Malaysia’s MM2H rules now hinge on age and stay length

Malaysia’s revamped Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) program keeps its 90-day annual stay rule for principal applicants under 50 in the Silver, Gold, Platinum and SEZ tiers. The stay can be shared across the principal applicant and dependents and the requirement starts from visa issuance, with compliance checked at renewals every five years.

The program, run by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture with visa issuance handled by the Immigration Department of Malaysia, also keeps tighter property and deposit rules. Applicants need medical checks in Malaysia, health insurance if they’re under 60 and fixed deposits in a Malaysian bank under lien.

Who the rule hits hardest

The stay requirement does not affect short-term tourists or standard visa holders. It does apply to long-term expats, retirees and high-net-worth applicants entering MM2H under the current tiered system.

Applicants 50 and older are exempt from the 90-day stay rule, while younger principal applicants must meet it to keep their status. MM2H also doesn't allow local employment, except for limited part-time permissions, so digital nomads may look elsewhere for work rights; Malaysia’s visa updates page points to the DE Rantau route for that.

What applicants need to do next

Most MM2H applicants must buy property within one year of conditional approval or risk losing the visa. Minimum property values start at RM600,000 for Silver, RM1 million for Gold and RM2 million for Platinum, with lower thresholds in the SEZ tier.

Fixed deposits range from $150,000 for Silver to $1 million for Platinum and partial withdrawals can be made after year two for approved uses such as property or education, as long as minimum balances stay in place. Read our full Malaysia guide for the complete picture.