FAQ
General
Q:
Do I need a
sponsor?
A:
The
program requires a local sponsor. All registered MM2H Agency have
being appointed as an authorized sponsor for the Malaysia My Second
Home program to assist you and sponsor your application. Sponsorship
valid as long as your participating in the program.
Q:
Can existing
assets in Malaysia be used for application?
A:
Existing
properties, shares, and other assets are not recognized by the
Malaysia Government for this program. You must fulfill the fixed
deposit requirement unless you are qualified to apply using your
monthly income.
Q: What
is the minimum requirement to stay or visit Malaysia per year?
A:
There is
no minimum requirement for you to stay or visit Malaysia per year.
You may come and go as you pleased. Successful applicants are then
entitled to enter and leave the country on a largely
unrestricted basis, and also benefit from other incentives
aimed at making their stay in Malaysia more convenient. Certain
restrictions may apply. However, you must come to Malaysia when your
application has been approved for endorsement.
Fixed Deposits
Q: Can I withdraw my fixed deposit any time during my stay in Malaysia?
A: Participants are not allowed to withdraw the fixed deposit for the
whole duration of the one year period, unless for emergency cases
and with prior approval from the Ministry of Tourism.
Q: Can I place the fixed deposit in a Malaysia bank located in my
country?
A: No.
The fixed deposit account must be opened in any Malaysian bank or
financial institution located in Malaysia.
Q: Can the purchase of a house in Malaysia which is valued more than RM250,000.00 be considered as having fulfilled the financial criteria for this programme?
A: No. Participants are required to fulfill the fixed deposit requirement or monthly off-shore income for
those age 50 years and above as the purchase of a house is not compulsory for participants under this programme.
Q: Am I allowed to withdraw my fixed deposit for a few months and then topped it back later?
A: No.
Participants are not allowed to do this, unless for an emergency
purpose and with prior approval from the Ministry of Tourism.
Q: When can I withdraw my fixed deposit?
A: After a period of one year, the participant may withdraw his/her fixed
deposit for approved expenses relating to house purchase, education
for children in Malaysia and medical purposes OR when he/she
decides to terminate his/her stay in Malaysia by first informing the
Ministry of Tourism of his/her intention at Malaysia My Second Home
Centre. Participants can apply to withdraw part of their fixed deposit
for emergency cases such as medical purposes, etc. with prior
approval of the Ministry of Tourism.
Education
Q: Do kindergarten level child need a Student Visa to attend
kindergarten here?
A: Children below the school going age (that is 7 years old) are not
required to apply for a Student Visa. They need only apply for a Social
Visit Visa.
Q: If my children are already married and want to study in Malaysia with their spouse, do they need to pay the fixed deposit?
A: Not necessary. They can apply for a Student Visa once they have
obtained places of study in Malaysia.
Investments
Q: Can
I open a restaurant, book shop or clinic in Malaysia under this
programme?
A: Yes.
Participants under this programme allowed to have their own
businesses but not allowed to accept employment in Malaysia.
Employment
Q: I
am a qualified doctor in US. How can I get to work in a Malaysia
hospital or a private hospital?
A: Under
Malaysia My Second Home Programme, participants are NOT allowed to
accept employment.
House Purchase
Q:
Do
I have to purchase a property to be eligible for MM2H?
A:
Thankfully, there is no need for you to purchase property before or
after MM2H Approval.
Q:
Are the
participants entitled to any special entitlements?
A: All participants are allowed to purchase residential properties
at more than RM250, 000.00 each except for certain areas in Sarawak
(above RM300,00.00)
Participants are allowed to
purchase residential properties priced at a minimum of RM 250,000.00
per unit, depending on the location of the property. As such, please
refer to the category of the state requirement:-
No. Location of Property
Min. price of property
1. Other states RM250,000.00
2. Sabah and
Sarawak
RM300,000.00
(Kuching, Miri)
3. Selangor RM500,000.00
4. Terengganu RM750,000.00
Q: Can I purchase a house for residential purpose and a shop lot to be rented out?
A: No, you are only allowed to purchase residential properties.
Q: Do I have to pay the yearly assessment and quit rent for my houses like the local?
A: Yes.
Q: In the event of unforeseen death is the participant able to hand over his Malaysian assets to any of his beneficiaries smoothly. Does the Government have any restriction on this matter?
