For accepted students
Before you go to Kuala Lumpur.
Everything you need to sort out, in the order you need to sort it. Work down the list. If something here does not make sense, ask us rather than guessing.
Do these first01
Documents
- Passport. Check the expiry now, not later. Most travel requires at least six months validity beyond your departure date. Renewing takes weeks. Send us a copy of the photo page once you are accepted.
- Visa. Australian passport holders do not need a visa for a short visit, but a placement can sit on a different basis, so we confirm the correct entry arrangement with you before you book flights. On any other passport, check your own requirements immediately and tell us what you find.
- Malaysia Digital Arrival Card. Every traveller completes it online in the three days before landing, Australians included. Free, about five minutes, on the Immigration Department’s official site only. The autogate reads it from your passport. Step by step.
- A return flight, booked. Immigration expects to see an onward or return booking. Book it before you fly and keep the confirmation on your phone. You can stay on after the placement if you want to, and a longer placement can be arranged with us instead.
- Travel insurance. Compulsory. It must cover medical treatment, emergency evacuation and personal liability. Send us the certificate before you fly. You will not be able to start without it.
- Emergency contact. Give us a name, relationship and a phone number that will actually be answered from overseas.
- Dietary requirements, allergies and medical conditions. Tell us. We would rather know about a nut allergy in Melbourne than in a restaurant in Bangsar.
- Register with DFAT Smart Traveller. Free, takes five minutes, and it means the Australian government knows where you are if something happens.
Packing02
What to bring
Court and office dress
You are attending court and working inside a practice, held to the same standard as the firm's own staff. This is not negotiable and it is the thing students most often get wrong.
- A black suit for court days
- Business attire Monday to Thursday, business casual on Friday
- Plain business shirts or blouses, enough for a week between washes
- Closed, polished shoes you can walk in. You will be on your feet in courts and registries
Everything else
- Light clothes. Kuala Lumpur sits around 27 to 33 degrees and is humid all year. Natural fibres. You will change more often than you expect
- Something for rain. A small umbrella. Tropical downpours are sudden and heavy
- A light layer for indoors. Malaysian air conditioning is aggressive
- Your own laptop. Bring one. We do not provide laptops
- A plug adapter. Malaysia uses Type G plugs, the same three rectangular pins as the UK. Australian plugs will not fit
- Photo ID separate from your passport
- Any prescription medication in its original packaging, with enough for the whole trip plus a buffer
Money and phone03
Sorting yourself out on arrival
- Get a local SIM at the airport. Prepaid SIMs are cheap and easy at KLIA, and having data from the moment you land makes everything else simpler. You will need your passport to register it
- Use a card with no foreign transaction fees. A travel card or a bank account that does not charge on overseas purchases will save you real money over four weeks. Sort it before you leave, not after
- Carry some cash. Malaysia is card friendly in the city, but hawker stalls, small shops and some taxis are cash only, and the food is the point
- Tell your bank you are travelling so your card does not get frozen on day one
What we handle04
You do not need to arrange these
| Accommodation | Arranged for you in Kuala Lumpur. Your own private apartment. Let us know your dietary requirements |
| Breakfast and lunch | Provided on working days |
| Airport pick up and drop off | We will meet you. Send us your flight number once booked |
| Transport to and from court | Provided |
| Host firm placement | Matched to the area of law you nominated |
| Orientation | Pre departure briefing and again on arrival |
Flights are yours to book. Tell us your itinerary as soon as it is confirmed so we can coordinate arrivals and meet you.
Anything at all
Ask rather than guess.
If you are unsure about a document, a booking, a medical issue or what to wear, email nmk@lawgistics.my. There is no question too small, and it is much easier to fix in Australia than in Malaysia.