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Your Expat Community in Penang

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  • Exchange tips about expat life in Penang

  • Adam Malewski

    With all the great information on this site, getting settled in Kuala Lumpur was a piece of cake.

Hello and Welcome to Our Friendly Expat Community in Penang!

A hearty welcome to Penang, the food capital of the world. Well, that's certainly what the locals will tell you the second you touch down. When you arrive in this humid, tropical island, you will certainly have a few questions, "do I have the correct working visa" or "is it safe to do watersports at Batu Ferringhi?". That's exactly what InterNations is here for — to connect you to like-minded and more experienced expats who can guide you through any teething problems and more than that, become friends for life. Penang is a feast for the senses and a heady combination of car horns, food frying at midnight, and tropical breezes.

Jump right in:

Join Our Exciting Events in Penang

Attend our monthly events and activities for Penang expatriates to get to know like-minded expatriates in real life.

For our February event, we will be going to a a restaurant/bar called Rain Garden. We have been to their old venue before, but this event will be upstairs in their new venture at 41 Jalan Burma, Georg
For November, as we've not done anything in Batu Ferringhi for at least two years, our latest event will be at a restaurant/bar called Bora Bora Terrace. This is NOT the beach bar, but the slightly mo
For October, our latest event will be at a restaurant/bar called Around The World located at Hillside a couple of doors up from The Wine Shop. The address is 1E, Jalan Sungai Kelian, 11200 Tanjung Bun
July is here - and for our latest event we are going to Hillside Cafe located at 3, Jalan Sugai Kelian in Tanjung Bungah. There will be cold beer at happy hour prices - Tiger and Carlsberg 40 fo a bu

Want to see all the upcoming events in Penang?

Connect with Like-Minded Expatriates in Penang

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    From Pakistan, living in Penang
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    From Malaysia, living in Penang
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    From China, living in Penang
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    From Brazil, living in Penang
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    From France, living in Penang
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    From France, living in Penang
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    From Portugal, living in Penang

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What Is Expat Life in Penang Like?

Penang really has it all: palm-fringed beaches, a huge national park, beautiful heritage buildings, bustling industry, and a growing arts scene. As mentioned, it's also a foodie haven, the city that most Malaysians concede has the best food in the country, from local Malay sweets and curries, to Chinese hawkers selling fresh seafood and kuay teow. Penang is also the Malaysian destination of choice for most travelers as it is known for its great nightlife, café culture, and shopping. All this makes for an invigorating experience. The biggest industry in Penang is actually manufacturing, which takes up much of the land in Seberang Perai (the southern part of Penang, separate from Penang Island). Back on the island, which is where most expats choose to live, banking and tourism are two of the biggest industries.

Improve Your Network of Fellow Expats in Penang

The InterNations Penang Community is lively and well developed, full of interesting people just waiting to meet you! You can join groups to suit every taste — arts, golfing, and cooking, to name just a few. These groups are an excellent way of connecting with like-minded people, who in turn will be able to help you with issues such as finding a local doctor and give you advice about health insurance. Alternatively, post your questions in the forums, for a range of different opinions. Another opportunity to meet the whole expat community is by joining one of the larger get-together events organized by InterNations. InterNations is a unique community with members who have gone through a careful approval process and all respect our guiding principles. This means that through trust, polite and friendly behavior and an open mind-set, you are able to interact in a safe and secure environment, making the most of your time in Penang.

  • Adam Malewski

    With all the great information on this site, getting settled in Kuala Lumpur was a piece of cake.

  • Yasmin Krüger-Darango

    A former business partner recommended InterNations to me when I moved abroad to Malaysia. We still use it to stay in touch.

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