GlobeQuest

Malaysia visas and residency

Who can visit Malaysia without a visa, and the 4 long-stay routes that let you actually live there.

Short stay

Visiting Malaysia, by passport

How the 198 passports we track get in. A visitor entry is never permission to work, study or settle — that is what the routes further down are for.

United StatesVisa-free · 90 daysUnited KingdomVisa-free · 90 daysIndiaVisa-free · 90 daysCanadaVisa-free · 90 daysAustraliaVisa-free · 90 daysGermanyVisa-free · 90 daysFranceVisa-free · 90 daysNetherlandsVisa-free · 90 daysIrelandVisa-free · 90 daysSpainVisa-free · 90 daysItalyVisa-free · 90 daysPortugalVisa-free · 90 daysPolandVisa-free · 90 daysSwedenVisa-free · 90 daysSwitzerlandVisa-free · 90 daysSouth AfricaVisa-free · 90 days
Long stay

How you actually move to Malaysia

RetirementHigh confidenceVerified July 2026

Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) — Silver, Gold, Platinum

People with capital who want a long-horizon base in Malaysia. Restructured into three tiers, plus a separate Special Economic Zone pathway.

What you need
  • Silver: USD 150,000 fixed deposit and a residential property purchase of at least RM 600,000
  • Gold: USD 500,000 fixed deposit and property of at least RM 1,000,000
  • Platinum: USD 1,000,000 fixed deposit and property of at least RM 2,000,000
  • Aged 25 or over for Silver, Gold and Platinum; the separate SEZ/SFZ tier opens at 21
  • Property must be bought and held for at least 10 years
  • A minimum 90 cumulative days in Malaysia each year for participants under 50 — days need not be consecutive, and for the 25–49 band the requirement can be met by the principal or a dependant. Participants aged 50 and over have no minimum stay.
How long it lasts
Silver 5 years renewable, Gold 15 years renewable, Platinum 20 years renewable.
Path to permanent residence
None. MM2H is a long-stay social visit pass, not a residence permit, and it does not lead to permanent residence or citizenship however long you hold it.
Cost
The deposit and property purchase dominate; add participation and agent fees, plus real-estate transaction costs.
Processing time
Several months, and it runs through licensed agents in practice.
Worth knowing
  • Silver, Gold and SEZ tiers carry no employment rights at all. Only Platinum holders may become company directors and shareholders — if you intend to work or run something, the tier choice is the whole decision.
  • The mandatory 10-year property hold is the biggest change from the old programme and makes MM2H substantially less liquid than it used to be.
  • The 90-day annual presence requirement for under-50s is monitored against immigration entry and exit records and repeated non-compliance can cancel the visa — so for anyone under 50 this no longer works as a dormant residency. Over 50 it still does.
  • The 2021 relaunch ran on a monthly-income and liquid-asset test (RM 40,000 a month, RM 1.5m in liquid assets). The 2024 MOTAC restructure abolished that test outright. There is no 'MM2H Premium' tier — the Premium Visa Programme (PVIP) is a separate programme, not an MM2H category.
Sources:MM2H — official programme siteImmigration Department of Malaysia
Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Employment Pass

Skilled workers with a Malaysian employer, in three categories by salary and contract length.

What you need
  • Job offer from a Malaysian company with the required paid-up capital for foreign hires
  • Category I: monthly salary of RM 10,000 or more, contract up to 5 years, renewable, with dependants allowed
  • Categories II and III: lower salary bands with shorter validity and progressively fewer rights
  • Relevant degree or diploma plus experience; employer approval from the Expatriate Services Division
How long it lasts
Up to 5 years for Category I; shorter for the lower categories.
Path to permanent residence
Permanent residence exists but is discretionary and rarely granted — usually after many continuous years, and not something to plan around.
Cost
Pass fees plus employer-side ESD registration; typically employer-paid.
Processing time
Several weeks once the employer's ESD account is in order.
Worth knowing
  • Category III passes cannot bring dependants and are renewable only twice, which makes the RM 10,000 Category I line far more consequential than it looks.
  • The employer's paid-up capital requirement varies with ownership structure and blocks many small local firms from hiring foreigners.
Sources:Immigration Department of Malaysia
Digital nomadMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

DE Rantau Nomad Pass

Digital freelancers, remote workers and independent contractors in digital fields, working for non-Malaysian clients or employers.

What you need
  • Work in a digital domain — IT, software, digital marketing, digital content and similar
  • Annual income from USD 24,000 for digital and tech roles, with a higher floor for non-tech professionals, evidenced by contracts or employment letters
  • Contracts with clients or employers outside Malaysia
  • Health insurance covering the stay
How long it lasts
3 to 12 months initially, renewable for a further 12.
Path to permanent residence
None. It is a pass for remote work, not a residence route.
Cost
A modest application fee for the main applicant, plus a smaller fee per dependant.
Processing time
Around 4–8 weeks through the MDEC portal.
Worth knowing
  • The income bar is among the lowest of any nomad programme, which is the main attraction — but eligibility is restricted to digital occupations, unlike Portugal's or Spain's open-ended versions.
  • It does not permit work for Malaysian companies or clients.
  • DE Rantau carries no tax privilege of its own. What shelters foreign-sourced income received in Malaysia is P.U.(A) 234/2022, which applies to resident individuals generally — DE Rantau, MM2H and Employment Pass holders alike — and is conditional on the income having been taxed where it arose. It runs to 31 December 2036 and has no de minimis threshold.
  • Confirm the current income threshold and eligible-occupation list on MDEC's site; both have been adjusted since launch.
Sources:MDEC — DE Rantau Nomad Pass
StudentMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Student pass

Students at Malaysian institutions, including the several international branch campuses.

What you need
  • Offer from an institution registered with Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS)
  • EMGS clearance including a medical screening
  • Proof of funds and health insurance
How long it lasts
Course length, renewed annually.
Path to permanent residence
None directly; graduates must switch to an Employment Pass, which resets the clock.
Cost
EMGS processing plus pass fees, on top of tuition that is low relative to the branch campuses' home countries.
Processing time
EMGS clearance commonly takes several weeks before the pass is issued.
Worth knowing
  • Part-time work is tightly limited — 20 hours a week only during breaks, and only in permitted sectors.
  • Branch campuses of UK and Australian universities award the same degree at a fraction of the cost, which is the underrated reason to study here.
Sources:Immigration Department of Malaysia
On the ground

Where you'd land in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur

Twin towers, jungle-fringe living and a DE Rantau nomad visa — Southeast Asia's most English-friendly hub at a fraction of Singapore's cost.

Full Kuala Lumpur guide
Penang

A UNESCO-listed old town, a semiconductor corridor, and an island priced twice as high as its mainland half.

Full Penang guide
Johor Bahru

A border city where which crossing you use decides your rent, your car and your tax position.

Full Johor Bahru guide

Malaysia at a glance

Capital
Kuala Lumpur
Population
36.0M
Languages
Malay
Currency
MYR