MM2H, and every other way to live in Malaysia
Malaysia My Second Home is four visas, not one — and there are eleven more besides it. Move the sliders and see which ones suit you and your family.
- $32k
- The smallest deposit, if you're over 50
- $24k
- Yearly income needed if you work online
- 10 yrs
- How long you must keep a home you buy
Which visa suits you?
Nothing is saved. No email needed.
Your best matches
Best matches first, then cheapest. You get your savings deposit back when you leave. The home, the fees and the stamp duty you don't. How we work this out.
Free · takes 90 seconds · no agent will call you
Most people budget for the deposit. Then find out about the rest.
MM2H Silver gets quoted as a USD 150,000 deposit. Once you add the home you're required to buy and the 8% stamp duty, the real commitment is closer to USD 283,000 — and about USD 133,000 of that you never see again.
- Every visa you qualify for, priced all in — not just the deposit
- What comes back when you leave, and what's gone for good
- The questions to put to an agent before you pay them anything
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We don't sell applications · no sales call
What it is
MM2H is a long-stay visa, not residency
Malaysia My Second Home lets you live here long term on a renewable multiple-entry visa. It's run by a One-Stop Centre under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and the visas themselves are issued by Immigration. It does not lead to permanent residence, and you can't apply for it yourself.
MOTAC, the official MM2H portal, and who runs what
MM2H is administered by MOTAC — the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture — through a One-Stop Centre. The visas themselves are issued by the Immigration Department of Malaysia, which is a separate body, and security vetting is handled by the Home Ministry. Three departments, three different roles.
The official MM2H portal is mm2h.gov.my. That is where the current thresholds, the participation fees and the register of licensed agents are published. If a figure you read anywhere — including here — disagrees with that portal, the portal wins. We are an independent publisher and have no affiliation with MOTAC or the Immigration Department.
How it has changed
Most of the confusion about MM2H comes from the fact it's been rewritten three times in five years, and a lot of what's published still quotes rules that no longer apply.
| When | What changed |
|---|---|
| 2002 | MM2H launched. Broad terms, low thresholds, became one of the region's best-known retirement visas. |
| Aug 2020 | Suspended for review. |
| Oct 2021 | Relaunched far harder: RM 1,000,000 deposit, RM 40,000 monthly income, 90-day stay. Applications collapsed. |
| Dec 2023 | Three tiers introduced, income test dropped, the route to permanent residence removed. |
| Jul 2024 | Current rules. Deposits set in US dollars, buying a home made compulsory, minimum age lowered, Forest City tier added. |
| Jan 2026 | Stamp duty for foreign buyers doubled from 4% to 8%. |
How to spot an out-of-date source
If a page quotes a RM 1,000,000 deposit or RM 40,000 a month in income as current, it's describing the 2021 rules and hasn't been updated in over two years. Those figures are still on a lot of pages that rank well. Check the date on everything, including this one.
The four MM2H tiers
| Tier | Savings deposit | Home you must buy | How long | Government fee | Can you work? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest City (SEZ) | USD 65,000 32,000 if over 50 |
RM 500,000 | 10 years | RM 1,000 | No |
| Silver | USD 150,000 | RM 600,000 | 5 years | RM 1,000 | No |
| Gold | USD 500,000 | RM 1,000,000 | 15 years | RM 3,000 | No |
| Platinum | USD 1,000,000 | RM 2,000,000 | 20 years | RM 200,000 | Yes |
Silver is about 83% of approvals. The deposit is only part of it — here's what each tier actually costs once you add the home and the duty.
What it costs
MM2H requirements 2026: the deposit is a bit over half the bill
Everyone quotes the savings deposit. On every mainland tier you also have to buy a home and keep it for ten years, and since January 2026 foreign buyers pay 8% stamp duty on it.
| Tier | Total tied up | You get back | Gone for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest City, over 50 | ~USD 143,000 | ~USD 32,000 | ~USD 111,000 |
| Silver | ~USD 283,000 | ~USD 150,000 | ~USD 133,000 |
| Gold | ~USD 722,000 | ~USD 500,000 | ~USD 222,000 |
| Platinum | ~USD 1.44M | ~USD 1,000,000 | ~USD 444,000 |
The savings deposit comes back when you leave, and you can take out up to half after a year for approved things. The home, the stamp duty and the fees you don't get back. Full breakdown, tier by tier.
