Long-stay visas for Malaysia
The lowest income bar in the region for tech workers, at USD 24,000 a year, paired with an insurance rule that rejects most global nomad policies on a technicality.
DE Rantau Nomad Pass
12 months, renewable onceMalaysia's DE Rantau Nomad Pass grants 12 months, renewable to 24, to remote workers earning at least USD 24,000 a year in tech and digital roles, or USD 60,000 in other remote professions. The insurance policy must name Malaysia explicitly.
Insurance: required2 corrections tracked
Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)
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.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.
Insurance: requiredMinimum age 256 corrections tracked
Sarawak-Malaysia My Second Home (S-MM2H) Social Visit Pass
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.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.
Insurance: requiredMinimum age 306 corrections tracked
What a month actually costs
| Main hub | Kuala Lumpur |
|---|---|
| Lean month | about $800 |
| Comfortable month | about $1,600 |
Estimates for one person, excluding flights and insurance. Presented as estimates because no primary source exists for cost of living — unlike every visa figure on this site, these are not sourced claims.