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(…) Manufacturing licences, which are required for persons engaging in manufacturing activities over a certain size, are issued automatically within seven days unless they relate to sensitive industries/activities: security, safety, health, environmental and religious considerations; projects proposed to be located in Sabah or Sarawak; or projects requiring approval under the Petroleum Development Act. (…)

Smuggling remains a concern and is due to various reasons including duties or tax evasion, circumvention of prohibitions, infringement of intellectual property rights, and the release of a large proportion of cargo traffic following risk-management evaluation without document examination or physical inspection. (…) Smuggling of certain subsidized essential goods under price controls (e.g. sugar, fuels (sections 3.4.2.2 and 3.4.4.2)), and endangered wildlife (e.g. ivory, reptiles) appears to remain important.

No major changes have been made to Malaysia's import licensing regime, which affects about a quarter of Malaysia's tariff lines. Since 2010, 55 tariff lines (e.g. sugar, saccharin, ractopamine, multicolour copy machines, automatic cassette/cartridge loaders) have been removed, and 28 tariff lines (e.g. agricultural products, timber products, tyres, aluminium products, CITES items) added to those subject to import licensing requirements. (…)

(…) Exports of 39 product categories (including live/dead animals/fish/plants, raw hides and skin, wool, leather, milk and milk-based products, yeast, meat products, pasta, ice cream, soups, animal feeding preparations, fertilizers of animal origin, paddy rice, rice flour, vegetables, coconuts, coffee, sugar cane, wheat flour, toxic wastes, pesticides, diesel fuel, petrol, liquefied petroleum gas, rubber and rubber products and gloves) are subject to permit or approval and inspection by different government agencies.

(…) As of March 2013, exports of two product categories (poisonous chemicals/minerals, natural sands) are prohibited. (…)

Malaysian standards (MS) are voluntary unless referred to in legislation (including specific technical regulations). (…) MSs are implemented in product certification, quality management systems, and environmental management systems certification; they are reviewed every five years or whenever required to keep current with the latest technological developments.

Malaysian standards aligned to international standards, 2008 and 2012
Description: Environmental management
2008
- Total MS (A): 58
- IDT (B): 40
- MOD (C): 0
2012 (to November):
- Total MS developed (A): 98
- Aligned MS: IDT (B): 63; and MOD (C): 3

Malaysia participates in voluntary mutual recognition arrangements under: the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC/ILAC) MRA for testing and calibration; and the Pacific Accreditation Cooperation and the International Accreditation Forum Multilateral Recognition Agreement (PAC/IAF MLA) for the quality management system (QMS) and the environmental management system (EMS) and product certification (PC). (…)

(…) The Government is also committed to venture into Government green procurement (GGP) as one of the mechanisms to minimize the impact on the environment, but there is no such policy, regulation, or legal framework so far. (…)

(…) According to the authorities, the main objective of these taxes is to promote the use of locally produced commodities in domestic downstream industries as well as to conserve the environment; export taxes on timber allow them to better apply sustainable forest management practices. (…)