Start a business in Malaysia — the company registers first

The readable briefing above uses these cells. Open a source only when you need to verify a number, date, or legal gate.

• Revised Expatriate Salary Policy applies to applications from

  ESD (Immigration Department of Malaysia) announcement 'Revised Employment Pass Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026', 15 Jan 2026, citing MOHA press release 14 Jan 2026 and Cabinet approval 17 Oct 2025 — the revised thresholds apply to all new and renewal Employment Pass applications submitted on or after 1 June 2026; complete applications submitted before that date are assessed under the previous policy
  2026-06-01checked Aug 2026
• Employment Pass categories

  ESD (Immigration Department of Malaysia) announcement 'Revised Employment Pass Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026', 15 Jan 2026, citing MOHA press release 14 Jan 2026 and Cabinet approval 17 Oct 2025 — Employment Pass Category I, Category II and Category III each carry their own basic-salary floor and maximum employment duration
  I / II / IIIchecked Aug 2026
• Minimum basic monthly salary, Employment Pass Category I (from 1 Jun 2026)

  ESD (Immigration Department of Malaysia) announcement 'Revised Employment Pass Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026', 15 Jan 2026, citing MOHA press release 14 Jan 2026 and Cabinet approval 17 Oct 2025 — Category I revised minimum basic monthly salary RM20,000 and above (previously RM10,000); Employment Pass duration up to 10 years
  20000 MYRchecked Aug 2026
• Lower bound of Employment Pass Category II basic monthly salary band (from 1 Jun 2026)

  ESD (Immigration Department of Malaysia) announcement 'Revised Employment Pass Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026', 15 Jan 2026, citing MOHA press release 14 Jan 2026 and Cabinet approval 17 Oct 2025 — Category II revised minimum basic monthly salary RM10,000 – RM19,999 (previously RM5,000 – RM9,999)
  10000 MYRchecked Aug 2026
• Upper bound of Employment Pass Category II basic monthly salary band (from 1 Jun 2026)

  ESD (Immigration Department of Malaysia) announcement 'Revised Employment Pass Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026', 15 Jan 2026, citing MOHA press release 14 Jan 2026 and Cabinet approval 17 Oct 2025 — Category II revised band ends at RM19,999; at RM20,000 and above the application sits in Category I
  19999 MYRchecked Aug 2026
• Lower bound of Employment Pass Category III basic monthly salary band (from 1 Jun 2026)

  ESD (Immigration Department of Malaysia) announcement 'Revised Employment Pass Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026', 15 Jan 2026, citing MOHA press release 14 Jan 2026 and Cabinet approval 17 Oct 2025 — Category III revised minimum basic monthly salary RM5,000 – RM9,999 (previously RM3,000 – RM4,999)
  5000 MYRchecked Aug 2026
• Upper bound of Employment Pass Category III basic monthly salary band (from 1 Jun 2026)

  ESD (Immigration Department of Malaysia) announcement 'Revised Employment Pass Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026', 15 Jan 2026, citing MOHA press release 14 Jan 2026 and Cabinet approval 17 Oct 2025 — Category III revised band ends at RM9,999; at RM10,000 the application sits in Category II
  9999 MYRchecked Aug 2026
• Employment Pass Category III floor for manufacturing / MRS employers (from 1 Jun 2026)

  MOHA / Immigration Department FAQ 'Revised Expatriate Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026' (updated 12 Feb 2026) Q10 — for companies in the Manufacturing Sector and Manufacturing-Related Services (MRS) under MITI / MIDA purview, the Employment Pass Category III band is RM7,000 – RM9,999; manufacturing sub-sectors must hold a Manufacturing Licence or a Manufacturing Exemption Confirmation Letter
  7000 MYRchecked Aug 2026
• Employment Pass salary floors are measured on basic salary only

  MOHA / Immigration Department FAQ 'Revised Expatriate Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026' (updated 12 Feb 2026) Q9 — the salary requirement is based on basic salary only; allowances and other payments are not included in the calculation
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Maximum Employment Pass duration, Category I

