Rule changes
- From 1 January 2027: a succession plan becomes a condition for the middle and lowest pass categories.
- Reported on 29 October 2026: Malaysia awaits effective date for citizenship of children born abroad to Malaysian mothers.
- Since 1 June 2026: employers must offer structured internships to keep hiring foreign staff.
- Since 1 June 2026: the minimum salary for the top pass category rose to 20,000 ringgit a month.
- Since 1 June 2026: the minimum salary for the lowest pass category rose to 5,000 ringgit a month.
- Since 1 June 2026: the minimum salary for the middle pass category rose to 10,000 ringgit a month.
Malaysia, at your own pace.
Most people who look at Malaysia for a long stay look at Malaysia My Second Home, a programme for retirees and people living on their own means rather than a local salary.
When rules change mid-way, the date your application is filed is what often decides which rules apply to you. Where are you right now?
Pick by how you live
6 routes, grouped by what Malaysia's system asks of you day to day — not by which visa is most talked about. Every figure below is what Immimaps has verified against Malaysia's official programme rules.
Your income comes from employers or clients outside the country. You don't want a local employer, and you don't need one.
A remote worker employed by a foreign-based company not registered in Malaysia, or a digital freelancer or independent contractor working with foreign clients (Malaysian clients are also allowed). Contracts must have started at least three months before application; an employment contract should preferably run for at least six months from application. No Malaysian employer is involved.
Jobs, not capitalA pension or other steady income from outside the country, and no plan to take a local job.
What keeping the visa actually asks of you
Malaysia DE Rantau Nomad Pass, Malaysia — Temporary Employment Visit Pass (Pas Lawatan Kerja Sementara) for foreign workers, Malaysia — Temporary Employment Visit Pass for foreign domestic helpers are renewed rather than granted once. Expect each renewal to check the route's conditions again, so keep the same proof ready.
Counted from each route's own rules. Some routes lead to permanent residence or citizenship and some don't; the route cards below say which.
Pick a route, see the real commitment
Every official figure below is what Immimaps has verified for that route against Malaysia's official programme rules — not a marketing minimum. Service fees are what independent firms publish for the route, shown only once five or more are on file.
A work pass applied for by a Malaysian employer on your behalf, sorted into categories by basic salary and tied to that employer and role.
A remote worker employed by a foreign-based company not registered in Malaysia, or a digital freelancer or independent contractor working with foreign clients (Malaysian clients are also allowed). Contracts must have started at least three months before application; an employment contract should preferably run for at least six months from application. No Malaysian employer is involved.
A long-stay pass for retirees and people living on their own means, with categories that vary in the deposit held, the home you must buy and the length of the pass, and in most of them without any right to take paid work.
A job with a Malaysian employer in manufacturing, construction, plantation, agriculture or services, approved through the Ministry of Human Resources' online quota system after the employer has advertised the job to Malaysians (plantation employers are exempt from advertising) and received approval under section 60K of the Employment Act 1955. The national minimum wage of RM1,700 a month applies.
Live-in household work for an eligible Malaysian household with approval under section 60K of the Employment Act 1955. The national minimum wage does not apply to domestic helpers; Indonesian helpers must be paid at least RM1,500 a month under the agreement with Indonesia. Wages are paid by the last week of each month.
A longer-term pass for skilled expatriates already working in Malaysia that lets you change employers, and which can support a later application for permanent residence rather than replace it.
What each route costs, stage by stage
Added up from the official figures on file for each route — split into money spent for good, money locked and returned later, and money shown but never transferred. Not a modelled estimate.
Employment Pass (EP)▾
At application
Decision — reported: 0 months.- Spent for goodGovernment fees on file: MYR 2,691 – MYR 4,535, paid to the government for the initial application.
Malaysia DE Rantau Nomad Pass▾
At application
- Spent for goodGovernment fees on file: MYR 1,170 – MYR 1,440, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you$24,000 shown as proof of means every year — nothing is transferred.
At renewal
Renewal — reported: 1 year.- Shown, never leaves you$24,000 — the same proof is shown again.
2 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: $24,000 (shown) / $60,000.
Figures in more than one currency; not added together.
Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)▾
At application
- Spent for goodGovernment fees on file: MYR 6,500 – MYR 205,550, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Locked$150,000 placed as capital, returned when the conditions end.
- LockedMYR 600,000 placed as capital — recoverable in principle, exposed in practice.
When the hold ends
- Locked$150,000 returned when the conditions end.
3 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: MYR 1,000 + $150,000 + MYR 600,000 (shown) / MYR 3,000 + $500,000 + MYR 1,000,000 / MYR 200,000 + $1,000,000 + MYR 2,000,000.
Figures in more than one currency; not added together.
Malaysia — Temporary Employment Visit Pass (Pas Lawatan Kerja Sementara) for foreign workers▾
At application
- Spent for goodGovernment fees on file: MYR 0, paid to the government for the initial application.
Malaysia — Temporary Employment Visit Pass for foreign domestic helpers▾
At application
- Spent for goodGovernment fees on file: MYR 0, paid to the government for the initial application.
Residence Pass-Talent (RP-T)▾
At application
Decision — reported: 0 months.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: MYR 6,440, paid to the government for the initial application.
The order Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) follows
- 2026-06-01The Immigration Department's Expatriate Services Division published a revised salary policy for the Employment Pass, applying to new and renewal applications submitted on or after 1 June 2026. Minimum basic monthly salary became RM20,000 and above for Category I, RM10,000 to RM19,999 for Category II, and RM5,000 to RM9,999 for Category III. Category III applications submitted on or after that date may now include dependants, and a succession plan becomes mandatory for Categories II and III from 1 January 2027. source
The cost calculator separates money spent for good from money that's only shown or locked up.
Open the cost calculatorUpload it and Immimaps checks it against what Malaysia's official programme actually requires, and reads the contract clause by clause. Free, no account.
Check my documentEvery official figure on this page is checked against Malaysia's official immigration sources. Service fees are what independent firms publish for a route — not an official figure, and never any one firm's price. Immimaps does not publish success rates, approval odds or any probability score — here or anywhere else.
Don’t take a life-changing move on someone else’s word.
Immimaps is not an agency and takes no placement fees. We show the real figures on every route, show the working, and tell you what it actually costs.
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