From April 1, drivers of foreign-registered vehicles caught buying RON95 petrol will face legal action as Malaysia tightens its subsidy control measures.
Putrajaya: Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali (pic) said a ban on the purchase and sale of RON95 petrol for foreign-registered vehicles would come into effect from April 1.
He said the move aims to strengthen the existing legal framework which previously imposed the offense only on petrol station operators.
“With effect from April 1, 2026, this offense will also include drivers or owners of vehicles registered abroad,” he said in a post on his Facebook page here today.
Armijan said the enforcement is a follow-up to his decision presented in parliament on January 29.
He said the enforcement agenda will continue to be strengthened through the implementation of OPS TIRIS 4.0 (Integrated) to ensure compliance with regulations and combat smuggling of subsidized fuel in the border areas, especially following tensions in the Middle East conflict.
“I am reminding all parties, whether petrol station operators or foreign motor vehicle consumers, to abide by this ban,” he said.
Armijan said the KPDN will not compromise with any individual, syndicate or operator involved in smuggling or abuse of fuel subsidies.
Additionally, Armijan called on the public to remain the eyes and ears of the government by disseminating information about suspicious activities in line with the KITA GEMPUR agenda to ensure that people’s interests continue to be protected and subsidy leakages are curbed.
Earlier, Armijan chaired a meeting with the Enforcement Division of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) to finalize preparations to implement the extension of the ban on the purchase and sale of RON95 petrol for foreign-registered vehicles.
In a related development, Armijan said the government also guaranteed that supplies of the country’s basic necessities would remain adequate despite rising costs of logistics and packaging materials due to the conflict in the Middle East.
He said the guarantee was achieved as a result of strengthening collaboration between the government and the retail industry through an engagement session with the Malaysia Retail Association (MRA), which is the main umbrella organization for players in the sector.
“The main agenda of the discussion was issues arising from the Middle East conflict, particularly the impact on security of supply and price stability.
“Through strengthening cooperation between government and industry, the supply of imported basic necessities is adequate despite facing several issues, especially rising logistics costs and packaging materials,” he said.
