Care guide · 24 October 2026 · 9 minute read

Sarawak MM2H, step by step: requirements, papers and costs

For anyone who has decided to look at Sarawak's own long-stay programme: the current requirements with their dates, the papers each person needs, what you pay, and the rules once you hold the pass.

By Martin Yap, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Care Concierge

Care Collective publishes this guide from the Sarawak government's own pages, cited at the foot. Rules change, so confirm each one with the ministry or your sponsor before you move money.

A drawing of an older couple at a café table going through passports and papers in an open folder, with forested hills and a river through the window behind them
Illustrative Every person on the application needs their own papers.

What does Sarawak MM2H require in 2026?

Sarawak MM2H requires age 30 or over, a RM500,000 fixed deposit in a Sarawak bank, and RM10,000 a month in pension or offshore income or RM100,000 in savings. With a dependant, the income or savings test rises to RM15,000 a month or RM200,000.

These rules took effect on 1 January 2025. Sarawak runs its programme, Sarawak Malaysia My Second Home (SMM2H), through the state Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP), apart from the federal MM2H.

Nationality
Any country with diplomatic relations with Malaysia, except Israel and North Korea.
Fixed deposit
RM500,000 for the main applicant, at one of the programme's panel banks in Sarawak.
Income or savings
A pension or offshore income of RM10,000 a month, or RM100,000 in savings, which the approval panel has to accept. With a dependant, RM15,000 or RM200,000.
Sponsor
Since 16 May 2025, an immediate family member who comes from and lives in Sarawak, or a licensed agent.
Health
A medical report from a hospital in Sarawak. A main applicant under 60, and every dependant, needs local medical insurance for the length of the pass.
A doctor checks the blood pressure of an older European man with a cuff and stethoscope, while his wife sits beside him
Illustrative The medical has to be done at a hospital in Sarawak, even if you had one at home.

To test your own age and money against these rules, use the Sarawak MM2H checker in our guide to retiring in Kuching.

How do you apply for Sarawak MM2H, step by step?

You apply through a sponsor, after a medical and a fixed deposit done in Sarawak, and your sponsor submits the application online.

Figure 1How you apply for Sarawak MM2H, in order
  1. Find your sponsor

    A family member who comes from and lives in Sarawak, or a licensed agent.

  2. Gather papers at home

    Letter of Good Conduct, passport copies, photos and proof of income or savings, certified.

  3. Have the medical in Sarawak

    At a hospital in Sarawak, endorsed by a government health clinic.

  4. Open the fixed deposit

    RM500,000 at a panel bank in Sarawak, with a support letter from MTCP.

  5. Your sponsor submits

    Online through MOAS, with the bond and the RM5,000 fee.

  6. Receive the pass

    A multiple-entry social visit pass for 5 years, extendable by 5.

Source: MTCP Sarawak, SMM2H application guide, amended 31 July 2025, and checklist, December 2024

Plan one trip to Sarawak before you apply. A medical done overseas does not count. To open the deposit, you first ask MTCP for a support letter, giving it a copy of your passport, the page with your entry stamp into Sarawak, and the bank's name and address.

Your sponsor then submits everything through MOAS, the programme's online system on Service Sarawak. MTCP processes an application once the fee and every document are in, and its guide gives no processing time.

An older man signs a form as an agent in a batik shirt points to the line, while his wife reads along
Illustrative Your sponsor or agent submits the application for you.

What documents do you need for Sarawak MM2H?

Each person on the application needs their own forms, Letter of Good Conduct, passport copies, photos and Sarawak medical report, plus proof of money and your sponsor's papers. Pick your situation to see the list.

Application planner

What your application needs

Who sponsors you
Your age
Your spouse comes too
Parents who come too
Children who come too
Your nationality

You alone: one set of papers and one bond.

Processing fee, non-refundable
RM5,000
Security bond
RM1,500
Fixed deposit in a Sarawak bank
RM500,000
And either income or savings
RM10,000 a month, or RM100,000
You, the main applicant
  • A resume
  • The SMM2H application form
  • Visit pass form IM12
  • Visa form IM.38, if your country needs a visa for Malaysia
  • A Letter of Good Conduct from your home country, less than 12 months old
  • A certified copy of every passport page, valid for at least 24 months
  • 6 passport photos on a blue background
  • A medical report and RB II form from a hospital in Sarawak, endorsed by a government health clinic
Proof of money
  • A certified fixed deposit statement from a panel bank in Sarawak
  • Three months of pension, payslips and bank statements, or savings statements (savings need panel approval)
From your sponsor
  • The agent's cover letter and a certified copy of its SMM2H licence
  • A Security Bond with a RM10 stamp, done at LHDN in Sarawak
  • The agent's sponsor declaration, BK form and staff papers

The guide does not say whether each dependant pays the RM5,000 fee too, so ask your sponsor or agent. Copies must be certified by an embassy, lawyer, notary public or commissioner of oaths, and papers not in English need a qualified translator's translation.

If you will be in Kuching for the medical and the bank, you can book a tour of Care Collective on the same trip.

  • Certified copies: by an embassy or high commission, a lawyer, a notary public or a commissioner of oaths.
  • Papers not in English: translated by a qualified translator, with the translator's licence attached.
  • The Letter of Good Conduct must be less than 12 months old when you submit, and the passport valid for at least 24 months.
  • Renewed your passport in the past year? Include a copy of the old one.
An older couple at home sort papers into coloured folders, with two passports and passport photos on the table
Illustrative Keep one folder for each person on the application.

