This blog records my experiences of applying for (and being granted) the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) visa.
Otherwise known as a Social Visit Pass, this allows the holder (and dependants, if included in the application) to reside in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, and to exit/re-enter without restriction. There is a separate variant for Sarawak.
I hope my experience may be helpful to others who are applying, or thinking of applying, for Malaysia My Second Home.
It’s possible that the procedures may change between me writing and you reading this, so the specifics might differ. I hope this site might nonetheless provide some useful tips and give you a feel for navigating what can seem like a complicated process.
I applied as a single individual, so I don’t have experience of including family members – but the procedure should be broadly the same, just that there will be some extra details required if you are bringing dependants.
Also, I applied directly, rather than use an agent. If you are time-poor and cash-rich, an agent will likely be useful to you. However, it is perfectly feasible to undertake the process yourself, as I did – it just takes a bit of care, attention to detail, plenty of patience and perseverance, and an ability to tolerate a modest amount of frustration…
It’s probably best to read the articles in sequence, but if you’re already in the process of applying for your MM2H visa / social visit pass, you may feel comfortable skipping some of them. Either way, to get started, have a look at this overview of the MM2H process, from where the other pieces are linked.
I’ll also use this blog to post occasional pieces about, or loosely related to, my observations and experiences of visiting and living in Malaysia. These are not in any particular order, or necessarily related to MM2H, but I hope you may enjoy reading them.
I welcome feedback, and will do my best to respond to questions. If you have been through the MM2H process and your experience differs from mine or you feel I’ve got something wrong, or something has changed since I wrote, please do let me know – corrections much appreciated! You can comment publicly on individual articles, or if you prefer, contact me here.
I hope the information in here is useful.
All the best,
Jon
Update – October 2020
I have just seen that MOTAC (the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, who run the MM2H scheme) have completely revamped the MM2H web site at mm2h.gov.uk. From what I can tell, the application process and eligibility requirements remain the same, but the information and guidance presented on the site appears to be a lot clearer. A huge improvement, so well done them!
However, having said that – the MM2H programme is currently suspended, pending review. No applications are being processed and they appear to be saying that anyone with an already-submitted application in-progress will need to reapply once the programme resumes. You can read their press release here.
If you already have your Conditional Approval Letter but can’t actually get into Malaysia to complete the process due to the current travel restrictions, you can apparently request a three month extension – see announcement here.
For all MM2H participants, applicants, or ex-participants, MOTAC is currently running a survey seeking thoughts, experiences and feedback on the MM2H programme, which you can access here. I would urge you to do it if you have an interest in the scheme, as your answers will presumably inform their decisions around what shape the programme takes when they relaunch it.
Update – November 2021
The Malaysian government has recently relaunched the MM2H programme, after a period of suspension. I’ll try to write more on it once things are clearer – the changes are severe (much more onerous financial requirements for one thing), although there’s some uncertainty over whether these revisions will stick and how things will eventually end up. Like many here, I’m waiting for the dust to settle before taking a view, but I have to say that it doesn’t look good, and as things stand, if the changes remain as announced, I suspect the MM2H programme will effectively be dead.
