Malaysia – Visas

British and American citizens are allowed to enter the country of Malaysia, and stay for up to three months without a visa. This is only permitted if the purpose for your travel is either for social or business reasons. If your stay is going to exceed 3 months or if you are going to want to be employed whilst you are out there, or open a bank account etc. then you will need a visa.

But if you are planning to stay in Malaysia for a long time, and wish to have all of the incentives which are offered to expats out there, then you should look at your visa options.

Ten Year Visa for Malaysia

Without a doubt, the ten year visa, issued under the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) scheme is the best one to take if you plan to be in Malaysia for a while. Successful individuals will receive a ten year visa which will allow them multiple entries into and multiple exits out of Malaysia. Obtaining this visa allows the applicant to set up a business in the country and to work part time if he/she wishes. It is worth noting that the ten year visa will not automatically lead to permanent residency, however.

The MM2H Application

You can apply for the MM2H visa whether you are currently located in Malaysia or overseas. Once the committee has reviewed and approved your application, you will have 6 months to submit the necessary extra documents (medical insurance, medical examination, fixed deposit etc.) before obtaining your visa.

Submission Requirements:

The following documents are required to complete the application process, some at the time of original submission and others after receiving the letter of conditional approval.

- Covering letter (The covering letter should state all of the names of the people who are applying with you, how you will support yourself in Malaysia and which financial criteria you wish to use)

- Three copies of IM.12 Social Visit Pass

- One copy of the Application Form MM2H

- 4 passport sized photographs of applicant and spouse (if accompanied by spouse)

- Certified true copies of all pages of passport/travel document of applicant and spouse (if relevant)

- Certified true copy of every page of previous passport if your current passport is less than one year old (Note: only the page with personal particulars needs to be certified)

- Certified true copy of Marriage Certificate (if accompanied by spouse)

- Certified true copy of children’s birth certificate (if relevant)

- A current CV/ resume

- Evidence of financial assets

- Evidence of regular monthly income

- Medical report of applicant - Form RB 1

This can be a self-declaration initially but after the conditional approval letter is issued, it must be signed off by a doctor in Malaysia

- Letter of Good Conduct by a government agency where you currently live (if you have lived there several years) or your home country (usually the Police Department or Criminal Records Bureau)

- Authorization letter from applicant to Malaysia My Second Home Centre authorising them to verify the financial documents with the relevant financial institutions

- Evidence of purchasing property in Malaysia over RM1 million (if requesting approval to make lower fixed deposit)

Visa collection

Once your visa has been accepted, you must submit the following documents before being allowed to pick it up:

- Evidence of placing the Fixed Deposit – if applying under this criteria

- Copy of Malaysian medical insurance

- Copy of medical report

- Letter of Good Conduct from Government Agency

Approval

It usually takes about 90 days from submission for your visa to be properly processed, so make sure that you apply for it well in advance.

Fee Rate

Instead of paying all in one go, the MM2H visa will charge you RM 90 per year in order to issue you with a social visit pass. This means that overall, the visa will cost RM 900, but this is only if your visa is actually valid for 10 years. The Malaysia visa runs in accordance with your passport expiry date, so make sure you have plenty of time left on your passport before you a apply. If you have to get a new passport before your visa runs out then you will also have to apply for a new visa.

- Current passport and previous passport

- Copy of both passports – (every page, but not a certified true copy)

- Form IM.12 (one per person)

[Source: http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-malaysia-visas]

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