Sarawak MM2H (S-MM2H / SMM2H) is not the federal Malaysia My Second Home programme. Sarawak runs its own scheme through the Sarawak Tourism Board. Almost nothing transfers: eligibility, money, sponsorship and property rules are all separate, which is why federal Silver/Gold/Platinum figures mislead anyone planning to live in Kuching, Miri or elsewhere in Sarawak.
Federal MM2H vs S-MM2H
| Federal MM2H | S-MM2H | |
|---|---|---|
| Authority | MOTAC / Immigration via OSC MM2H | Sarawak Tourism Board / MTCP |
| Who it is for | Living in Peninsular Malaysia (and the federal rules for Sabah’s own scheme are separate again) | Living in Sarawak |
| Entry logic | Capital tier (Silver / Gold / Platinum / SEZ) | Circumstance: age, Sarawak property, medical treatment or children studying |
| Financial proof | Fixed deposit in USD by category | Fixed deposit, approved pension, or offshore income |
| Sponsor | Not required | Required for a direct application (or apply via a licensed agent) |
| Work / business | Platinum permits both; others do not | Not allowed |
If the plan is Peninsular Malaysia, read the federal categories and the requirements matrix. If the plan is Sarawak, stay on this page and the official S-MM2H overview.
Three ways in, not one
Federal MM2H sorts applicants by how much capital they bring. Sarawak sorts them by circumstance.
- Aged 50 and above. A spouse has no age limit.
- Aged 40 to 50, with residential real estate in Sarawak worth at least RM600,000.
- Aged 30 to 50, undergoing long-term medical treatment in Sarawak, or with children studying there.
Someone at 35 with a child in a Kuching school has a route here that the federal programme does not offer at any price.
The money can be income, not capital
This is the sharpest difference. Sarawak accepts any one of:
- a fixed deposit of RM300,000 for couples or RM150,000 for an individual,
- a government-approved pension paying more than RM10,000 a month for couples or RM7,000 for individuals, or
- offshore income of more than RM10,000 a month for couples or RM7,000 for individuals.
A pensioner who could never lock up USD150,000 may still qualify on the pension route. The deposit account, if that is the route taken, must be opened at a bank branch in Sarawak. Property and other liquid assets are expressly not accepted as financial proof.
The sponsor requirement
A direct application must be bonded by a sponsor who originated from and currently resides in Sarawak, and a sponsor may bond only one application. Applicants without a sponsor apply through a licensed agent instead.
Nothing in the federal programme corresponds to this. The federal MOTAC register of licensed companies is for the federal programme; it is not a substitute for S-MM2H agent rules.
Property and dependants
An approved participant may buy a residential house in Sarawak. The programme overview sets a minimum of RM600,000 per unit in Kuching and RM500,000 per unit in other divisions, and the purchase is exempt from Foreign Investment Committee approval. Separately, Section 13 of the Sarawak Land Code still requires the value of house plus land to meet RM600,000 for foreign acquisition on Mixed Zone residential land.
Dependants are the principal’s parents and children under 21. Children over 18 who have finished studying move to a yearly social pass until they turn 21.
Applying is deliberately physical
Applications are submitted at the MTCP office at Bangunan Baitulmakmur II, Petrajaya, and the ministry is explicit that online and postal submission are not accepted. The stated reason is worth quoting for what it says about the market: it prevents unlicensed agents from submitting on an applicant’s behalf.
The applicant must attend in person or appoint a registered agent to attend for them. Processing takes 90 working days, and the ministry notes it may run longer because of background and security checks.
The medical must be done in Sarawak
A full medical check-up on form BK II, covering X-ray, urine and blood tests plus anything the practitioner considers necessary. It must be done at a certified medical institution in Sarawak, and results from outside Sarawak are not accepted. A check-up at a private institution needs its form and results certified by a government doctor at a public hospital.
Dependants do not get the same pass
This is the difference most likely to catch a family out. Dependants under S-MM2H are the principal’s parents and children under 21, and they do not receive the S-MM2H pass itself: they receive a yearly social pass, or a student pass if studying. Children over 18 who have finished studying remain on a yearly social pass until they turn 21.
If the application was made under the children-studying route, those children must be studying in Sarawak, and they must already be registered and studying there before the application is made.
Property, and what a foreigner may actually own
Purchase is permitted subject to the Sarawak Land and Survey Department under the Sarawak Land Code. Section 13, as last amended in May 2019, restricts foreign acquisition to land classified Mixed Zone and for residential purposes only, with the value of house plus land meeting the RM600,000 minimum.
No work, no business. S-MM2H pass holders are not allowed to run any business or work in Malaysia, which is stricter than the federal programme, where the Platinum category permits both.
The pass
S-MM2H is a 10-year pass: initially a maximum of five years, then renewed for another five. Where the passport has less than five years to run, the pass follows the passport expiry and is extended once a new passport is issued. At renewal the holder produces the latest fixed-deposit statement, or resubmits pension or offshore-income documents, and must fulfil 30 days a year in Sarawak.
Which programme should you be reading about
If you intend to live in Kuching, Miri or anywhere else in Sarawak, S-MM2H is your programme and federal figures will mislead you. If you intend to live in Peninsular Malaysia, the federal categories apply and the Sarawak rules do not.
Sabah runs a third scheme again: see Sabah MM2H.