Malaysia DE Rantau Nomad Pass

The DE Rantau Nomad Pass is Malaysia's pass for foreign digital nomads. The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) runs it and issues it as a Professional Visit Pass (Pas Lawatan Ikhtisas), which lets remote employees and freelancers live in Malaysia while they work for employers or clients abroad. MDEC's program page now calls it the "Digital Nomad Pass," while its FAQ and notices still use the DE Rantau name.

Tech and digital professionals need a minimum annual income of $24,000. Approved non-tech roles, eligible since June 7, 2024, need $60,000 a year. Remote employees can't work for a company registered in Malaysia, though freelancers may take Malaysian clients.

The pass is issued for 3 to 12 months, allows multiple entries and can be renewed once, for a maximum stay of 24 months. It covers Peninsular Malaysia and the Federal Territory of Labuan only; entry to Sabah and Sarawak is on a tourist pass.

MDEC describes no path from the pass to permanent residence. Final immigration decisions rest with Malaysia's immigration authorities, not MDEC.

All nationalities except citizens of Israel may apply. The main applicant must be over 18.

• Remote workers: employees of a foreign company that isn't registered in Malaysia, working away from any office. The employment contract must have started at least three months before the application.
• Freelancers and independent contractors: self-employed professionals with signed client contracts that started at least three months before the application. Clients can be foreign or Malaysian.

Two income bands apply to the main applicant:

• Tech talent: IT and digital roles such as software engineering, cloud, cybersecurity, blockchain, AI, machine learning, data, UX and UI design, digital marketing and digital content. Minimum annual income: $24,000.
• Non-tech talent: roles on MDEC's list such as founders and chief executives, chief operating and financial officers, finance, sales, marketing and HR managers, legal counsel, consultants, technical writers and tax specialists. Minimum annual income: $60,000.

Freelance content creators without client contracts can apply on platform income, as long as it exceeds $24,000 a year.

Immediate family can apply as dependants:

• Partner: a spouse or common-law partner
• Children: children, adopted children or stepchildren under 18; disabled children of any age, verified by experts
• Parents: the main holder's parents only

Dependants can't work in Malaysia and are assessed separately, so the main applicant's approval doesn't guarantee theirs. School-age children need a Student Pass unless they're home-schooled.

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Every document must be in English or come with a certified English translation. Files should be clear PDFs, with names and income figures that match across documents. MDEC can reject a file that is incomplete, unverifiable or inconsistent.

• Passport validity: More than 14 months at submission, for the main applicant and every dependant
• Remote workers: a signed employment contract showing the remote arrangement, job title, contract length, salary and the employer's foreign business details; the last three months of payslips and matching bank statements; an employer confirmation letter is optional but recommended
• Freelancers: signed client contracts stating scope, duration and payment terms; the last three months of invoices and bank statements; proof of payment by bank transfer or through platforms such as PayPal, Stripe or Wise; a portfolio or client testimonials are optional
• Sponsor document: a personal bond, security bond or declaration form with a MYR 10 revenue stamp, endorsed by the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (LHDN)

A sponsor is a Malaysian-registered company that awards projects to the applicant and takes responsibility for the stay. Applicants without one take MDEC as sponsor, sign a personal bond agreement with MDEC and pay a refundable security bond.

At endorsement

After approval, the endorsement step asks for:

• Passport pages: a copy of every page plus the latest immigration entry stamp
• Visa: the eVISA or Visa with Reference (VDR), for nationalities that need one
• Health insurance: a policy covering Malaysia, valid for at least three months and for the whole pass period
• Tax registration: an income tax e-registration slip from LHDN, issued through mytax.hasil.gov.my
• Bond: the signed personal bond agreement or declaration form, mandatory when MDEC is the sponsor

MDEC charges a processing fee of MYR 1,080 for the main applicant and MYR 540 for each dependant, paid online at submission. Both amounts include 8% sales and service tax (SST). MDEC's program page shows the same fees before tax: MYR 1,000 and MYR 500.

The processing fee is non-refundable for applications submitted on or after May 1, 2025, whatever the outcome: rejection, cancellation or withdrawal.

