MM2H Eligibility & Cost Checker
Enter your age and savings — see which tier you qualify for and the real all-in cost, with the locked deposit shown apart from money you actually spend.
Last verified: 2026-06-12 — visa rules change, so confirm current requirements at the official portal before you apply.
This checker reflects the MM2H programme as overhauled in July 2024 — three tiers (Silver / Gold / Platinum), US-dollar fixed deposits, a mandatory property purchase, a lower minimum age, and no blanket monthly-income test. Always confirm the current, binding figures on the official Malaysia My Second Home portal (mm2h.gov.my) run by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. This tool is general guidance, not immigration advice.
Which MM2H tier do I qualify for, and what does it really cost?
Since the July 2024 overhaul there are three national tiers: Silver (USD 150,000 deposit, 5-year visa), Gold (USD 500,000, 15-year), and Platinum (USD 1,000,000, 20-year, with work rights). The deposit is locked, not spent — it's refundable and up to 50% is withdrawable after a year. The checker below maps your age and savings to a tier and shows the locked deposit separately from money you actually spend.
The three national tiers
Fixed deposits are set in US dollars. The ringgit figures below are indicative conversions only — the binding amount is the USD figure on the official portal.
Silver
5 years (renewable)
- Fixed deposit
- USD 150,000 (≈ RM 660,000, indicative)
- Property purchase
- RM 600,000 minimum
- Government fee
- RM 1,000 participation fee
- Minimum age
- 25+
Gold
15 years (renewable)
- Fixed deposit
- USD 500,000 (≈ RM 2.2 million, indicative)
- Property purchase
- RM 1,000,000 minimum
- Government fee
- RM 3,000 participation fee
- Minimum age
- 25+
Platinum
20 years (renewable)
- Fixed deposit
- USD 1,000,000 (≈ RM 4.4 million, indicative)
- Property purchase
- RM 2,000,000 minimum
- Government fee
- RM 200,000 participation fee
- Minimum age
- 25+
Other routes (not Penang, not in this checker): a lower-cost Special Economic Zone (SEZ / Forest City, Johor) category exists with a smaller USD deposit and a lower minimum age, and Sarawak runs its own separate S-MM2H programme. Penang applicants use the national tiers above. Confirm SEZ and S-MM2H details on the official portal.
What we deliberately don't state as a precise number
On a YMYL topic like a visa, a confident-but-wrong number is worse than an honest "confirm this". Where reporting genuinely conflicts, we flag it rather than guess:
- Verify
Deposit currency (USD vs RM)
Most reporting states the national-tier fixed deposits in US dollars (150K / 500K / 1M). Some sources restate them in ringgit. The USD denomination is the majority reading — but the binding figure and its currency are whatever the official MM2H portal states. Confirm there before committing.
- Verify
Minimum annual stay
A minimum annual stay is widely reported as around 90 days a year for applicants under 50, with over-50s exempt — but the exact day count differs between sources. Treat it as approximate and confirm on the official portal.
- Verify
Ringgit value of the deposit
The ringgit figures shown are indicative conversions only — exchange rates move. The locked amount is the USD figure on the official portal, not a fixed ringgit number.
Rule changes we track
Most published MM2H calculators still show the pre-2024 rules (an income test, an age-50 split). These are the changes this checker is built around.
- Jul 2024MM2H relaunched as three tiers (Silver / Gold / Platinum). The old single programme (flat RM 1M for over-50s, RM 500K under-50s) was scrapped.
- Jul 2024Blanket monthly offshore-income test (most recently ~RM 40,000/month) abolished.
- Jul 2024Minimum age for the national tiers lowered to 25 (SEZ category lower at 21).
- Jul 2024Mandatory property purchase added for every tier (RM 600K Silver / RM 1M Gold / RM 2M Platinum), held for at least 10 years.
- Jul 2024Tier deposits switched to US dollars (150K / 500K / 1M).
Sources & accuracy note
The tier figures in this checker mirror VisitPenang's MM2H visa guide, which reflects the programme as restructured in July 2024 and reported through 2025–2026. This page was last verified on 2026-06-12. Where details (such as the exact minimum annual-stay days and the ringgit value of the USD deposits) vary between sources, we say so rather than state a false-precise number.
- Official programme portal — Malaysia My Second Home, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (mm2h.gov.my)
- Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) — motac.gov.my MM2H programme page
- For a binding answer, always defer to the official portal above — agent, medical, insurance and legal costs in the estimate are indicative market ranges, not government figures.
Next steps for settling in Penang
Full MM2H Visa Guide
The complete post-2024 rules, application process, and Penang property details.
Cost of Living Guide
What everyday life in Penang actually costs once you have the visa.
Banking & Finance
Where to open the MM2H fixed deposit — Maybank, CIMB, Public Bank.
Neighbourhoods for Expats
Tanjung Tokong, Tanjung Bungah, Bayan Lepas and where MM2H holders settle.
MM2H Checker FAQs
How does the MM2H checker decide which tier I qualify for?
It compares your stated liquid savings against the fixed-deposit floor for each post-2024 national tier — USD 150,000 for Silver, USD 500,000 for Gold, and USD 1,000,000 for Platinum — and shows the highest tier you clear, plus how much more you would need to reach the next one. Deposits are officially set in US dollars; if you enter ringgit it is converted at an indicative, clearly-dated rate only to compare tiers.
Why does the cost estimate separate the deposit from the other costs?
Because the fixed deposit is locked, not spent. It sits in a Malaysian bank and is refundable when you exit the programme (and up to 50% can be withdrawn after one year for an approved property purchase, healthcare or tourism). Lumping it into a single all-in number — as many cost articles do — makes MM2H look far more expensive than the money you actually part with. The checker shows the locked deposit, the property (an asset you own), and the genuinely-spent fees and ancillary costs as three separate lines.
Is the fixed deposit really in US dollars, or ringgit?
Most reporting states the national-tier deposits in US dollars (150K / 500K / 1M), and that is the reading this tool uses. A minority of sources restate them in ringgit. Because the denomination genuinely varies between sources, we do not print a false-precise ringgit figure as if it were official — the ringgit amounts shown are indicative conversions, and you should confirm the binding figure and its currency on the official MM2H portal.
How many days a year must I spend in Malaysia on MM2H?
A minimum annual stay is widely reported as around 90 days a year for applicants under 50, with over-50s exempt — but the exact day count differs between sources. We treat it as approximate rather than stating a precise number that might be wrong. Confirm the current minimum-stay rule on the official portal before relying on it.
Do I have to buy property, and does Penang have its own rules?
Yes — a property purchase is mandatory under the current rules, generally within about 12 months of approval and held for at least 10 years. Penang also sets its own foreigner minimums on top of the tier floor: roughly RM 1,000,000 on Penang Island and RM 500,000 on the mainland (Seberang Perai). Your qualifying purchase must meet whichever number is higher — the tier floor or the Penang state minimum.
Is this immigration advice?
No. This is general guidance to help you understand the tiers and rough costs. Immigration rules and figures change, applications must go through a MOTAC-licensed agent, and you should confirm every current requirement on the official MM2H portal (mm2h.gov.my) before acting.