How it works
You can't apply yourself
Direct applications aren't accepted. Every one has to go through an agent licensed by the tourism ministry — which makes picking one the riskiest decision in the whole process.
- Choose a licensed agent and check the licence yourself.
- Pick your tier.
- Get your documents together — passports, marriage and birth certificates, bank statements, police clearance, medical report.
- Your agent submits to the One-Stop Centre.
- Conditional approval comes through. The official target is about 90 working days; four to six months is common.
- Come to Malaysia, place the deposit, do the medical, sort insurance.
- Visa stamped in your passport.
- Buy your home within the window for your tier.
Applications do get refused, usually for reasons you could have avoided — the nine most common. And the minimum stay is set by your age, not your tier: 90 days a year under 50, none at all at 50 and over.
Who it's for
Most people fall into one of four groups
Find yourself below and you'll know roughly where to start.
Retiring
You've stopped working
You want somewhere warm, affordable and easy to get around in English. If you're over 50 you don't have to spend any minimum number of days here, and the smallest deposit drops by half. Start with MM2H Silver or the cheaper Forest City option.
Working online
You work for clients overseas
If your income comes from outside Malaysia, you almost certainly don't need MM2H at all. The DE Rantau nomad visa costs around RM 1,080 with no deposit. Don't spend six figures on something you can get for a hundred dollars.
Bringing the family
You have children with you
Your spouse, children and even your parents can come with you on most visas. The cost that catches families out isn't the visa — it's international school fees, which can run to RM 120,000 a year per child.
Still working
You need to earn money here
Only two of the eight visas let you work in Malaysia: MM2H Platinum and the Premium Visa. The Premium Visa does the same job for about a fifth of the money, which very few people are told.
Where it's for
And where would you actually live?
Two of the eight visas tie you to a particular state, so where you want to live can decide which visa you apply for. Here's the short version.
| Where | What it's like | Couple, per month | Which visas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuala Lumpur | Big city. Best hospitals, most international schools, direct flights everywhere. | RM 6,000–9,000 | Any mainland visa |
| Penang | Island living, famous food, big established expat community. Quieter than KL. | RM 6,000–9,000 | Any mainland visa |
| Johor Bahru | Right next to Singapore. Forest City is here, and it's the cheapest way in. | RM 5,000–8,000 | Any, plus Forest City |
| Sabah | Borneo. Diving, mountains, relaxed. Two and a half hours from KL by plane. | RM 4,500–7,000 | Sabah MM2H only |
| Sarawak | Also Borneo. Kuching is green and easy-going, and no home purchase is needed. | RM 4,500–7,000 | Sarawak S-MM2H only |
Monthly costs are a rough guide for a couple living comfortably, not including school fees or the money tied up in your visa. More on what a month costs, or what property costs in each state — it ranges from RM 500,000 to RM 2,000,000 depending where you buy.
If MM2H isn't right
There are eleven other ways in
MM2H gets the attention because it's the best known. For a lot of people it's the wrong answer, and something cheaper fits better.
You work online
DE Rantau
About RM 1,080, no deposit. If your income comes from overseas, don't spend six figures on something you can get for a hundred dollars.
Borneo suits you
Sabah & Sarawak
RM 150,000 and RM 500,000, and neither makes you buy a home. Run by the states, not the federal programme.
You need to work
Premium Visa
Twenty years, full work rights, no minimum stay — for roughly a fifth of what MM2H Platinum ties up.
Already working here
Residence Pass
Ten years, any employer, spouse can work — and no money down at all after three years on an Employment Pass.
Married to a Malaysian
Spouse visa
Cheaper than MM2H, no property, and it can carry work rights. If this is you, start here.
See everything
All fifteen visas
Every route compared side by side — deposit, term, days required and whether you can work.