  ESD (Immigration Department of Malaysia) announcement 'Revised Employment Pass Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026', 15 Jan 2026, citing MOHA press release 14 Jan 2026 and Cabinet approval 17 Oct 2025 — Category I Employment Pass duration up to 10 years
  10 yearschecked Aug 2026
• Maximum Employment Pass duration, Category II (succession plan required)

  ESD (Immigration Department of Malaysia) announcement 'Revised Employment Pass Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026', 15 Jan 2026, citing MOHA press release 14 Jan 2026 and Cabinet approval 17 Oct 2025 — Category II Employment Pass duration up to 10 years with a succession plan
  10 yearschecked Aug 2026
• Maximum Employment Pass duration, Category III (succession plan required)

  ESD (Immigration Department of Malaysia) announcement 'Revised Employment Pass Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026', 15 Jan 2026, citing MOHA press release 14 Jan 2026 and Cabinet approval 17 Oct 2025 — Category III Employment Pass duration up to 5 years with a succession plan
  5 yearschecked Aug 2026
• Succession plan is defined in the primary FAQ, not left to the employer

  MOHA / Immigration Department FAQ 'Revised Expatriate Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026' (updated 12 Feb 2026) Q4 — a succession plan is a structured employer plan to prepare local employees to replace expatriate roles within the stipulated employment period: identifying the roles to be taken over, training and mentoring including knowledge transfer, a timeline for readiness, and continuity planning so the transition does not affect productivity
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Employment duration clock is tied to the employer, not the person

  MOHA / Immigration Department FAQ 'Revised Expatriate Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026' (updated 12 Feb 2026) Q11–Q12 — the expatriate employment period is calculated against the employing company from 1 June 2026; on a change of company the clock starts from the date of employment with the new company, and on a change of pass category from the issuance date of the new pass
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• The Category III minimum-salary exemption route is closed from 1 Jun 2026

  MOHA / Immigration Department FAQ 'Revised Expatriate Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026' (updated 12 Feb 2026) Q18 — minimum salary exemption applications for Employment Pass Category III will no longer apply starting 1 June 2026
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• The Category III cooling-off period is removed under the revised policy

  MOHA / Immigration Department FAQ 'Revised Expatriate Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026' (updated 12 Feb 2026) Q21 — the cooling-off period will no longer apply to Employment Pass Category III following implementation of the revised policy
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Whether a Category III holder may bring dependants turns on the pass issue date

  MOHA / Immigration Department FAQ 'Revised Expatriate Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026' (updated 12 Feb 2026) Q20 — Category III passes issued before 1 June 2026 remain under the existing policy, which does not allow dependants; Category III applications submitted from 1 June 2026 are subject to the revised policy
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Earliest Employment Pass renewal filing before expiry

  MOHA / Immigration Department FAQ 'Revised Expatriate Salary Policy Effective 1 June 2026' (updated 12 Feb 2026) Q16 — valid pass holders need not resubmit, but renewal applications may be submitted as early as three months before pass expiry and fall under the revised policy if made after 1 June 2026
  3 monthschecked Aug 2026
• A stay stamp alone is not Malaysian Employment Pass work authority

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 — Employment Pass applications require approval before entering for employment; Dependant Pass / long-term social visit paths are listed as separate instruments from EP
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• A Malaysian employer must register on ESD Online before filing expatriate passes

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 (14 Apr 2025) FAQ — all companies will need to register via ESD Online as a first step; ESD-approved companies can then apply for Employment Pass, Professional Visit Pass-Expert, Dependant Pass and Social Visit Pass (Long Term)
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• ESD company-registration charter

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 FAQ — company registration process takes five (5) working days to status notification, subject to complete documentation
  5 working dayschecked Aug 2026
• ESD paid-up capital floor — 100% local-owned company

