Kuala Lumpur is one of the gentlest expat moves in Southeast Asia: a reasonable cost of living, English everywhere, and a close-knit French community gathered around its school. The city is green, delicious, and far easier to tame than it looks. Here is the essential picture.
Currency
Malaysian ringgit (RM)
Languages
Malay (English widely spoken)
Time vs Paris
6 to 7h ahead
Emergencies
999
FIAFE network
The Accueil for French-speaking families
In each city, a volunteer-run association from the FIAFE network welcomes, informs and helps French-speaking families settling in.
Kuala Lumpur Accueil (AFM)
The AFM Kuala Lumpur Accueil has been helping French-speaking families discover Malaysia for over thirty years: monthly and neighbourhood coffees, visits, jungle hikes, clubs and La Gazette, the country's only French-language magazine.
Where to meet them
No fixed premises: monthly coffees and the online calendar are the entry point; first contact by email to the secretariat.
The local French chamber of commerce (CCI France International network) is a real asset for work: networking, job offers and help to restart a career or start a business locally.
CCI France International
CCI France Malaisie (MFCCI)
Based in Kuala Lumpur, CCI France Malaysia brings together over 300 member companies, with job offers, professional contacts and networking events to help a spouse and the family find their place.
To follow local life in French: news, what's on, good addresses and, often, a directory of French-speaking professionals.
lepetitjournal.com Kuala Lumpur
MediaIn French
The Malaysian edition of the online daily for French expatriates: news, events, classifieds and practical guides on housing, education, health and work in Malaysia.
Expat directory of useful addresses and professionals in Kuala Lumpur, to which anyone can suggest a listing.
Malaysia's only French-language magazine, published by Kuala Lumpur Accueil for over thirty years: three issues a year (March, June, December) on the country's history, culture, daily life, travel and French-speaking entrepreneurs.
Back issues can be read online, the latest are for members only; the Entreprendre section features French-speaking professionals based in Malaysia.
The monthly newsletter of Kuala Lumpur's French-speaking association, sent to subscribers: upcoming events, visits, workshops and community news; back issues stay online.
Useful links page: French-speaking embassies, the French lycée, the Alliance française, the chamber of commerce and the French-speaking Catholic community.
Before you even land in Kuala Lumpur, Facebook groups are the best shortcut: ask your questions, find a flat, a nanny, a second-hand stroller, and often your first friends.
Very active Public In English
KL EXPATS (Kuala Lumpur/Malaysia)
224,500 members · ≈ 153 posts/week
Welcome to KL EXPATS, the fastest growing expat community in Malaysia.
You may want to check out our website at expatsmalaysia.my
We try to serve our members with the latest news, events, recommendations and reviews. . We do our best to protect our members, so we ask that you kindly adhere to the group rules.
For more details on partnership, please email us at [email protected]
KL EXPATS is a group for people who live in, are visiting or just plain like Kuala Lumpur. We will be planning/organizing/advertising events or activities in and around KL for your entertainment and enjoyment. This group will give you first hand information on various activities such as nightlife, musical performances, sports, charity, quiz nights, other activities etc.
Also the goal of this group is to keep you up to date and give you more opportunities to have fun and excitement in KL.
Dear Members,
Welcome to KL Expat Malaysia! Thank you for joining. We are also the owners of "Kuala Lumpur Expats" Facebook group and our website https://expatsmalaysia.my/ We dedicate to serve our members with the latest news, events, recommendations and reviews. We permit only quality personal content from our members or their posts and for the buying and selling of their items. We do our best to try and protect our members and so would ask that you kindly adhere to the following guidelines:
* Use of bad language is not permitted anywhere in the group and would ask that you treat fellow members with respect.
* Content MUST be in English
* Only the sale of personal items of individual members is permitted(not companies or agencies), we do not allow ANY advertising or promotions of ANY kind unless you are partnered with us.
*For more details on partnering with us please send us an email at [email protected]
*We do not allow job hunting or recruitment posts
* Items for sale MUST indicate a price, brief description and quality photos. Group Admin reserve the right to decline posts that do not meet our quality criteria.
* We do not allow posts from property or rental agents unless they are partnered with us. However, we do allow property posts from private individuals who might be trying to sell or rent their own personal property. right to decline members, or members content as they see fit.
Best regards, Group Admin
Expats In Kuala Lumpur,
Welcome to Expats in KL, A page to help expats and locals share their stories and experiences whether in KL or in South East...
French people in Malaysia (Les Français en Malaisie)
18,100 members · ≈ 36 posts/week
Ce groupe est créé pour les Français en Malaisie, leurs interactions avec d'autres habitants et leur contact avec des Français d'autres parties du monde....
Ce groupe est l'occasion de partager nos expérience et bons plans en Malaisie et à Kuala lumpur. C'est également un moyen de pouvoir nous rencontrer physiquement autour d'un verre une fois par semaine.
🇲🇫🇲🇾🇲🇫 Français de Malaisie / Perancis di Malaysia 🇲🇾🇨🇵🇲🇾
15,200 members · ≈ 12 posts/week
Bienvenue dans le tout 1er groupe Facebook des français et francophones en Malaisie qui vous accompagne dans votre expatriation et voyages en Malaisie...
Compiled from Facebook's public search, links checked in July 2026. Group sizes change all the time.
