Verified 11 September 2026
MM2H vs Sarawak MM2H
MM2H now runs as four categories with fixed deposits set in US dollars: Silver USD 150,000 (5-year pass), Gold USD 500,000 (15 years), Platinum USD 1,000,000 (20 years), and a Forest City-only SEZ/SFZ tier at USD 65,000 for ages 21-49 or USD 32,000 for ages 50 and over (10 years). Every mainland tier now forces a property purchase you cannot sell for 10 years — RM600,000 minimum on Silver, RM1,000,000 on Gold, RM2,000,000 on Platinum — on top of a one-off participating fee of RM1,000 (Silver), RM3,000 (Gold) or RM200,000 (Platinum) and a processing fee of RM5,000 for the principal plus RM2,500 per dependant. Minimum age is 25 for Silver, Gold and Platinum; participants under 50 must be in Malaysia 90 cumulative days a year, while those 50 and over have no minimum stay. Sarawak-Malaysia My Second Home (S-MM2H) is the Sarawak state government's own long-stay pass, run by the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) in Kuching rather than by federal MOTAC, and valid for residence in Sarawak only. Since 1 January 2025 it requires a RM500,000 fixed deposit at a Sarawak panel bank in the main applicant's name plus proof of RM10,000 a month in pension or offshore income (RM15,000 with a dependent), or RM100,000/RM200,000 in savings if you have neither, with a one-time non-refundable RM5,000 processing fee, a minimum age of 30, and Malaysian-valid medical insurance. The pass runs 5 + 5 years, obliges you to spend at least 30 days a year in Sarawak, and requires RM250,000 to stay in the fixed deposit for as long as you hold it.
| MM2H | Sarawak MM2H | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | malaysia | malaysia |
| Stay per entry | No per-entry limit — the pass carries a Multiple Entry Visa for its whole term. The constraint runs the other way: participants aged 25-49 must be present in Malaysia 90 cumulative days a year (which the principal and/or spouse and dependants can satisfy between them), while participants aged 50 and over have no minimum stay requirement. | Multiple-entry social visit pass with no per-entry day cap — you come and go for the life of the pass. The binding number runs the other way: you must spend at least 30 days a year in Sarawak, and MTCP treats that as a condition for extension and renewal. |
| Total validity | Silver 5 years renewable; Gold 15 years renewable; Platinum 20 years renewable; SEZ/SFZ 10 years renewable. In every case the pass validity is capped by the validity of the participant's passport, and a new passport means renewing the security sticker. | Ten years in practice, issued as 5 + 5: an initial five-year multiple-entry social visit pass, then an extension covering years 6–10 granted on passport validity and a fresh RB II medical report. Continuing beyond ten years means filing a new application, submitted six months before expiry. |
| Government fee | RM1,000 — One-off participating fee per principal application on the Silver tier (no participating fee for dependants). Higher tiers carry different participating fees, not all of which we have sourced. Separately there is a processing fee of RM5,000 for the principal and RM2,500 for each dependant. Renewal of the Silver pass costs RM1,500 for principal and dependants; within the programme term the sticker renewal carries a visa fee of RM0-RM50 depending on nationality plus a fixed pass fee of RM500 per year. Agent fees are extra and are not government charges. | RM5,000 — One-time, non-refundable processing fee paid to MTCP Sarawak, introduced 1 January 2025. Charged on acknowledgement of the application, before any decision. Excludes the personal/security bond (RM200–RM2,000 depending on nationality, RM2,000 for US and Canadian citizens), agent fees, and the Sarawak medical examination. |
| Income required | None | RM10,000 — Per month. RM10,000 for a single applicant, RM15,000 for an applicant with a dependent. Accepted as either a government-approved pension (pension letter plus three months of payments) or offshore employment income (employment confirmation plus three months of payslips and bank statements). This is required in addition to the RM500,000 fixed deposit, not as an alternative to it. |
