Retire in Malaysia

MM2H Silver (Federal)

• Minimum age25+
• Capital requiredAbout $320,000
• Includes$150,000 + $170,000 property purchase, buying costs and fees

The main federal route. A fixed deposit in a Malaysian bank plus a home you must buy within a year of the pass being endorsed and cannot sell for ten. The capital figure here assumes the cheapest qualifying home: Kuala Lumpur, Penang island, Johor Bahru and Ipoh set higher minimums for foreign buyers and cost about $110,000 more, or about $120,000 more in Johor Bahru, which also charges foreign buyers a levy. A 5-year renewable pass, with no income test. Processing adds RM 2,500 per dependent, and you cannot apply directly: federal applications go through a licensed agent, who publishes RM 40,000 for this tier.

MM2H Gold (Federal)

• Minimum age25+
• Capital requiredAbout $780,000
• Includes$500,000 + $280,000 property purchase, buying costs and fees

The middle federal tier: a larger deposit and a dearer home, for a 15-year pass instead of five. The same ten-year sale ban and the same stay rule as Silver, and no income test. Applications go through a licensed agent.

MM2H Platinum (Federal)

• Minimum age25+
• Capital requiredAbout $1,600,000
• Includes$1,000,000 + $600,000 property purchase, buying costs and the participation fee

The top federal tier, and the only one that grants work and business rights or lets you employ a foreign domestic worker. A 20-year pass. The capital figure includes the one-off RM 200,000 participation fee, which is the largest single cost on the route and is not returned. Applications go through a licensed agent.

Sarawak MM2H (S-MM2H)

• Minimum age30+
• Minimum annual incomeAbout $29,000
• With a dependentAbout $44,000
• Capital requiredAbout $120,000

Sarawak runs its own program, and it is the one Malaysian second-home route with no compulsory purchase, so you can rent. It asks a smaller deposit than the federal tiers and adds an income test, which rises with a dependent. Proof of income must come from government approved pension funds, so a company pension, a 401(k) or IRA draw or a UK personal pension may not count, which decides the route for many American applicants. The approval letter says holders may not reside in Peninsular Malaysia. Open to any nationality with diplomatic ties to Malaysia, which excludes Israel and North Korea.

Sabah MM2H (Silver)

• Minimum age25+
• Minimum annual incomeAbout $29,000
• With a dependentAbout $44,000
• Capital requiredAbout $280,000
• Includes$120,000 + $160,000 property purchase, buying costs and fees
• Health insuranceRequired

Sabah's own program, for living in Sabah: holders may reside only there, need approval to travel to the peninsula, and must spend 30 days a year in the state. A deposit plus a high-rise home of at least RM 600,000, and an income test that rises with dependents. Health insurance is required at any age, and Sabah does not say whether an international policy counts. Applications go through a licensed agent. Israel, Nigeria and Bangladesh are excluded.

Premium Visa Programme (PVIP)

• Minimum annual incomeAbout $120,000
• Capital requiredAbout $290,000
• Includes$240,000 + $50,000 government participation fee

Run by the Immigration Department through appointed agencies, so you cannot apply directly. It asks for a high monthly income, or a net worth of at least RM 1 billion instead, with no age limit, no minimum stay and no home to buy. Work and business are permitted. The fee is the point to weigh: it is not returned, and it is due whether or not you stay. Add RM 100,000 per dependent.

Sabah MM2H (Gold)

• Minimum age25+
• Capital requiredAbout $770,000
• Includes$500,000 + $270,000 property purchase, buying costs and fees
• Health insuranceRequired

Sabah's middle tier: a larger deposit and a dearer home than Sabah Silver, and unlike Silver the home does not have to be a high-rise. The same residence condition applies, so holders may live only in Sabah. Applications go through a licensed agent. Israel, Nigeria and Bangladesh are excluded.

Sabah MM2H (Platinum)

• Minimum age25+
• Capital requiredAbout $1,600,000
• Includes$1,000,000 + $600,000 property purchase, buying costs and the processing fee
• Health insuranceRequired

Sabah's top tier, with the largest deposit and any property type. The capital figure includes the RM 200,000 processing fee, which is not returned. The same residence condition applies, so holders may live only in Sabah. Applications go through a licensed agent. Israel, Nigeria and Bangladesh are excluded.

MM2H Special Economic Zone (50 and over)

• Minimum age50+
• Capital requiredAbout $32,000

The cheapest federal deposit, in exchange for buying in one development. You must buy in Forest City, Johor, direct from the developer, before the pass is endorsed, and you cannot sell for ten years. The property is not included in the deposit figure above, and no figure is published for it. A 10-year pass. No official text limits where in Malaysia you then live.

MM2H Special Economic Zone (21-49)

• Minimum age21+
• Capital requiredAbout $65,000

The same Forest City route for applicants under 50, at twice the deposit. You must buy direct from the developer before the pass is endorsed and cannot sell for ten years. The property is not included in the deposit figure above, and no figure is published for it. A 10-year pass.

Residence Pass (regulation 16A)

The step between the spouse pass and permanent residence. Five years, with the right to work, study and start a business without changing pass. It needs three years already spent in Malaysia on a long-term pass and a Malaysian sponsor, so it follows the spouse pass rather than replacing it. It is a different pass from the Residence Pass-Talent, which is for skilled employees.

Long Term Social Visit Pass (spouse of a citizen)

The route a foreign husband or wife of a Malaysian citizen lives on, and the only Malaysian route with no deposit and no income threshold. The Malaysian spouse sponsors it and the couple applies together. Work needs a separate endorsement. The pass ends with the marriage, and a same-sex partner cannot use it.