How much does it cost to apply for Sarawak MM2H?

Applying for Sarawak MM2H costs a RM5,000 processing fee, which is not refunded, and a bond of RM200 to RM2,000 for each person, set by nationality. The RM500,000 deposit stays your money, in your own account.

RM200
Singapore
RM300
Thailand
RM500
Indonesia
RM750
Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
RM1,000
Japan, South Korea, Macau, Hong Kong
RM1,500
Europe, Australia, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Tunisia, other African countries, and countries not listed
RM2,000
Canada, the United States, Colombia, Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Western Sahara

The bond table is the Immigration Department of Malaysia's, as MTCP's guide prints it. The sponsor signs the bond for each person, with a RM10 stamp. Your medical, certified copies and translations cost extra, and licensed agents set their own fees, so ask for a written quote.

Can you bring your spouse, parents or children on Sarawak MM2H?

Yes. Your spouse, your parents and children aged 21 or under can come as dependants, and so can a child with a disability at any age.

  • Each dependant needs their own papers, medical report and bond.
  • The income or savings test rises to RM15,000 a month or RM200,000.
  • Children under 8 do not need the medical report.
  • Children need a Letter of Good Conduct from age 18.
  • Children who study in Sarawak also need a Student Pass.

What happens after your Sarawak MM2H is approved?

After approval, you keep at least RM250,000 in the deposit, spend at least 30 days a year in Sarawak, and extend the pass after 5 years.

Figure 2The ten years of the pass
  1. Pass issued

    Keep at least RM250,000 in the deposit, and spend 30 days a year in Sarawak.

  2. After one year

    Up to half the deposit can come out, for a house, a car, medical bills or school fees in Sarawak.

  3. Year 5

    Extend for years 6 to 10 at the Immigration Department of Sarawak, with a new medical report.

  4. 6 months before the end

    To stay on, submit a new application through MOAS.

  5. Year 10

    The pass ends.

Source: MTCP Sarawak, SMM2H application guide, amended 31 July 2025

Work
No full-time work. Part-time work in approved professional sectors, up to 20 hours a week.
Business
A minority share, up to 49%, in a joint venture with a local partner, with paid-up capital of at least RM250,000, in a sector the Immigration and Labour Management Unit (ILMU) approves. Confirm the sector is approved before you invest.
Buying a home
Optional. At least RM600,000 in Kuching Division and RM500,000 elsewhere in Sarawak.
Leaving
End the pass at the Immigration Department in Sarawak, then apply to MTCP to withdraw the deposit.
A woman hands her husband a book over an open moving box, with forested hills in the window behind them
Illustrative Once the pass is issued, plan at least 30 days a year in Sarawak.

How is Sarawak MM2H different from the federal MM2H?

Sarawak MM2H is Sarawak's own programme, run by the state, while the federal MM2H is a separate national programme with its own deposit, tiers and agents.

The federal MM2H is the route for Penang and Kuala Lumpur. For what each programme asks and how the three cities compare, see Kuching, Penang or Kuala Lumpur in our retiring guide.

About us

From here on: Care Collective, Wisma Elica, Kuching.

Where does Care Collective fit in?

Care Collective is a senior living community in Kuching, with Retirement Suites for active retirees and Assisted Living for when more care is needed. If your application trip brings you to Kuching, tours run daily from 10am to 4pm.

Ask us about
  • Whether Care Collective can take residents who are not Malaysian citizens.
  • Renting a Retirement Suite while you hold the pass, and for how long.
  • A short stay if you come to Kuching for the medical and the bank.

Common questions

How long does a Sarawak MM2H application take?

The ministry does not publish a processing time. Its guide says it processes an application once the fee and every document are in. The Sarawak Tourism Board's FAQ gives 90 working days, but that page still shows the rules from before 2025, so ask your agent for a current estimate.

Is the Sarawak MM2H processing fee refundable?

No. The RM5,000 fee is paid once and is not refunded. An incomplete application is rejected, so check every document before your sponsor submits.

Do I need an agent for Sarawak MM2H?

Not if an immediate family member from Sarawak sponsors you. Otherwise, yes. The family member must come from and live in Sarawak, and can sponsor one applicant at a time. MTCP's list of licensed agencies gives each licence's end date, so check that your agent's licence is current.

Can I withdraw my Sarawak MM2H fixed deposit?

Up to half, after one year, to buy a house or a car in Sarawak, or to pay medical bills or school fees there. At least RM250,000 must stay in the account until you leave the programme.

Can I work on Sarawak MM2H?

Not full time. Part-time work, up to 20 hours a week, is allowed in approved professional sectors: education, banking and securities, manufacturing and medical. You apply through the ministry.

How many days a year must I spend in Sarawak?

At least 30 days a year. The main applicant must meet it for the pass to be extended or renewed.

See Kuching for yourself

Tours run daily from 10am to 4pm. You can see a Retirement Suite and ask our team your questions in person.

If you would rather ask first, message us on WhatsApp, or read about the Retirement Suites.

Book a tour

Sources

The sources behind this page, with the date we checked them

Checked on 24 October 2026.