Once you’ve completed the application form online and downloaded it, print it out. For a single applicant, this should take 15 A4 sheets – presumably a few more if you are applying with a spouse or other dependants, or have provided very lengthy financial details. 

If you print it in colour, you’ll see your entries in blue, while the rest of the form is in black.

There are a few things you now need to do by hand:

  • There are five places within the main application form where you need to sign.
  • One of those needs to be witnessed; as I was in Malaysia at the time, I had a Malaysian friend witness me signing, but it is not necessary for the witness to be Malaysian (although being slightly cynical, I imagine it wouldn’t hurt, especially if you are concerned your application may be slightly borderline in terms of meeting the requirements).
  • Use the checklist on the very first page, and tick off the boxes on the left-hand side, to ensure you have collated all of the required documents. You need to do this as they will do the same on the right-hand side when you submit your paperwork.

The final two pages of the document are the security bond form and associated fee scales. You can ignore both of these for now (they don’t need to be included in your submission at this stage) as you’ll only be filling out that form once you’ve received your conditional approval letter.

The next step is to take your printed and signed form, and supporting documentation, to the Malaysia My Second Home Centre in Putrajaya. This is on the first floor of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) office building. This is about 45-60 minutes from Kuala Lumpur by car, or take the KLIA Transit train from KL Sentral to Putrajaya station, from where it is about a 10-15 minute taxi or Grab ride.

The MM2H Centre is a standard “take a ticket and wait to be called” affair. From memory, I think I waited about half an hour, having arrived around 10am, but I have heard stories that the wait time can be much longer. You should probably aim to arrive as early as possible (it opens at 7:30am) and don’t plan on having any other commitments the same day, just in case. They close for lunch between 1-2pm Monday to Thursday, and 12:15 to 2:45pm on Fridays. Closed at weekends.

It took me two trips to Putrajaya to successfully submit my application, so in the hope that my experience might save you some trouble, here’s what happened to me:

  • Initially, on completing the application form online, I had made a few inadvertent mistakes that I only spotted when I printed the form out (there was a typo on one of my employment dates and for some reason my passport expiry date was showing as the submission date – not sure whether that was my mistake or a system error). However, having submitted my application online, I couldn’t see any way to re-open it and make changes. So I made the corrections by hand. Big no-no – instant rejection. As I recall, the staff at the MM2H centre were able to do something at their end to return my application to draft so I could re-edit it and re-submit, but the lesson learned is do not click the ’submit’ button until you are absolutely sure you are ready. Download the draft as many times as you need to, and check it thoroughly, before submitting. Ironically, I did do that several times, but still got it wrong! By the same token, and just to re-iterate yet again, absolutely do not fill in the form by hand – other than your signature and the corresponding witness details, everything should be typewritten.
  • I’d had all my paperwork certified by a Commissioner for Oaths (because at the time, the web site said this was acceptable). Turns out they’d changed the rules, but hadn’t actually told anyone or updated the web site… This is standard operating procedure in Malaysia, and something you will eventually get used to 😉 To be fair to the staff on the desk, they were very helpful and recommended a nearby Notary Public a short taxi ride away – no need to re-print my paperwork etc, he just stamped his certification alongside the original Commissioner for Oaths’ and all was well.
  • I had not included a letter confirming my employment (because there’s nothing that says you need to submit one). I was advised by the staff there that, because I work for my own company, I would need one: essentially a letter from me (in my capacity as company director) to me (in my capacity as company employee) confirming that I do actually work for my company, and stating my remuneration, all on company letterhead. Had I had my laptop with me, and access to a printer, I could have prepared the letter there-and then, but I didn’t, so I couldn’t…

The staff at the MM2H Centre were actually really helpful, and told me exactly what I needed to do to ensure my second submission attempt would be successful. I duly went back to KL, spent the evening getting everything sorted out, then returned to Putrajaya the next morning and successfully submitted my application – just in time to fly home to the UK the next morning…

You can phone the MM2H Centre if you have any questions, but in my experience they rarely answer. Similarly, you can try emailing, but you may or may not get a reply. My suggestion would be that, if you are in any way unsure about how to fill in the form, or what information you need to provide, or your affairs are complicated and difficult to explain, plan on making a trip to Putrajaya before you do the online submission. You may have to wait a while, but if my experience was typical, once you get to speak to someone, they are incredibly supportive and will do their utmost to explain everything and ensure you complete the application correctly.

If you have a laptop, take it with you. And ditto if you have a portable printer. There’s no access to printing/copying services within the MM2H Center, although you can get photocopying done in the shop behind the cafe on the ground floor. You might save yourself a trip if you can complete or revise your online submission, and prepare any documents you need etc, while sitting in the waiting room.

If you do need more than basic photocopying services, keep in mind that Putrajaya is pretty spread out, and there’s almost nothing within walking distance of MOTAC.

You may find it worthwhile hiring a car for the day. I wish I had – my main recollection of my visits is a lot of running around.

Anyway, once you’ve successfully submitted, the next step is to wait… In theory, the process should take three months. I was warned at submission that it might take up to five, as they were behind schedule. As it turned out, it took nine…