A: No. Participants are not allowed to do this, unless for an emergency
purpose and with prior approval from the Ministry of Tourism.
Q: Must foreigners buy new Malaysia property only, such as from developers, or can they purchase any property, such as from
individual owners (second hand or third hand property)?
A: Participants can purchase any type of housing properties provided
that it has been issued with CF (Certificate of Fitness).
Q: Do I need to obtain prior approval from Foreign Investment
Committee (FIC) for the purchase and sale of my house?
A:
Participants under this programme are not required to obtain prior
approval for the purchase and sale of houses from FIC. However, they
must write to the Ministry of Tourism giving details of the house
(location as well as price) so that a letter can be issued to them
certifying that they are eligible to purchase the said property
under this programme. In addition, they are required to send a copy
of the approval letter obtained from the respective State Authority
which has authorized the purchase or sale of the property concerned
to FIC for information.
Q: Am I subjected to the property gain tax if I make a profit from selling my house?
A: No.
Car Purchase
Q: Is a participant who buys a second-hand local car eligible for tax exemptions?
A: Second hand cars are transacted on a willing buyer, willing seller
basis and the government do not levy any sales tax and excise duty
on such transactions. As such tax exemptions do not arise. However,
second hand cars which are imported are subject to sales tax and
import duty at the point of entry.
Q: If I had a car accident and as a result I need to change the car, do I have to pay back the tax exemptions?
A: Given the following situations:
i. If the car is repaired and sold it will be subject to the applicable
tax/duty according to the prevailing rates.
ii. If car is written off, taxes will be waived.
iii. If the participant wishes to buy another car, their application will
be processed on the merit of each case. Under normal circumstances a participant of this program is allowed tax exemption for a car on a one time basis.
Q: When can I sell the car, which has been given all the tax exemptions?
A: Cars that have been exempted from taxes and duties under this
program can be sold or its ownership transferred provided the
prevailing taxes and duties on the car have been paid prior to the
transaction. However, for imported cars the condition stipulated in the
AP should be complied before any sale or transfer can be permitted.
Income Tax
Q: What kind of taxes are the participants of this programme normally subjected to?
A: Income tax is imposed on income earned from investments in local
companies and local share market.
Please refer to www.hasilnet.org.my for more details on the tax
structure.
Q: Is the interest for their fix deposit
taxable? Some say it is taxable, other it is not taxable. If the
deposit amount exceeds RM100, 000.00 OR if the deposit period is one
year. What is the exact regulation?
A: Interest earned by an individual from fixed deposit account is exempted in the following situations:-
i. Period exceeding twelve months or more – any amount of interest.
ii. Period not exceeding twelve months – interest on fixed deposit
account of up to a maximum of RM100,000.00.
Q: Is income remitted from abroad taxable?
A: Before year of assessment 2004 income remitted from abroad to
Malaysia (apart from pension) is subject to tax. However, from year
of assessment 2004 all income remitted from abroad is not subject to tax.
Q: Does the participant have to submit any personal tax declaration to the Income Tax Department of Malaysia, like Malaysians have to?
A: Yes.
Q: If the participants have to submit income tax return to the Income Tax department, are they entitled to any exemptions under the programme?
A: They will only be taxed on the income earned in Malaysia after taking into account the personal tax allowances. The income will be taxed according to a progressive tax rate structure.
Q: I am a German in which my country has a `double taxation
agreement’ with Malaysia. I have an early pension and if I stay in
Malaysia for at least 184 days, my pension scheme will not be taxed by the German Government and will also not be taxed by the Malaysia government. Is this true?
A: Under this Programme, pension remitted to Malaysia is exempted
from tax.
About the Application Process
Q: How long will the MM2H Centre take to approve my application?
A: This is a difficult question to answer. Whilst we will act as
expeditiously as we possibly can to prepare and submit your application
to the MM2H Centre, the length of time it takes for your application to
be processed and finalised will depend very much on the workload and
backlog existing in the particular office of the MM2H Centre and
Malaysia Immigration Department that your application was lodged.
Another factor to be considered is how quick you are in responding to
our requests for documents and information concerning your application.
Depending on the particular category of visa that is being applied for,
the processing time may take from one to three months.
