POSTERN

Malaysia

DE Rantau Nomad Pass. A renewable 1-year pass for remote workers and freelancers with foreign-sourced income, run by Malaysia’s digital economy agency.

Free, with the law behind every answer

DE Rantau Nomad Pass

A 12-month Professional Visit Pass, renewable once for a maximum of 24 months, multiple entry, with dependants (spouse, children, parents) eligible; cannot take Malaysian-source work.

Who qualifies

  • Digital-sector remote workers or freelancers need foreign-sourced annual income of at least USD 24,000; non-digital professionals (added under the DE Rantau Elevate expansion announced June 2024 — founders, accountants, lawyers, technical writers, and similar roles) need at least USD 60,000 a year.
    DE Rantau Nomad Pass
  • An active employment or client contract of at least 3 months, health insurance, and a passport valid with blank pages.
    DE Rantau Nomad Pass

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

1

Does it fit your family?

2 questions, from the program’s own rules.

Steady monthly income, from any source?

Not legal advice.

2

What it takes.

Income
At least $2,000 a month, steady and documented.
Time
2–4 weeks, applied for entirely online.
Cost
About RM 1,080 (roughly $255) for the principal and RM 540 (about $128) per dependant, plus health insurance of $300–600 a year.
The hard part
Proving the income is genuinely foreign-sourced, especially for freelancers and small-business owners, and re-proving it at renewal.

Dollar figures are converted from the local currency at the rate the program’s research used; the official figure is in the local currency.

3

This visa doesn’t lead to a passport.

  1. 2027
    First residence permit

    1 year, renewable for 1 year at a time.

  2. 2028
    Renew the permit

    Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.

Language
Adequate knowledge of Malay; the applicant appears in person before the Registrar of Citizenship.
Time away
At least 10 years of residence in the 12 years before applying, including the whole 12 months right before, and an intention to live in Malaysia permanently. The application must include your entry permit (permanent residence).
Two passports
Usually not: new citizens are asked to give up their other citizenship.
  • Time on this program does not count toward permanent residence or citizenship; the family would need to switch to one that does.
  • One year, renewable once, and then it ends; it leads nowhere.
The law behind these dates
4

Living there.

Time you must spend there
The program sets no minimum number of days. Renewal still expects it to be your home.
Tax
182 or more days a year makes you Malaysian tax resident, but foreign-source income received by individuals is generally exempt through 2036.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

5

Start today.

  1. Apply for DE Rantau through Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation.Open mdec.my ↗
  2. Gather these documents.
    • Proof of steady income: at least $2,000 a month
    • Request your FBI Identity History Summary
    • Health insurance that meets the program’s rules
6

Postern can’t run this for you yet.

The official application forms, submission and recovery specification are not complete. Postern cannot run this application yet.

Options open to you today →
7
ISSUED TO

YOUR FAMILY

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