AEFE network
Accredited French schools
Schools accredited by the French Ministry of Education follow the French curriculum: your child can continue their schooling seamlessly, abroad and back in France.
Source: official AEFE directory, verified June 2026. aefe.gouv.fr
Tutoring and private lessons
To support your children's schooling across two systems, two solutions designed for expat families.
Axiom Academic
Private lessons and tutoring for expat families: French curriculum, IB and British curriculum, at home or online, with teachers who know the schools in your city.
The Lycée Français de Kuala Lumpur Henri-Fauconnier, AEFE-accredited, teaches around 630 pupils from nursery to the French baccalaureate on its Segambut campus, next door to Mont Kiara. Around it, a wide international offering, far more affordable than Singapore.
Good to know
The LFKL is the only AEFE-accredited school in Malaysia: a fully French curriculum from nursery to the baccalaureate.
Human scale: admissions flow more easily than in Singapore or Hong Kong, but still plan a term or two ahead.
The LFKL follows the AEFE northern-zone calendar: handy for syncing holidays and trips back to France.
On the international side, Mont Kiara hosts the big schools (British and IB programmes): the school choice often drives the neighbourhood choice.
French-speaking community
The French community in Kuala Lumpur is more intimate than Singapore's, and that is its strength: you get known fast, around the lycée, the Accueil coffees and the WhatsApp groups.
Good to know
Kuala Lumpur Accueil (FIAFE network) has animated the community for over thirty years: coffees, clubs, visits and hikes.
Mont Kiara, Desa ParkCity and Bangsar are home to most French-speaking families.
La Gazette, published by the association, is the country's only French-language magazine: a goldmine for understanding Malaysia.
The Alliance Française de Kuala Lumpur rounds it off with French classes and cultural events.
A place has closed, something has changed?
The arrival reflex
The apps to download when you land
Drop your bags, download these and you're set: the apps everyone in Kuala Lumpur uses to get around, get things delivered and organise daily life.
Getting around
Grab
The absolute go-to in Kuala Lumpur: rides, taxis, delivery and payment in one app. Everyone has it, and your account works the moment you land.
What mums ask when they arrive in Kuala Lumpur, in short, sourced answers.
French or international school: where do we start?
The Lycée français de Kuala Lumpur Henri-Fauconnier, AEFE-accredited, is the country's only French school, from nursery to the baccalaureate, in Segambut near Mont Kiara. International schools (British, IB) are plentiful around it. All charge fees: compare them on our School fees page, /en/cities/kuala-lumpur/school-fees/, and apply a term or two ahead.
Yes, to settle: the hiring company applies, on top of the employee's Employment Pass, for a Dependant Pass for the spouse and children under 18. Children over 18 go through a Long-Term Social Visit Pass. It is all detailed on our Settling in page: /en/cities/kuala-lumpur/settling-in/.
No: the Dependant Pass lets you live in Malaysia, not work there. For a salaried job, your employer must obtain your own Employment Pass. Kuala Lumpur Accueil's job workshops and the CCI France Malaysia network help prepare this step.
Yes, it is the first thing to settle: no care is free for expats, and without insurance covering hospitalisation and repatriation, access to care may be refused. Choose a policy that also covers tropical diseases such as dengue. It is all explained on our Health page: /en/cities/kuala-lumpur/health/.
Source ↗How do I find a paediatrician, ideally French-speaking?
In private hospitals (Gleneagles, Prince Court, Pantai, Sunway), you book a paediatrician directly, with no GP referral; consultations are in English. The embassy's list includes only one French-speaking doctor, the embassy's medical adviser. For a French-speaking paediatrician or therapist, ask the Kuala Lumpur Accueil network.
999 for ambulance, police and fire. In practice, for a child, families go straight to a private hospital's emergency department, open 24/7; Sunway Medical Centre even has a children's emergency department. Also save the ambulance line of the hospital nearest your home.
Source ↗Which neighbourhood should we live in with children?
The neighbourhood follows the school, because of traffic. For the French lycée, families mostly choose Mont Kiara, Sri Hartamas, Desa ParkCity, Bukit Tunku or Damansara Heights; Bangsar and Petaling Jaya are 20 to 30 minutes away. Leases usually run two years, with a two-month deposit.
Yes, it is common: an Employment Pass holder can bring in a foreign domestic helper, with a 12-month pass requested from the Expatriate Services Division. The helper must be aged 21 to 45. Check the conditions for your Employment Pass category before committing.
Not on its own: it must be shown with a valid international permit, and only these two together or a Malaysian licence are recognised. For a long stay, check with the JPJ. Driving is on the left, and a car licence does not cover two-wheelers.
Daily life is gentle: rents well below Singapore, cheap fuel and local food. The big items are school, health insurance and electricity, as air conditioning runs a lot; imported products such as cheese or wine are expensive. Details at /en/cities/kuala-lumpur/settling-in/.
Source ↗How do we meet other French-speaking families?
Kuala Lumpur Accueil, part of the FIAFE network, has welcomed newcomers for over thirty years: coffees, clubs, guided tours in French and La Gazette. The French lycée, the Alliance française and its children's classes are the other meeting points. Our outing ideas: /en/cities/kuala-lumpur/family-outings/.
English is everywhere: in hospitals, in shops, and it is the language of international schools. For French-speaking children schooled in English, the Alliance française runs the Petits Francophones programme to keep up reading and writing in French.
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