MM2H Visa Guide 2026
Malaysia My Second Home — the post-2024 Silver, Gold & Platinum tiers, explained for Penang
Last verified: 2026-08-16 — visa rules change, so confirm current requirements on the official portal before you apply.
MM2H was overhauled in July 2024 into three tiers (Silver / Gold / Platinum), with US-dollar fixed deposits, a mandatory property purchase, a lower minimum age, and no blanket monthly-income test. Always check the official Malaysia My Second Home portal (mm2h.gov.my) run by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. This page is general guidance, not immigration advice.
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What is the MM2H Programme?
Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) is a long-term, multiple-entry residence programme for foreign nationals who want to live in Malaysia for an extended period. Following a major overhaul in July 2024, it is no longer a single retiree-focused scheme — it now runs as three tiers (Silver, Gold and Platinum), each with its own deposit, visa length and property requirement, plus a separate Special Economic Zone category.
Silver, Gold & Platinum
Visa length depends on tier
National tiers (21 for SEZ)
Purchase now mandatory
The Three Tiers (2024 Overhaul)
Fixed deposits are set in US dollars. Ringgit figures shown 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
- Renewal
- RM 1,500 renewal fee
- Shortest commitment of the three national categories
- Same RM 1,000 participating fee as the SEZ/SFZ category, at a far higher deposit
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
- Renewal
- RM 3,000 renewal fee
- Fifteen-year pass suits families settling for the medium-to-long term
- A third of Platinum's deposit, and 1.5% of its participating fee
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
- Renewal
- RM 5,000 renewal fee
- The only category that may work and invest in Malaysia
- Longest pass, and the participating fee is RM 200,000 against RM 3,000 for Gold
The same for every category
These are not tier differentiators — they apply to Silver, Gold and Platinum alike.
- No offshore-income requirement
- MOTAC's Terms and Regulations state, under every category: "All requirements for offshore income for every category are dropped." The old blanket monthly-income test (most recently around RM 40,000/month) is gone and has not been replaced by a per-tier one.
- Minimum stay: 90 days a year
- Be present in Malaysia for 90 days (cumulative) in one year — the same for every category, with no age exemption. What does vary by age: for participants aged 25 to 49, the stay may be fulfilled by the principal or their dependants.
- Compulsory property purchase, held 10 years
- Every category must buy and own a residence after approval, above the category threshold. Selling is not allowed for 10 years, though upgrading to a higher-value residence is.
- Fixed deposit: up to 50% withdrawable
- A maximum withdrawal of 50% of the principal FD value is allowed after MM2H approval has been obtained, for purchasing a residence, education, medical and tourism activities in Malaysia. (The official portal summary words the timing differently from the Terms and Regulations — confirm it with OSC MM2H before relying on it.)
- Dependants, education and medical treatment
- Every category may bring spouse, children, and parents or parents-in-law. Children may study to tertiary level at any government-recognised institution, and long-term medical treatment in Malaysia is allowed. None of this is a tier differentiator — the wording is identical under Silver, Gold, Platinum and SEZ/SFZ.
- Compulsory medical check-up
- Principal and dependants must be examined at a clinic or hospital on the MOTAC panel after approval, so that charges are standardised.
- Applications go through a licensed agent
- Applications must be submitted through an MM2H tour operating business licensed by MOTAC under the Tourism Industry Act 1992, via the One Stop Centre (OSC MM2H). Final immigration approval rests with the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Special Economic Zone / Special Financial Zone — a fourth category, and not a Penang route
Aimed at investors settling in the Special Economic / Financial Zones. Lower age floor (21) and a far lower deposit than any national category — but it is a Johor route, not a Penang one. Minimum age 21, against 25 for the national categories. Fixed deposit USD 65,000 (ages 21 to 49) or USD 32,000 (ages 50 and above), plus a rm 1,000 participation fee. The pass runs 10 years (renewable), with a rm 300 renewal fee thereafter, and the minimum stay is the same 90 days (cumulative) in one year.
Read the restrictions before the deposit tempts you. Business/investment activities and career opportunities are both listed "Not Allowed" — the same as Silver and Gold, despite the far lower deposit. Compulsory purchase, with the floor price set by Johor state property acquisition policy — and it must be bought DIRECT from a developer, not through an agent or an existing owner.
