Malaysia

Malaysia Investment Immigration Programs Overview

Malaysia now has two residency-by-investment programs, Premium Visa Program (PVIP) and Malaysia My Second Home program (MM2H) – each offering temporary residents with varying validity. M2MH was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, only to later return with stricter rules, and PVIP was launched by the Malaysian government in October 2022.

Eligibility for Malaysia’s residency-by-investment programs

Premium Visa Programme (PVIP)

Starting October 1, 2022, Malaysia started offering this new investment visa, PVIP, to foreign investors. It is granted for 20 renewable years, and can be extended to include spouses, dependents, parents, parents in law, and domestic staff. No minimum physical stay is required to maintain the visa.

Eligibility for PVIP requires a minimum investment of RM 1 million ($216,000) by way of a fixed deposit at a local bank, in addition to a guaranteed offshore monthly income of at least RM 40,000 ($9,000).

The one-off processing fees for PVIP are set at RM 200,000 ($45,000) for the main applicant and an additional RM 100,000 ($22,600) for each dependent. RM 2,000 ($450) is required annually as a pass fee.

Applicants are also required to submit proof of medical insurance coverage in Malaysia and letter of good conduct from their home countries.

Successful applicants can pursue employment or education, launch businesses, and purchase real estate assets for residential, commercial or industrial purposes.

One year after having received the visa, investors are allowed to withdraw up to 50% of the value of their deposit to purchase real estate property or pay for education and health expenses.

Applications are open to candidates of any age, and no proof of liquid assets is required. Their passports should be valid for at least 24 months at the time of the application.

Interested candidates are required to initiate the application process through an authorized agency. It takes an estimated 60 working days to obtain conditional approval after a formal application is submitted.

Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)

In December 2023, the government of Malaysia announced a new version of MM2H, which was first launched in 2002 to attract foreign capital to the market.

The program requires a local bank deposit that applicants can withdraw with interest at the end of the visa validity period. Visa holders can withdraw half of the deposit within a year of obtaining the visa for education, travel, real estate investment, and health purposes.

The MM2H visa previously required a minimum deposit value of RM 1 million (approx. $215,000) and offshore monthly income of at least RM 40,000 ($9000).

In its revamped version, MM2H comes in three packages/tiers: Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

Silver package: Minimum bank deposit: RM500,000 (approx. $107,000). Can’t include dependents.

Gold package: Minimum bank deposit: RM2 million (approx. US$427,000). Can include dependents.

Platinum package: Minimum bank deposit: RM 5 million (approx. $ 1.07 million). Can include dependents + access to permanent residency after 20 years.

The minimum income and liquidity requirements are yet to be announced.

MM2H in the independent states of Sarawak and Sabah

The two independent Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah, both comprising more than half of Malaysia’s total land area, also offer their own variation of Malaysia My Second Home, which, though costing much less than the nationwide program, give the same residency and accessibility to the entirety of Malaysia.

The Sarawak program requires a fixed deposit of RM150,000 for applicants to qualify for MM2H, while the Sabah program requires RM 200,000. There’s the option of purchasing real estate for the purpose of residency, which if utilized would require a minimum investment of RM 600,000 for either of the programs. 

Similarly, the residency granted by the Sarawak and Sabah MM2H program is issued for a renewable 5-year term. The programs have recently been announced by the independent governments of Sarawak and Sabah but are not yet open for applications.

CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT

While Malaysia does not offer a CBI program and neither PVIP nor MM2H visa lead to permanent residence, families can live and retire in Malaysia for the long-term.

HOW TO APPLY:

The Malaysian Immigration Department processes applicants and is responsible for issuing a conditional approval letter to approved applicants.

MOBILITY:

Malaysian citizens have visa free access to 169 countries.

COUNTRY:

With a population of over 30 million, Malaysia is the world's 44th most populous country. Malaysia has a strong economy, developed infrastructure, educated workforce and is a politically stable country. Malaysia has the third largest economy in the region. The country’s industrial sector has fueled Malaysia’s growth. Malaysia is also a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

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