Right now, I’m sitting here in Lalpur, the capital of Malaysia — a truly beautiful place. You can see the amazing scene in the background, I’m sitting on my apartment balcony, and from here I can see the skyline of the city center. The view is fantastic, the weather is great, and this is truly a beautiful and bustling capital of Malaysia.
I’m going to talk to you about the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) Program. There has been a lot of discussion about it for quite some time, and personally, I have been interested in it for a long time. Many people have been waiting for this program to reopen — especially people from Western countries like the USA and Europe, and also from Middle Eastern countries.
Many people contacted me about it and kept asking for updates.So, Malaysia took about one to two years to revise this program.
The Malaysia My Second Home Program is basically a 10-year visa that was launched around 20 years ago. It used to be a great option back then. People were told: deposit a small amount of money in a Malaysian bank account, and in return, you would receive a 10-year visa for yourself and your family.
It was an amazing opportunity, and almost 30,000 to 40,000 people applied for it. The requirements were quite simple — you just had to deposit around $30,000–$40,000 in the bank, and you would get the visa.
But then, in 2021, they changed it and increased the requirements drastically — now up to 1 million dollars! Naturally, 99% of people could not afford that, and the program became out of reach.
Recently, however, Malaysia announced that they would renew and revise the program again. About 10 days ago, they made a new announcement with updated requirements. But even now, there are many problems and faults in it. The new requirements are still too high for most people, especially for retired individuals or those with passive income, who do not have large savings to invest just for a visa — and that too in Malaysia.
They have now divided the program into three categories:
- Silver – 5-year visa
- Gold – 10-year visa
- Platinum – 20-year visa
Now, let’s talk about the Silver category — the smallest one.
For this, you must deposit $150,000 in a Malaysian bank as a fixed deposit, which you cannot withdraw, except for limited spending after one year.
In addition, you must purchase property worth $150,000.
So, altogether, you are required to invest $300,000 — and for that, you will get a 5-year visa. But the property you buy cannot be sold for 10 years.
Now, if we compare this program with other countries in Asia or Europe, it does not compete at all.
For example:
- In Indonesia, the Second Home Visa offers 10 years for only $125,000, either in a property or bank deposit — not both.
- In Cambodia, the total required investment is only $100,000 for a 10-year visa.
- In Thailand, the requirements are similar, and in the Philippines, they are even lower.
- In Europe, for example, Greece offers Permanent Residency (PR) directly if you invest just €250,000.
- Malta also provides PR for even less than Malaysia’s requirement.
- And Hungary recently introduced a new program as well.
So, tell me, why would someone invest $300,000 in Malaysia just for a 5-year visa with no PR or long-term benefit?
Even the Platinum visa (20 years) requires an investment of $1.5 million (1,500,000 USD) — and still, no permanent residency.
That’s the issue here.
However, if some people are still interested in Malaysia, you can go for the minimum Silver category, where you invest $300,000 for a 5-year visa.
Other requirements include providing:
A Police Clearance Certificate
A Medical Certificate from a doctor confirming you’re healthy and have no dangerous diseases
In my personal opinion, these new requirements are disappointing and frustrating. I personally would not go for this program.
I honestly believe Malaysia is an excellent place for tourism, not for long-term visas or investments. I visit Malaysia often — it’s beautiful, enjoyable, full of nature and facilities, and perfect for family vacations.
But as for visa and investment, I’m sorry, guys, Malaysia is not yet at that level where investors are treated with respect or given fair opportunities.
In comparison, Indonesia is much better, and I would recommend Indonesia to you as well. You can easily get a 2-year investor visa through company formation, or apply for a 10-year Second Home Visa with much lower investment requirements.
So, I was just sitting here enjoying this beautiful weather and thought — why not share my experience with you?
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