It ties you to the designated zones in Johor, so it is not a route into Penang — it is here because the deposit is far below any national category and people reasonably ask. Sarawak runs its own S-MM2H programme again separately: RM 500,000 fixed deposit, age 30 and above, RM 5,000 processing fee, 30 days a year in Sarawak.
Every figure on this page is quoted from:
- MOTAC — Terms and Regulations for New Participants (MM2H) — Accurate as of 22 July 2024
- MOTAC — Terms and Regulations under SEZ/SFZ Category — Issued January 2025
Rules change. Confirm anything you are about to act on with the One Stop Centre (OSC MM2H) before committing money.
What Changed in the July 2024 Overhaul
If you read an older MM2H guide, these are the points most likely to be out of date.
Three tiers replaced the old single programme
The previous one-size programme (a flat RM 1,000,000 deposit for over-50s and RM 500,000 for under-50s) is gone. MM2H is now Silver, Gold and Platinum, each with its own deposit, visa length and property requirement.
Offshore-income requirements dropped entirely
The old offshore monthly-income test (most recently around RM 40,000/month) is gone, and it was not replaced tier-by-tier. MOTAC's Terms and Regulations repeat the same line under every single category: "All requirements for offshore income for every category are dropped." Any source telling you Gold or Platinum still needs proof of foreign income is out of date.
Minimum age lowered
The minimum age for the national categories is now 25 and above, stated in the MOTAC general requirements. That opens the programme to younger remote workers and investors rather than retirees alone — the pre-2024 programme was age-tiered, but we have not found the old thresholds in a primary source, so we do not state them.
Mandatory property purchase added
Every applicant must now buy a Malaysian property above the tier threshold (RM 600K Silver / RM 1M Gold / RM 2M Platinum) and hold it for at least 10 years before selling.
Deposits switched to US dollars
Tier deposits are set in USD (150K / 500K / 1M), not ringgit. Source reporting differs on the exact ringgit equivalent because exchange rates move — always confirm the binding USD figure on the official portal.
Buying Property in Penang on MM2H
MM2H now requires a property purchase — but it does not override Penang’s own state rules for foreign buyers. As of recent guidance, Penang sets a minimum foreigner purchase price of about RM 1,000,000 on Penang Island and about RM 500,000 on the mainland (Seberang Perai).
In practice your qualifying purchase must satisfy whichever number is higher — your MM2H tier threshold or Penang’s state minimum. For example, a Silver applicant whose tier minimum is RM 600,000 would still need to spend at least RM 1,000,000 to buy on Penang Island.
State property minimums are reviewed periodically. Confirm Penang’s current figures with a licensed Penang property lawyer or the State Authority before you commit.
How the Application Works
Exact forms, fees and timelines change between intakes — your licensed agent will give you the current checklist. Treat these as the broad shape of the process.
Choose Your Tier & Confirm Current Figures
Decide between Silver, Gold or Platinum based on your budget and how long you want the visa to run — then confirm the exact, current deposit and property figures on the official MM2H portal before committing.
Key items:
- Decision on tier (Silver / Gold / Platinum)
- Confirmation of current figures from the official MM2H portal
- Valid passport (minimum validity per current requirements)
Engage a Licensed MM2H Agent
Applications are made through agents licensed by MOTAC. A licensed agent guides you through the current forms, fees and document list — which can change between intakes.
Key items:
- Engagement with a MOTAC-licensed MM2H agent
- Clean criminal-record / good-conduct certificate
- Medical report from a registered practitioner
Open the Fixed-Deposit Account
Open a fixed-deposit account at a Malaysian bank for your tier amount (in USD-equivalent terms). The deposit is locked, not spent.
Key items:
- Passport & copies
- Tier fixed-deposit amount (USD-denominated)
- Bank documentation per the bank’s MM2H process
Submit & Receive Conditional Approval
Your agent submits the application to the MM2H Centre. On conditional approval you complete the remaining steps — including arranging the mandatory property purchase.
Key items:
- Completed application via your licensed agent
- All supporting documents
- Conditional approval letter
Property Purchase, Final Approval & Visa Issuance
Complete your qualifying property purchase (above the tier threshold, and meeting Penang’s state minimum), satisfy any remaining conditions, then receive final approval and the visa endorsement.
Key items:
- Property purchase above the tier + state minimum
- Final approval letter
- MM2H visa endorsed in passport
Sources & Accuracy Note
Every figure on this page is quoted from MOTAC's own terms, not from secondary reporting, and last verified against them on 2026-08-16. Immigration rules change. Where the sources genuinely disagree — such as when the 50% fixed-deposit withdrawal becomes available — we say so rather than state a false-precise number. The ringgit amounts shown alongside the deposits are indicative conversions; the binding figure is the US-dollar one.