| Savings required | None | RM100,000 — Closing balance over the latest three months: RM100,000 for a single applicant, RM200,000 with a dependent. Open only to applicants who have no offshore income or pension, and explicitly 'Subject on Panel Approval' — a discretionary fallback rather than a guaranteed route. Held separately from and in addition to the RM500,000 fixed deposit. |
| Deposit required | $150,000 — Silver tier fixed deposit held in a Malaysian bank licensed under the Financial Services Act 2013 or Islamic Financial Services Act 2013. Gold is USD 500,000, Platinum USD 1,000,000, and the Forest City SEZ/SFZ tier USD 65,000 (ages 21-49) or USD 32,000 (ages 50+). MOTAC encourages the deposit to be placed in MYR at the equivalent of the USD figure, so the ringgit sum you must fund moves with the exchange rate. Up to 50% of the principal may later be withdrawn for a residence, education, medical or tourism spending in Malaysia. | RM500,000 — RM500,000 fixed deposit in the main applicant's name at an S-MM2H panel bank in Sarawak (Affin, Maybank, Alliance, Hong Leong, UOB, HSBC). One deposit covers the family — it is not doubled for a spouse. After one year you may withdraw up to 50%, and only for a house, a car, medical expenses or children's education in Sarawak; RM250,000 must stay in the account for the life of the pass. |
| Minimum age | 25 | 30 |
| Health insurance | Required | Required |
| Processing time | Not published | Around three months from submission to approval when the file is complete, per licensed agents. MTCP publishes no service standard, and the clock only starts once the RM5,000 processing fee is paid and every document is in. |
| Apply from | Outside Malaysia, through an MM2H tour operating business licensed by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture under the Tourism Industry Act 1992. Since 1 October 2025 operators must lodge MM2H business through the online appointment system at mm2h.gov.my/portal. Applications are processed by the One Stop Centre MM2H in Putrajaya, with final immigration approval resting with the Ministry of Home Affairs. | Inside Sarawak, through the S-MM2H Management and Online Application System (MOAS) at service.sarawak.gov.my, submitted by a Sarawak-based personal sponsor or an S-MM2H licensed agent. The medical report must be done at a Sarawak facility and endorsed by a Sarawak government doctor, so an in-person trip is unavoidable. |
Choose the MM2H if
- No Malaysian tax on foreign funds or income, including profit on the Malaysian fixed deposit.
- Participants aged 50 and over have no minimum stay requirement at all, so the pass works as a genuine part-time base.
- Parents and parents-in-law can be brought as dependants, which few Asian long-stay visas allow.
- Up to 50% of the fixed deposit principal can be withdrawn for a residence, education, medical or tourism spending in Malaysia.
- Gold and Platinum passes run 15 and 20 years, far longer than the annually renewed long-stay visas in Thailand or the Philippines.
- Platinum holders may work and run a business in Malaysia.
- Dependent children can study to tertiary level at any government-recognised institution and get a Student Pass automatically.
Choose the Sarawak MM2H if
- The presence requirement is 30 days a year in Sarawak, against 90 cumulative days a year for the federal MM2H tiers — the lightest stay obligation of any Malaysian long-stay programme.
- No compulsory property purchase. Federal MM2H Silver forces a RM600,000 buy within a year of endorsement; Sarawak leaves it optional.
- One RM500,000 deposit covers the family unit rather than scaling per person, so a couple pays the same as a single applicant on the deposit line.
- Parents can be brought in as dependants, not just a spouse and children under 21 — and disabled children have no age limit.
- Half the deposit can be recycled into a Sarawak house, car, medical care or school fees after year one, so it is not entirely dead capital.
- Limited part-time work is permitted — up to 20 hours a week in education, banking/securities, manufacturing or medical, with State Authority approval — plus minority (up to 49%) partnership in a joint venture with a local partner.
- Cost of living in Kuching and Miri sits well below Kuala Lumpur, Penang or Johor Bahru.
MM2H last checked 11 September 2026; Sarawak MM2H last checked 11 September 2026. Sources are listed on each visa page.