Commute to KL from Singapore

[vantannis]

Hi,

I am relocating with my gf to Singapore, she has got a great job in a investment bank.
I had originally planned to become a kept man
Cool; but my company have offered me the opportunity of running the IS operations for an office in KL. This would mean flying back and forth spending weekdays in KL and weekends in Singapore.

Apart from the impact on my relationship from the time apart – how viable is this? The flights duration seems fine at 1 hour, but am I going to have problems with immigration or something. I am a UK passport holder, how will be getting a dependency visa, through my gf’s relocation package.

Any advice or information around this would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
J

[Strong Eagle]

Probably no real immigration hassle. It is just the time. The flight is one hour. Then, add one hour to be there before flight time, 30 mins to catch the KLIA express to the airport and another 30 minutes for the taxi to get you to KL Sentral to catch the express. If you want to go out on Friday afternoon like everyone else then immigration lines are long so add another 30 minutes. Then on the Singapore side, add one hour to clear customs and catch a taxi home.

This is a total of 4 to 4.5 hours and of course, you do it again going the other way. Last year I came back almost every weekend for a total of 18 trips in a row. It gets to be a pain in the arse... and 9 hours is what is taken up to go both ways.

Then, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines have a virtual monopoly on travel. It will cost you S$425 per round trip for that 1 hour flight.

[vantannis]

Thanks for the quick response Strong Eagle, that sounds like I am going to have to make it clear to the company that they are going to have to be flexible around how much time I spend in the KL and how much time I spend in Singapore.

I have no idea about what I am going to do tax / visa wise...
I will be in Singapore - with a visa that allows me to stay, but not to work.

I am sure that the company can sort me out with a working visa for KL, but I don't want to pay 30% income tax in Malaysia - as I am not really resident there...

Maybe something like: Register a company in Singapore, then bill the KL office as a consultant. Anyone been in this kinda situation before?

J

[Strong Eagle]

Thanks for the quick response Strong Eagle, that sounds like I am going to have to make it clear to the company that they are going to have to be flexible around how much time I spend in the KL and how much time I spend in Singapore.

I have no idea about what I am going to do tax / visa wise...
I will be in Singapore - with a visa that allows me to stay, but not to work.

I am sure that the company can sort me out with a working visa for KL, but I don't want to pay 30% income tax in Malaysia - as I am not really resident there...

Maybe something like: Register a company in Singapore, then bill the KL office as a consultant. Anyone been in this kinda situation before?

J

If you live in Singapore but work outside of Singapore, then you do not need an EP, nor do you need to file tax returns. You can open an bank account in Singapore to receive payment.

Technically, you need a work permit to be working full time in Malaysia but there are large numbers of people that work up there in the manner just described. The key is that you cannot be paid in Malaysia. As soon as that happens you must have a permit to work or open a bank account. And it is a large hassle to move money out because of currency restrictons.

I doubt that this arrangement is entirely legal but it is the way it is done... you'll see when you fly.