Q: Can you guarantee that
the MM2H Centre and Malaysia Immigration Department will approve my
application?|
A: Once your application is lodged with the MM2H Centre, the
matter is very much in the hands of the case officer processing your
application. We will not accept your instructions to proceed with
your application unless we are convinced that your application has a
reasonable chance of being approved. We will endeavour to ensure
that your application is presented in the best way we know how.
However as much as we would like to provide you with a guarantee
that your application will be approved, MM2H Agents Code of Conduct
strictly prohibits us from providing you that guarantee. If we do
provide you with a guarantee that your application will be approved,
we will be in breach of the Code of Conduct and we will be subject
to disciplinary action by the Ministry of Tourism.
Q: What type of visa do I
get when I apply for MM2H?
A: Qualified participants to the
Malaysia My Second Home Program (MM2H) will be given a social visit
pass and multiple-entry visa for ten years and renewable thereafter,
according to the Malaysian Tourism Ministry here on Wednesday. Both
documents give MM2H participants the freedom to enter and leave
Malaysia whenever they wish.
Q: What are the likely
reasons that an application might be refused?
A: There are various reasons why an
application is refused least of all is the reason that your
application does not meet one or more of the criteria or
prerequisites required for the particular category of visa that you
are applying for. Another reason could be that you or a member of
your family does not meet health or medical requirements. Another
reason could be you provided false or incorrect answer to one or
more of the questions that you were required to answer. Another
reason could be that you or a member of your family failed to meet
Malaysian national security requirements. This list is not
conclusive and there could be other reasons that could lead to
refusal of your visa application.
Q: Can I get a refund of
the fees paid to you if the MM2H Centre refuses my application?
A: In normal circumstances all
registered MM2H agents would have done substantial amount of work in
interviewing you to take your instructions, preparing your
application and lodging your application with MM2H Centre. For the
time spent in bringing your application to that stage he/she would
expect to be paid for his/her time and services. If your application
is refused due to a reason not attributed to the fault or negligence
of the agent then it would not be reasonable for any refund to be
paid to you, particularly if you had provided false answers to
certain questions or if you suppressed a criminal background or if
you fail your medical examination resulting in the refusal of your
application. In such circumstances we regret we will not be
refunding any money paid to you.
Q: Can I apply for MM2H
programme without the assistance of a MM2H agent?
A: Of course you can! However please
bear in mind that MM2H laws and regulations change or are amended
from time to time. If you are a very busy business person or
professional and do not wish to be bothered with all the intricacies
of submitting your application yourself, we would suggest that the
fees you pay us to assist you to successfully relocate to Malaysia
will be well worth the trouble of submitting the application
yourself. Moreover, our experience in preparing your application
will cut out a lot of red tape and time, which would be worth money
to you in time saved.
Q: Why is it so expensive
to move to Malaysia?
A: When you really come to think about
it, the lifestyle and security you and your family will be able to
experience and enjoy in Malaysia will far outweigh the cost in terms
of fees you pay to us. To ensure that the right type of foreigner
allows into this country is not a cheap exercise. In return for your
honesty and professional and business expertise, Malaysia offers you
and your family in return a unique lifestyle second to none in the
world.
Q: Does Malaysia practice
a discriminatory policy?
A: No, Malaysia does not practice a
discriminatory policy. Anyone from any country can apply MM2H,
regardless of his/her ethnic origin, gender, colour or religion.
There have been thousands of foreigners from all over the world
arriving in Malaysia to make Malaysia their home. Malaysia is truly
a multicultural country accepting foreigners from all corners of the
world to contribute to the richness and well being of the country.
Q: What are the
requirements for renewal of social visit pass under this programme?
A: For participants who joined the
programme before 1 April 2006, renewal can either be submitted
directly by the individual participant or through licensed company
to Immigration Department, Putrajaya or The State Immigration Office
which issued the initial Social Visit Pass.
The following documents are required for the renewal :
1. Letter of
Intent to continue stay in Malaysia under this
programme
2. IM 55 Form
3. Copy of the old and new passport.
4. Copy of the fixed deposit certificate
5. Copy of the valid medical insurance.
Q: Any other questions?
A: If you still have an unanswered question please email to us at enquiry@2ndhome-intl.com