Why trust us
We don't sell visa applications
Almost every other website about MM2H is run by an agent or a property developer. They earn money when you apply or when you buy. Their information is usually accurate — but none of them can tell you that a visa is a bad idea for you.
We can. And sometimes the honest answer is Thailand, or Portugal, or staying where you are.
- We take no fee from any visa agent.
- We take no commission on any home you buy.
- Every number here has the date we last checked it.
- We'll tell you when a visa isn't worth the money.
Read next
The things worth knowing before you decide
01
All eight visas
What each one asks for and what it lets you do.
02
What it really costs
The deposit is only half the bill. Here's the rest of it.
03
Finding a good agent
You can't apply on your own, so this matters more than most things.
04
What a month costs
Rent, food, bills and school fees in each of the main cities.
05
Tax, simply put
Whether Malaysia will tax your pension or your income from home.
06
Malaysia or Thailand?
An honest comparison from someone selling neither.
The city guides
Everything the free pages don't cover
The visa rules are free and always will be. What costs money is the part you can't look up: which neighbourhoods MM2H families actually live in, what the schools charge, which hospital to register with, and what other people paid their agent.
One city
$29
For people who already know where they want to live.
- Pick Penang, KL, Johor, Sabah or Sarawak
- Where MM2H families actually settle
- Schools, fees and catchment areas
- Hospitals, specialists and costs
- Groceries, parks, gyms, getting around
- Bringing your pets
- A realistic monthly budget
All five cities
$89
For people still deciding where, and worried about being overcharged.
- All five city guides
- What other people paid their agent
- How to check an agent's licence
- A calculator for your own monthly costs
- Tax notes for your nationality
- A year of updates when rules change
- A straight answer on whether to go ahead
Talk it through
$349
For people who want to ask someone who lives here.
- An hour on a call, recorded for you
- A written plan for your situation
- Your shortlist, budget and timeline
- The questions to put to an agent
- One follow-up after you've spoken to one
- Both guides included
If we talk you out of it, you don't pay
Read the guide. If you decide Malaysia isn't right for you — wrong visa, wrong cost, wrong country, wrong time — just email us and we'll refund you. Keep everything.
We'd much rather refund $89 than watch someone put $283,000 into something that was never going to suit them.
60 days · one email · no forms, no questions
Questions
Things most guides skip
Can you buy a second-hand home?
Yes, as long as it has a Certificate of Fitness. Only residential property counts — commercial doesn't qualify, though you can buy that separately if you want.
Do you pay quit rent and assessment?
Yes, the same as any Malaysian homeowner. Annual costs on top of the purchase, and easy to forget when you're budgeting.
Do you have to be in Malaysia to apply?
No. You can apply from abroad. You do have to come here afterwards for the medical, the deposit, the insurance and the passport stamp.
Will you have to buy a home at renewal?
Not if you joined before that rule existed. Renewal is judged on the terms you joined under — long-standing participants aren't required to buy one.
What do agents charge?
Roughly RM 40,000 for Silver and Forest City, RM 55,000 for Gold, RM 70,000 for Platinum. Sources disagree on whether that's a legal cap or just the going rate — more here.
Can you sell the home later?
After ten years, yes. Real Property Gains Tax is 30% within five years of buying and 10% after that. Foreigners never reach the 0% rate citizens get.
Before you start
Who is eligible to apply?
MM2H is open to citizens of every country, subject to the usual government checks. You must meet the money requirements of your chosen tier on your own.
Everyone applying must
- Be a foreign national. Malaysian citizens can't apply.
- Hold a passport with enough validity left.
- Meet the savings deposit and home purchase for the tier you pick.
- Be at least 25, if you're the main applicant.
- Have no serious criminal record.
- Be in good health. A medical report is required.
A few things that trip people up
- You can't apply yourself. A licensed agent must do it for you.
- Forest City accepts applicants from 21. Sarawak asks for 30.
- Medical insurance is required if you're under 60.
- MM2H doesn't lead to permanent residence or citizenship.