Edition 9 September 2026
Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)
Malaysia rebuilt MM2H in July 2024, with four tiers and a mandatory MOTAC agent. Tiers run from the Johor special zone, at USD 32,000 on fixed deposit for buyers 50 and over, to Platinum at USD 1,000,000. Every tier forces a property purchase within twelve months. The age floor is 25, or 21 in the zone.
Current at 9 September 2026. Dollars at MYR 4.05 to US$1, the rate of 8 September 2026.
The Johor zone costs 4.7 times less than Silver
These rules have held through 2026, per bratucapital.com (13 March 2026) and mm2hinsider.com (16 June 2026).
| Tier | Fixed deposit | Property floor | Term | Age floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEZ, Johor (Forest City) | USD 65,000 under 50, USD 32,000 at 50 and over | RM500,000 ($123,500), in the zone | 10 years, renewable | 21 |
| Silver | USD 150,000 | RM600,000 ($148,100) | 5 years, renewable | 25 |
| Gold | USD 500,000 | RM1,000,000 ($246,900) | 15 years, renewable | 25 |
| Platinum | USD 1,000,000 | RM2,000,000 ($493,800) | 20 years, renewable | 25 |
MOTAC publishes the whole tier table itself, in US dollars. So no figure here rests on agents. At this rate, the ringgit runs about RM129,600, RM607,500, RM2,025,000 and RM4,050,000. That covers Johor, Silver, Gold and Platinum (MOTAC, Malaysia My Second Home guide, December 2025).
The Johor tier is the cheap door. The only one open at 21. The flat must come from the builder.
The deposit is half locked and the flat is required
Half the deposit unlocks after your first year as a participant, for property, school or health costs (bratucapital.com, 13 March 2026). The rest stays locked for the pass's life. When you renew, you top up what you withdrew. So the money is deferred, not released (janushermes.com, 17 May 2026). It earns 2.0–2.5% a year, tax-free, and you can send it home if you cancel (janushermes.com, 17 May 2026). The purchase carries a sale bar of about ten years from the date you buy (bratucapital.com, 13 March 2026).
| What you pay beside the deposit | Ringgit | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Entry fee, SEZ (Johor) | RM1,000 | $247 |
| Entry fee, Silver | RM1,000 | $247 |
| Entry fee, Gold | RM3,000 | $741 |
| Entry fee, Platinum | RM200,000 | $49,400 |
| Processing, main applicant | RM5,000 | $1,235 |
| Processing, each dependant | RM2,500 | $617 |
| Renew, SEZ | RM300 | $74 |
| Renew, Silver | RM1,500 | $370 |
| Renew, Gold | RM3,000 | $741 |
| Renew, Platinum | RM5,000 | $1,235 |
Renewal fees are charged per principal and per dependant. They are not charged once for the household (MOTAC, Malaysia My Second Home guide, December 2025). Other fees come from bratucapital.com, 13 March 2026. Health cover from a Malaysian insurer is required throughout, at RM80,000 ($19,800) or more. A medical exam and a clean police record are required too (janushermes.com, 17 May 2026).
States set their own floor too (janushermes.com, 17 May 2026): Kuala Lumpur wants RM1,000,000 ($246,900), Selangor RM2,000,000 ($493,800), Penang island RM1,000,000 strata. The 8% foreign-buyer stamp duty lands on top. That is RM48,000 ($11,900) at Silver's RM600,000 floor, RM80,000 ($19,800) at Kuala Lumpur's, and RM160,000 ($39,500) at Platinum's.
The Johor tier's RM500,000 price is a developer's rate at Forest City, not a programme floor. MOTAC's guide subordinates that purchase to the state instead. It is "subject to the relevant state property purchase policy," so Johor's RM1,000,000 general floor governs. State floors always beat a tier's floor (MOTAC, Malaysia My Second Home guide, December 2025).
CHECK You cannot apply yourself. No rule sets the agent's fee (mm2hinsider.com, 16 June 2026). This site's research puts it at RM5,000 to RM70,000 ($1,235–17,300). One source, bratucapital.com, puts it eight times higher: RM40,000 to RM70,000 ($9,900–17,300), as of 13 March 2026. No source says whether you may file from inside Malaysia.
