📅 Last verified: June 2026. Tax rates, MM2H tiers and state property floors change. Anything marked † moves most often — check the current number with MOTAC, LHDN or the state land office before you act.
The short version
- MM2H is a long-stay pass — not PR, not citizenship. Buying a property is now compulsory.
- Four tiers: SEZ, Silver, Gold, Platinum — each needs a fixed deposit + a minimum-priced home.
- The real perk is tax on your global income — not on the property.
- The catch agents skip: as an MM2H holder you still buy as a foreigner — 8% stamp duty, 10% RPGT floor. No local discount.
What is MM2H?
MM2H (Malaysia My Second Home) is a long-stay visa. The tourism ministry (MOTAC) relaunched it in July 2024, and those rules still apply in 2026.
It lets you live in Malaysia. It does not make you a citizen or PR — and it won’t lead to one.
The big change from the old days: you must now buy a property to qualify. Renting won’t cut it.
Reading a guide from 2023? Ignore it. Almost everything changed.
The four tiers
There are four ways in. Each needs money parked in a Malaysian fixed deposit (FD), plus a home above a minimum price.
The cheapest route is SEZ/SFZ — short for Special Economic Zone (also called Special Financial Zone). It’s a lower-cost MM2H path launched in 2025, currently limited to Forest City in Johor, right beside Singapore, aimed at cross-border professionals and remote workers.
| Tier | Fixed Deposit | Min. Property | Visa |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEZ / SFZ (Forest City only) | USD 65,000 (≈ RMB 440k) — age 21–49 · USD 32,000 (≈ RMB 220k) — age 50+ | Floor set by Johor state policy † | 10 yrs |
| Silver | USD 150,000 (≈ RMB 1.0m) | RM 600,000 | 5 yrs |
| Gold | USD 500,000 (≈ RMB 3.4m) | RM 1,000,000 | 15 yrs |
| Platinum | USD 1,000,000 (≈ RMB 6.8m) | RM 2,000,000 | 20 yrs |
RMB figures are rough — at ≈ 6.8 per USD (June 2026) — and move with the exchange rate. †
On top of the deposit there’s a one-off fee: RM1,000 (Silver), RM3,000 (Gold), RM200,000 (Platinum).
Sarawak runs its own version, S-MM2H, with different rules — and no compulsory purchase. Worth a look if you want more flexibility.
The property rule — read this first
Three things catch people out:
- You must buy a qualifying home at or above your tier’s price, usually within 12 months of approval.
- You can’t sell it for 10 years. That’s a state rule tied to foreign-ownership approval. Your money is locked for a decade — plan for it.
- You can take out up to 50% of the deposit from year two — but only for a home purchase, medical bills, or education.
How long must you stay? Can you work?
Stay: 90 days a year — and only if you’re under 50. † Over 50, there’s no minimum.
Work: only Platinum lets you work (business or employment). Silver, Gold and SEZ don’t. † If you need to work here, that one line picks your tier.
The real perks (these are genuine)
The tax case for MM2H is about your global money, not the house:
- Foreign income you bring in is currently tax-free (exemption runs to 2036). †
- No tax on gains from selling your overseas assets — Malaysia has no general capital gains tax.
- No inheritance or estate tax.
- Interest on your bank / fixed deposits is largely tax-free. †
If you have offshore income and global assets, that’s a real reason to be based here. But notice what it is — a perk of living here, not of buying here.
⚠️ What the agents leave out
Here’s the part that comes up last, if at all. MM2H does not make you a local buyer. When you buy that compulsory property, the taxman still sees a foreigner:
- You pay the flat 8% foreigner stamp duty (from 1 Jan 2026) — not the citizen’s 1–4%. On an RM1.5m home that’s RM120,000. A Malaysian pays about RM44,000.
- When you sell, you pay foreigner RPGT: 30% in years 1–5, then 10% forever after. There’s no 0% year. MM2H doesn’t unlock one.
→ Check your own numbers on the stamp duty & RPGT calculator. Full cost breakdown in the Foreign Buyer guide.
So who is MM2H really for?
Forget the brochure. It’s one question:
- Buying a Malaysian home anyway + want to live here + have offshore income? → MM2H makes sense. The purchase you’d make regardless now also buys you years of residency and a tax base.
- Just want to live here, no interest in owning? → It’s a pricey visa with a 10-year-locked asset attached.
Neither is wrong. They’re just two different deals — and it’s usually sold as only the first.
MM2H buys you time in Malaysia — not a Malaysian’s tax bill. Know which one you’re paying for.
Thinking about MM2H plus a purchase? Message me on WhatsApp — or run your real all-in cost on the calculator first.
General information only — not tax, legal or immigration advice. Tiers, deposits, residency rules and state price floors change; confirm with a licensed MM2H agent, MOTAC and LHDN. Figures marked † move most often.