Minister clarifies diesel purchase restrictions for foreign vehicles

PAPAR: Foreign vehicles are allowed to fill up with a maximum of 20 litres of diesel at petrol stations in Sabah and Sarawak located within a 30-kilometre radius of the Brunei or Indonesia border, says Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.

He said that beyond this 30-kilometre radius, foreigners could purchase the required quantity of diesel, provided it was only filled into their vehicle’s tank.

This policy, he said, was based on the Supply Control Order under Regulation 12A of the Supply Control Regulations 1974, which prohibited the sale of diesel and RON95 petrol to foreign-registered vehicles, adding that the order had been in effect since June 17, 2022.

“There has been confusion at certain petrol stations on the ban on diesel sales to foreign vehicles as seen in the viral post recently, they (petrol station operators) are concerned and confused by the existing regulations that were actually issued in June 2022.

“We want to protect the rights of our citizens to these subsidies, but at the same time, we are concerned because the arrival of tourists to Sabah and Sarawak is important for the local economy,” he told reporters after attending the Papar Rahmah Sales and the Battle of Ethnic Programme here, tonight.

He was commenting on a viral social media post about a convoy of tourists from Brunei participating in an off-road event in Sarawak, who faced difficulties filling up with diesel because petrol stations along their route refused to sell diesel to foreign vehicles.

Armizan said that the maximum 20-litre limit also applied to petrol stations in Peninsular Malaysia within a 50-kilometre radius of the Thailand and Singapore borders, based on the same regulation. Foreign nationals can purchase the necessary fuel for their vehicles beyond this radius.

“This issue may have arisen because station operators are worried about their stations being reported for selling to foreign vehicles, as has frequently occurred recently.

“The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDN) will continue to advocate this directive with oil companies and petrol station operators to prevent any confusion,” he added.

However, he stressed that foreign vehicles were not permitted to be filled with subsidised RON95 petrol, which was reserved for Malaysian citizens. Foreign nationals can only purchase RON97 petrol for their vehicles.

Armizan also acknowledged complaints from foreign tourists in Sabah and Sarawak about the difficulty in obtaining RON97 petrol due to a limited number of stations supplying it.

“I will obtain an immediate report from KPDN Sabah and Sarawak and seek the best solution, including holding discussions with the Ministry of Finance,” he said.