Malaysia My Second Home

Programme to allow foreigners stay in Malaysia for a certain period of time

The Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) is a programme promoted by the Malaysia Tourism Authority and the Immigration Department of Malaysia, to allow foreigners to stay in Malaysia for a period of ten years. Foreigners who fulfill certain criteria may apply, and a successful applicant is allowed to bring a spouse, an unmarried child under the age of 21, and parents who are over 60 years old. Since the programme started in 2002, a total 40,000 applications have been approved. The country's economy is stimulated with a cumulative gross value added income of RM11.89 billion from 2002 to 2019 through visa fees, property purchases, personal vehicle purchases, fixed deposits, and monthly household expenditure.

Currently the Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MOTAC) is responsible for promoting MM2H, with approval of applicants and issuance of visas made directly by the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs. A "MM2H One Stop Centre" has been set up under the MOT and it is anticipated that all visa procedures will be transferred from the Immigration Department to the One Stop Centre by the end of 2006. The Malaysian State of Sarawak has its own MM2H program under its Sarawak Tourism Board, that has slightly different requirements and incentives. Applicants are allowed to bring along their spouse and unmarried children below 21 years old. So far over 42,000 people have been approved for the MM2H visa.

Each participant is allowed to apply for one maid subject to the prevailing guidelines of the Immigration Department of Malaysia.

The issuance of national ID cards for MM2H participants was suspended until further notice 1 July 2010.

MM2H participants are allowed to bring their children and step children who are below 21 years old and not married as their dependents. Dependents who intend to continue their schooling in Malaysia are required to apply for a student pass. However, the participants are required to be responsible for all the living costs including study fees for their dependents while living in Malaysia.

Tax exemption is given to remittance of offshore pension fund into Malaysia. Foreign source income is not taxable in Malaysia.

Over 50 year olds can work part time (maximum 20 hours a week) subject to approval.

As of January 2009, the Malaysian government will allow individual applications. Applicants no longer need to use agents, or other third parties. Applications for those wishing to reside in Peninsular Malaysia are accepted at the MM2H One Stop centre in Kuala Lumpur. If the applicant wishes to reside in the states of Sabah or Sarawak, applications need to be sent to the respective immigration offices or MM2H One Stop centres in either of these states. Details are available on the www. mm2h. gov. my site.

All documents can be presented in English. The required documents are listed on the English language government site, www. mm2h. gov. my. Applicants can apply themselves (called direct applications), or (except in Sarawak) appoint an agent. There are many agents charging MYR8,000 – MYR10,000 as well as several low cost agents charging about MYR1,800 per couple.

On 2 July 2020, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Nancy Shukri announced that the MM2H programme has been temporarily frozen until December 2020 for review and further improvement.