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 — paid-up capital for 100% locally owned companies: RM250,000 (not applicable to public limited companies, companies limited by guarantee, associations and organisations under specific acts)
  250000 MYRchecked Aug 2026
• ESD paid-up capital floor — joint venture

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 — paid-up capital for joint-venture companies: RM350,000; joint ventures also need minimum 30% foreign shareholding
  350000 MYRchecked Aug 2026
• ESD paid-up capital floor — 100% foreign-owned company

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 — paid-up capital for 100% foreign-owned companies: RM500,000
  500000 MYRchecked Aug 2026
• ESD paid-up capital floor — foreign-owned WRT company

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 — foreign-owned companies (foreign equity 51%+) in Wholesale, Retail and Trade (WRT) sectors: RM1,000,000 paid-up, with mandatory valid WRT approval letter where applicable
  1000000 MYRchecked Aug 2026
• Restricted distributive-trade sectors cannot file long-term Employment Passes

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 note (2) — under KPDN Guidelines on Foreign Participation in the Distributive Trade Services Malaysia, applications for any long-term pass (more than 3 months) including Employment Pass for companies in those restricted sectors are NOT ALLOWED
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• ICT companies on ESD Online are limited to Professional Visit Pass-Expert

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 note (3) — the Information, Technology & Communications (ICT) sector is only allowed to apply for Professional Visit Pass-Expert (PVP) via ESD Online
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Approval Letter is required before entering Malaysia to take up the job

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 Employment Pass / PVP conditions — all applications must obtain an Approval Letter before entering Malaysia for the purpose of employment
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Employment Pass basic salary must be paid by the Malaysian employer in MYR

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 employment-contract checklist — basic salary (excluding gross salary / allowances / incentives / bonuses) must be paid by the Malaysian company and stated in Ringgit Malaysia
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• A dual-function job title is not allowed on an Employment Pass

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 employment-contract checklist — dual function position is NOT ALLOWED; the position in the contract, ESD Online, job description and Support/Approval Letter must be the same
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Minimum relevant experience with a degree for an Employment Pass post

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 — minimum for an expatriate post: Degree and above with at least 3 years of experience in the relevant field
  3 yearschecked Aug 2026
• Minimum relevant experience with a diploma for an Employment Pass post

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 — Diploma with at least 5 years of experience in the relevant field
  5 yearschecked Aug 2026
• Minimum relevant experience with a technical certificate for an Employment Pass post

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 — Technical Certificate or equivalent with at least 7 years of experience in the relevant field
  7 yearschecked Aug 2026
• A Dependant Pass does not authorise employment

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 Dependant Pass features — Employment not allowed and requires conversion to Employment Pass
  nochecked Aug 2026
• A Social Visit Pass (Long Term) does not authorise employment

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 Social Visit Pass (Long Term) features — Employment is not allowed and requires conversion to Employment Pass; study is not allowed and requires conversion to Student Pass
  nochecked Aug 2026
• Professional Visit Pass is the short earn door for people paid by an overseas employer

  MIDA Procedures and Guidelines on Application for Professional Visit Pass (1 June 2026) §A/B — PVP allows foreign nationals to enter Malaysia temporarily to provide professional services, technical expertise or training without being employed by a Malaysian company; PVP holders are employed by overseas companies
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Professional Visit Pass maximum duration

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 PVP — the maximum duration for an expatriate to hold PVP is 12 months; no extensions are allowed beyond 12 months. MIDA PVP Guidelines (1 June 2026) §A — valid for a maximum duration of 12 months and is not extendable
  12 monthschecked Aug 2026
• Professional Visit Pass is not extendable past 12 months

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 PVP + MIDA PVP Guidelines (1 June 2026) — no extensions beyond the 12-month maximum
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Professional Visit Pass holders cannot bring dependants on a Dependant Pass

  MIDA PVP Guidelines (1 June 2026) §C.11 — PVP holders are not entitled to apply for a Dependant Pass
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Professional Visit Pass is tied to one Malaysian sponsor