- 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
- Deliberately NOT cited: the immigration-consultancy and property-agent articles that dominate search results for MM2H. That source class is commercially motivated to describe requirements that suit it, and its members agree with each other because they copy each other — which is not corroboration. Several were still publishing the scrapped pre-2024 rules when this page was written.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the current MM2H tiers and fixed deposits?
After the July 2024 overhaul there are three national tiers. Silver: USD 150,000 fixed deposit, 5-year renewable visa, RM 600,000 property minimum. Gold: USD 500,000 deposit, 15-year visa, RM 1,000,000 property minimum. Platinum: USD 1,000,000 deposit, 20-year visa, RM 2,000,000 property minimum (and the right to work). Deposits are set in US dollars — confirm the exact current figures on the official MM2H portal before applying.
Is there still a monthly-income requirement?
No. The old blanket monthly-income test (most recently around RM 40,000/month) was dropped in the 2024 overhaul and no category replaced it. MOTAC's Terms and Regulations state, identically under Silver, Gold and Platinum: "All requirements for offshore income for every category are dropped." What each category does require is the fixed deposit, the compulsory property purchase and the participating fee. Requirements can change — confirm on the official portal before you apply.
What is the minimum age now?
The minimum age for the national Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers is now 25 — lowered from the old retiree-focused thresholds. The separate Special Economic Zone (SEZ/SFZ) category sets a lower minimum age of 21.
Do I have to buy property?
Yes. Mandatory property purchase is a defining change of the 2024 overhaul. The minimum is RM 600,000 (Silver), RM 1,000,000 (Gold) or RM 2,000,000 (Platinum), and the property must generally be held for at least 10 years. Note that Penang state sets its own foreigner minimums on top of this (see the Penang note below).
What about buying in Penang specifically?
MM2H does not override Penang’s state property rules. As of recent guidance, foreigners must spend at least RM 1,000,000 on Penang Island and at least RM 500,000 on the mainland (Seberang Perai). Your MM2H property purchase must meet whichever minimum is higher — the tier threshold or the Penang state threshold. Confirm current state minimums before you buy.
How long is the visa and how much time must I spend in Malaysia?
Visa terms are category-based: Silver 5 years, Gold 15 years, Platinum 20 years, all renewable. The minimum stay is the same for everyone — MOTAC requires you to be present in Malaysia for 90 days (cumulative) in one year, with no age exemption. What does vary by age is who may fulfil it: for participants aged 25 to 49, the days can be met by the principal or their dependants. After the maximum term, the pass renews in 5-year blocks (RM 1,500 Silver / RM 3,000 Gold / RM 5,000 Platinum).
Can I work in Malaysia on MM2H?
Platinum is the only category where MOTAC lists business, investment and career activity as "Permissible". For Silver and Gold both are listed "Not allowed", with the note that "the relevant pass must be requested" — and MOTAC draws no distinction there between local employment and remote work for an employer abroad, so treat the common claim that MM2H lets you work remotely as unsourced. If remote work is the point of your move, DE RANTAU is the pass built for it.
What happens to my fixed deposit?
The fixed deposit is locked, not spent. Up to 50% of the principal can be withdrawn for an approved residence purchase, education, medical or tourism spending in Malaysia; the balance stays locked while you remain in the programme. One caveat worth carrying: MOTAC's Terms and Regulations permit that withdrawal "after the approval as MM2H participant has been obtained", while the official portal summary describes withdrawals starting from the second year onwards. The two do not agree on timing, so confirm it with the One Stop Centre before planning around it.
Is Sarawak’s programme the same?
No. Sarawak runs its own programme, S-MM2H, administered by the state tourism ministry rather than the federal MM2H Centre. Under the rules effective 1 January 2025 it takes a RM 500,000 fixed deposit held in a Sarawak bank branch, is open from age 30 (not 50), carries a one-off RM 5,000 processing fee, requires 30 days a year in Sarawak, and runs as a renewable 5-year pass. Penang applicants use the national federal programme described on this page.
Thinking of Settling in Penang?
MM2H is the long-stay route — but get to know the place first. Explore cost of living, neighbourhoods, healthcare and the everyday side of life on the island.