What MM2H will not let you do
You cannot work in Malaysia on Silver, Gold or the zone tier. Platinum allows only a director role or shares, with approval (mm2hinsider.com, 16 June 2026). MM2H is a residence pass, not an Employment Pass. It carries no path to permanent residence or citizenship (janushermes.com, 17 May 2026). That costs twice over. The duty waiver for permanent residents never reaches you.
You pay the 8%. The Finance Act 2025 exempts only citizens and Malaysian permanent residents from the higher rate. MM2H is neither (Finance Act 2025, Act 874, s.29, effective 1 January 2026).
What the pass does buy is a ringgit bank account, a lease landlords accept and a driving licence. Swapping a foreign licence needs no test from a 1949 Geneva treaty country. Other nationalities still sit the KPP01 course (JPJ, read 8 September 2026). Chapter 12 of Living in Southeast Asia 101 names the 4 Malaysian banks that open a ringgit account.
Ninety days a year, and almost nothing else to file
The base rule is 90 cumulative days a year. The principal, dependants, or both together can meet it (MOTAC, Malaysia My Second Home guide, December 2025). There is no 90-day report and no address filing.
The over-50 waiver runs across all four tiers, not just the zone. Under 50, every tier needs 90 cumulative days a year. At 50 and over, no tier sets a minimum stay (MOTAC, Malaysia My Second Home guide, December 2025).
Long-term pass holders are exempt from the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card, ending that chore once endorsed. Anyone who still files one meets a hard cap. The portal allows the window only three days before arrival. File inside 72 hours, never earlier (Immigration Department of Malaysia, MDAC portal, read 11 September 2026).
Foreign income stays untaxed through 31 December 2036, if it was already taxed where it was earned (Ministry of Finance Malaysia, Budget 2026 tax annex, tabled October 2025). Income earned in Malaysia is taxed at up to 30% (janushermes.com, 17 May 2026). This includes rent from the flat you bought.
Overstaying breaks section 15(4) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. The fine runs up to RM10,000 ($2,470), five years in prison, or a RM3,000 ($741) compound (Immigration Department of Malaysia, read 11 September 2026). Since 5 September 2025, short overstays with fair grounds, such as illness, are compounded on a schedule instead.
| Days overstayed | Compound since 5 September 2025 | USD |
|---|---|---|
| 1–30 | RM30 a day, capped at RM900 | up to $222 |
| 31–60 | RM1,000 | $247 |
| 61–90 | RM2,000 | $494 |
| Over 90 | A police case, then court | — |
Who should apply for something else
| If this is you | The problem | Look at instead |
|---|---|---|
| You want a job in Malaysia | Barred on Silver, Gold and the zone tier | An Employment Pass |
| You want a year or two here | DE Rantau caps at 24 months; MM2H still locks USD 32,000 | DE Rantau, at about RM1,080 |
| You will not buy property | Required on every tier, within twelve months | DE Rantau, or Thailand's DTV |
| You are under 25 | Only the Johor zone tier, at 21 | The zone tier, or DE Rantau |
| You want permanent residence | No MM2H tier leads to PR or citizenship | A different route entirely |
| You're eyeing Silver in Selangor | Its RM600,000 floor loses to Selangor's RM2,000,000 | Gold, Platinum, or another state |
The verdict: take it only if you were buying anyway
MM2H is a property programme with a visa attached. It is worth the money in one case. You were buying a Malaysian home anyway, are 50 or over, and want a decade or two of certainty. The deposit is then money you were spending either way.
Most people are paying for a shape they do not need. Anyone moving to Kuala Lumpur on a two-year contract has no business locking USD 150,000 in a flat held for ten years. Go ahead only after choosing the state. It sets the floor. The floor sets the duty.
What this page does not cover
- DE Rantau against MM2H against an Employment Pass, compared on one reader's numbers
- The long-stay routes of 7 countries, ranked by what each costs to hold
- The 4 Malaysian banks that open a ringgit account, and which passes each one accepts
- The foreign-ownership rules of 7 countries, cap by cap and structure by structure
All of it is in Living in Southeast Asia 101 — 60 pages, $49. See what's inside
Related
The required purchase is the costly half. The city numbers on buying property in Kuala Lumpur decide more than the tier does. If two years is enough for you, the DE Rantau nomad pass tests your income instead of your savings. It runs about RM1,080. Still choosing the country? Compare all ten cities on rent, visas and what a foreigner may own.
Written by Mihailo Pavlovic. We last changed this page on 21 September 2026.