• Processing fee: MYR 1,080 per main applicant and MYR 540 per dependant, including SST
• Immigration pass fee: MYR 360 a year, charged per three months of validity and paid at endorsement
• Multiple Entry Visa charges: where they apply, set by the Immigration Department and varying by country
• Security bond: RM200 to RM2,000 depending on nationality, refunded in full when the pass expires; payable only when MDEC acts as sponsor

The immigration pass fee and Multiple Entry Visa charges are non-refundable too, even when endorsement isn't completed or the application is withdrawn or rejected. Amounts are in Malaysian ringgit (MYR), written locally as RM.

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All applications go online through MDEC's DE Rantau portal at mdec.my/derantau, from inside or outside Malaysia. A complete application takes 6 to 8 weeks; requests for more documents add time. An undated notice on MDEC's program page says DE Rantau applications currently face delays from system integration problems. MDEC doesn't offer expedited processing.

• Apply: choose the applicant category, upload the documents and pay the processing fee. Status updates appear at malaysiadigital.mdec.my.
• Approval: the approval letter is valid for six months and can't be extended. Endorsement must be finished inside that window or the applicant starts over with a new application.
• Entry: nationals who need a visa get an eVISA online or a Visa with Reference (VDR) from the Malaysian embassy or consulate named in the approval letter. The first entry must be stamped at a manual immigration counter, not the autogate, because endorsement needs the entry stamp.
• Endorsement: within one month of entry, the applicant uploads the endorsement documents in the DE Rantau portal and pays the immigration fees. The e-Pass is generally issued within one week. Applicants must stay in Malaysia until it's issued.
• If rejected: No appeals against rejection; applicants may submit a new application. This rule has applied since Aug. 1, 2026.

Applicants may wait in Malaysia on a tourist pass while MDEC reviews the file. A tourist pass can't be converted, though. After approval the applicant must leave and re-enter with the visa or entry permission named in the approval letter before endorsement.

Employment Pass holders in categories I and II can apply from inside Malaysia after getting a release letter from their employer and shortening or canceling the pass; if the pass expires while the application is pending, they must leave. Category III holders must leave once their pass is canceled and re-enter after approval. Student Pass holders can't convert either, but they can apply in Malaysia with a university release letter and full transcript to shorten the Student Pass.

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• First pass: 3 to 12 months, multiple entry
• Renewal: Renewable once for up to 12 more months; apply up to 3 months before expiry; renewals take 6 to 8 weeks and endorsement must be completed within 1 month of approval while in Malaysia
• Maximum stay: 24 months
• Where it applies: Peninsular Malaysia and the Federal Territory of Labuan only; entry to Sabah and Sarawak is on a tourist pass

Holders must stay in Malaysia until a renewal's endorsement is complete and the new e-Pass is issued. On later trips they can use the autogates at KLIA Terminals 1 and 2 if they submit the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) before arrival.

MDEC describes no route from the pass to permanent residence. Longer stays need a different pass, such as Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H).

The pass carries no blanket tax exemption. MDEC's FAQ says foreign remote workers with income from outside Malaysia are not taxed if they stay 60 days or less; stays of 61 days or more are taxable under s4(b)/s13(2) ITA 1967 and Article 14 of tax treaties, at rates set by residence status. Foreign freelancers' Malaysian-source income faces 10% withholding tax for the first 182 days, then is taxed as resident income; their foreign or worldwide income 'will be eligible for taxation' under s4(a), subject to s7.

MDEC adds that withholding tax a freelancer pays early in the stay is credited once the income is declared in a Malaysian tax return. The main residence test of the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (LHDN) is 182 days or more in Malaysia in a calendar year.

MDEC isn't the tax authority. Its FAQ refers tax questions to LHDN's Hasil Careline and recommends asking about the tax treatment of non-resident individuals.

Every holder registers with LHDN before endorsement, since the endorsement step asks for an income tax e-registration slip. Most Malaysian banks don't accept the Professional Visit Pass for opening an account, MDEC says, so holders should ask individual banks.