Setting Up a Business in Malaysia

An in-depth guide for foreign entrepreneurs and companies looking to enter the Malaysian market — a genuinely diversified Southeast Asian economy with well-established free zones and a comparatively predictable foreign investment regime.
This guide covers legal structures (the Sdn Bhd, and the genuine, substantive resident director requirement foreign founders must plan for from the outset), business taxation — an honest account of the standard 24% corporate rate that applies to most foreign-owned structures, distinct from the SME preferential rate, plus Malaysia Digital status via MDEC for qualifying digital-economy activity and the foreign-sourced income exemption confirmed through 2030 — company formation via the SSM’s MyCoID portal, the cost of labor (EPF and SOCSO contributions), and immigration routes for executives, investors, and entrepreneurs. Includes an operational checklist and useful contacts.
Available in English.