  MIDA PVP Guidelines (1 June 2026) §C.10 — the pass is specific to the Malaysian sponsoring company; PVP holders are NOT allowed to work for other companies in Malaysia. ESD Guidebook — change of employer requires cancel + exit before a new PVP
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• MIDA processing fee per Professional Visit Pass application

  MIDA PVP Guidelines (1 June 2026) §F.7 — processing fees (exclude 8% SST): MIDA RM1,200.00 for each PVP application; Immigration RM180/RM360 pass issuance + visa fee RM6–RM50
  1200 MYRchecked Aug 2026
• MIDA Professional Visit Pass processing charter

  MIDA PVP Guidelines (1 June 2026) §F.3 — client charter processed within 15 working days (including Immigration work process), subject to completeness
  15 working dayschecked Aug 2026
• MIDA assesses Professional Visit Pass for manufacturing and listed MIDA services sectors

  MIDA PVP Guidelines (1 June 2026) §C.1 — sector: manufacturing and selected services sectors under MIDA’s purview; the Malaysian sponsoring company must be within sectors regulated by MIDA
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Professional Visit Pass filing channel splits by sponsor sector

  ESD Online Guidebook V6 lists Professional Visit Pass-Expert among MYXpats Centre services for ESD-registered companies; MIDA PVP Guidelines (1 June 2026) route manufacturing and selected MIDA services through MIDA Expatriate System via Xpats Gateway. Which channel applies depends on the sponsor’s sector
  ESD Online / MIDA Expatriate Systemchecked Aug 2026
• Professional Visit Pass-Expert is not the same door as DE Rantau

  Contrast grounded in primary: MIDA/ESD PVP-Expert is a host-sponsored short assignment while the holder stays on an overseas payroll; MDEC DE Rantau is a separate Professional Visit Pass track for remote digital nomads. Do not treat the two as the same door
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Residence Pass-Talent length

  TalentCorp Residence Pass-Talent page — RP-T is a 10-year renewable visa for highly skilled expatriate talent, introduced with MOHA and the Immigration Department
  10 yearschecked Aug 2026
• Residence Pass-Talent minimum basic monthly salary

  TalentCorp RP-T eligibility — earns a basic monthly salary of RM15,000 which excludes any allowances and/or bonuses; yearly basic salary declared should align (at least RM180,000 per annum)
  15000 MYRchecked Aug 2026
• Minimum consecutive Employment Pass years before Residence Pass-Talent

  TalentCorp RP-T eligibility — has worked in Malaysia under the Employment Pass for a minimum of three (3) consecutive years at the time of application; holds a valid Employment Pass with more than 3 months validity at submission
  3 yearschecked Aug 2026
• Minimum total work experience for Residence Pass-Talent

  TalentCorp RP-T eligibility — possesses at least 5 years of total work experience
  5 yearschecked Aug 2026
• Minimum recent Malaysian tax years paid for Residence Pass-Talent

  TalentCorp RP-T eligibility — has a Malaysian income tax file number and has paid income tax for the most recent 2 years (minimum) at the time of application
  2 yearschecked Aug 2026
• Residence Pass-Talent is not tied to one Employment Pass employer

  TalentCorp Residence Pass-Talent highlights — have the flexibility to change employers without converting the pass
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• An RP-T spouse can seek employment without a separate Employment Pass

  TalentCorp Residence Pass-Talent highlights — spouse (legally married) is eligible for the RP-T and as such can seek employment in Malaysia without the need to apply for an Employment Pass
  yeschecked Aug 2026
• Malaysia has not published an Indo/Thai-style numbered closed-occupation list for expatriates

  As of check date, ESD / MOHA primary publish salary floors, succession plans and sector gates (distributive-trade long-pass block; ICT→PVP-only on ESD) rather than a numbered closed-occupation schedule of the Thailand reserved-list / Indonesia personalia-list type. Do not invent a closed-job count
  yeschecked Aug 2026