarawak by shipment from Singapore. What changes from one destination to another:

• Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley. Most condominiums require a lift booking and a moving deposit with the management office, and many only allow moves on weekdays within set hours. Tell us the rules of your building early: we plan the delivery slot around them.
• Johor Bahru and Iskandar Puteri. The shortest route, just across the Causeway or the Second Link. Popular with families who keep working in Singapore.
• Penang. A longer road journey up the North–South Expressway. Plan for the extra transit time when you book flights and temporary accommodation.
• Ipoh, Melaka and other cities. Delivered by road on the same principle: one inventory, one coordinator, from Singapore to your door.
• Sabah and Sarawak. Goods are shipped from Singapore rather than driven, so the move takes longer and needs its own customs and port handling.

Your household goods can only be released in Malaysia once your immigration status is clear, so the move and the pass application should be planned together.

Employment Pass holders and their families

If you are being transferred or hired in Malaysia, your employer applies for your Employment Pass. The salary rules changed recently: from 1 June 2026, Category I requires a monthly salary of RM20,000 or more, up from RM10,000, for all new and renewal applications, and Category II now covers salaries of RM10,000 to RM19,999 and Category III salaries of RM5,000 to RM9,999. Employment Pass holders can apply for a Dependant Pass for their spouse and children under 18, valid for as long as the main pass. Our article on the Employment Pass changes of 1 June 2026 explains what they mean for employers.

Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)

MM2H is run by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture; applicants must be 25 or older (21 for the SEZ/SFZ category) and apply through an MM2H operator licensed by the ministry. Participants keep a fixed deposit with a Malaysian bank and may withdraw up to half of it for a home, education or medical costs in Malaysia. Check the current amounts on the official MM2H site before you commit, as they have changed several times.

Customs on the Malaysian side

Royal Malaysian Customs sets out duty and tax exemptions under the Customs Duties (Exemption) Order 2017. Used personal and household effects of people taking up residence may qualify, subject to conditions and supporting documents. We check your eligibility during the survey and prepare the declaration for you. Our customs clearance guide for household goods in ASEAN covers the documents in more detail.

Leaving Singapore

Personal and household effects travelling with you as luggage can usually leave Singapore without an export permit, unless they are dutiable or controlled goods. When your goods are shipped as manifested cargo, as in a removal by truck or container, an export permit is required. We arrange it as part of the move. For visas, school places and home search in Malaysia, our mobility services team can help.

Moving your dog or cat

Before leaving, you need an export licence from Singapore’s Animal & Veterinary Service, applied for on the GoBusiness Licensing Portal; it costs S$50 (S$100 express) and is valid for 90 days. On the Malaysian side, an import licence from the Department of Veterinary Services is required, with your declaration that the pet has lived with you in Singapore for at least six months (or since birth). Within the seven days before the move, your pet must be examined by the veterinary authority in Singapore and found free of any clinical sign of infectious or contagious disease. R7’s pet travel service handles crates, veterinary checks and import and export clearance.

Bringing a car

There are two different situations. If you simply drive your Singapore-registered car into Peninsular Malaysia, it needs a Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) from the Road Transport Department, and a RM20 road charge is paid at each entry. If you are a Malaysian citizen returning to live in Malaysia and want to import your car, you need an Approved Permit (AP) from MITI, with conditions on how long you have owned the car and a deadline after your return. R7 ships vehicles with the documentation and port handling included.

Storage while you settle in

Moving dates rarely line up perfectly. R7 offers secure, climate-controlled storage for household goods, at our facility in Petaling Jaya, so part or all of your shipment can wait until your new home is ready. Read more in our guide to temporary storage during an international move.

Every quote is built on the survey, not on a price list. The main factors:

• Volume. The number of rooms and how full they are. A studio and a four-bedroom house are very different moves.
• Destination. Johor Bahru is a short run; Penang or East Malaysia add transit time, fuel and, for Sabah and Sarawak, shipping.
• Access. Lift bookings, long carries, stairs and time windows at either building can add crew hours.
• Door to door. The move includes professional packing by our crew, trucking, customs clearance, then unwrapping of furniture and removal of debris on delivery.
• Special items. Artwork, pianos, antiques and large furniture may need crating or extra handling.
• Insurance. We offer all-risk marine insurance covering transit damage, theft and natural disasters, priced on the value you declare.
• Storage. Charged by volume and duration if your goods cannot go straight to the new home.

Book your survey and you will receive an itemised quote that shows each of these lines.

A cross-border move involves two countries’ rules, two sets of building managers and a border crossing in between. Having one company responsible from the first carton to the last piece of furniture is what keeps it simple. Our Singapore team works from New Bridge Road and our Malaysia office is in Kuala Lumpur. R7 is a member of the International Association of Movers (IAM), FEDEMAC, Eurovan, ARA, IMA and GEM Network. For relocations further afield, see our international relocation services.