Sarawak approved 287 second home applications in nine months: who gains more from the state option than from federal MM2H

In brief

• In the first nine months of 2026 Sarawak approved 287 applications. With spouses, children and parents that is 490 participants from 31 countries.
• Deposits total RM143.5 million, about USD 35 million at the Central Bank of Malaysia rate for 20 October. That is exactly RM500,000 per approval.
• China accounted for 118 approvals, 41.1% of the total. Next come the United States with 28, Taiwan with 19 and the United Kingdom with 18.
• Processing fees reached RM1.49 million against RM1.04 million for the whole of 2025. More applications were paid for in nine months than in all of last year.
• State terms: age 30 or over, a RM500,000 deposit in a Sarawak bank, income from RM10,000 a month or savings, 30 days a year in the state, a 5-year pass with a further 5-year extension.
• Compared with the federal Silver category the deposit is about 18% lower, the required days are a third, and buying property is not required. The deposit, medical check and sponsor, however, are all in Sarawak.

Fewer participants than in 2024, more money on deposit

The right comparison for 2026 is 2024, the last year of the old rules. According to the same ministry, in 2024 the state approved 560 applications and participants held RM111.6 million in deposits. The minimum deposit then was RM150,000 for one person and RM300,000 for a couple. From 1 January 2025 the state government raised it to RM500,000 per application, including spouse and children.

The periods differ in length, so I converted everything to a monthly basis. In 2024 the state approved about 47 applications a month, and about RM9.3 million went into deposits. In 2026 it is about 32 approvals and RM15.9 million a month. Approvals are down by a third, while monthly deposits are up by about 70%.

The average deposit per approval shows the same thing from another angle. In 2024 it was about RM199,000; in 2026 it is exactly RM500,000: RM143.5 million divided by 287. So almost everyone approved this year applied under the new rules and keeps the minimum on deposit, with nothing extra on top.

The most interesting signal is in the fees. Each application pays RM5,000; the fee is charged when the documents are accepted and is not refunded. In the first nine months of 2026 the state collected RM1.49 million, which is about 298 paid applications. For the whole of 2025, according to press reports of the same speech, it collected RM1.04 million, about 208 applications. New applications in 2026 are already 43% above the whole of last year, with three months still to go.

What this means for you. Sarawak has absorbed a sharp rise in the threshold. There are fewer participants than under the old rules, but the flow of applications is growing again, and each approval brings the state's banks 2.5 times more money than in 2024.

Why China accounts for 41% of approvals

Of the 287 approvals, 118 went to Chinese citizens. The second line, the United States, is four times shorter at 28 approvals. The ten largest countries together account for 249 approvals; the remaining 38 are shared by another 21 countries.

China's lead is familiar in Malaysia. According to the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the federal programme received 7,650 applications between 1 October 2024 and 31 August 2026, of which 3,847 came from China, that is, half. In Sarawak China's share is lower, 41%, and Western countries are more visible: the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada together account for 72 approvals, a quarter of the flow.

The two programmes are on very different scales. The federal one receives on average more than 300 applications a month, Sarawak about 33 paid applications. The Borneo state remains a niche option, which is rather a plus for the applicant: a shorter queue, and the decision is made by the state ministry's panel.

The minister has described applicants' motives before. In June 2025 he told reporters that older Europeans are drawn by healthcare, applicants from China by safety and hospitals, and Korean parents take up the status when their children study in Sarawak. That is why Japan and Korea are on the list: these are family decisions, not investments.

What this means for you. An applicant's nationality hardly affects the chances. The ministry's guide sets no country quotas, and the programme is open to citizens of every state with which Malaysia has diplomatic relations, except Israel and North Korea. Citizens of Russia and the CIS countries are eligible.

What Sarawak requires in 2026

The terms below come from the applicant guide of Sarawak's Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts as amended on 31 July 2025. As of October 2026 this is the version the ministry publishes. The state programme is run by this ministry, and the pass is issued by the Immigration Department in Sarawak.

The applicant's family may include a spouse, parents, children and stepchildren up to 21, and disabled children with no age limit. Each family member needs their own documents, medical check and insurance, while the deposit is one for the whole application.

What this means for you. The deposit is not the only threshold. Without regular income of RM10,000 a month or proven savings the application will not be accepted, even if the RM500,000 is already in the account.

Sarawak is cheaper to enter, but the horizon is shorter

We covered the federal programme and its four categories in detail in our MM2H guide, and the document requirements are on the programme page. Here is only what sets the state option apart from the federal one.

Start with the money. At the Central Bank of Malaysia rate for 20 October 2026, RM4.083 to the dollar, the USD 150,000 Silver deposit equals about RM612,000. Sarawak's deposit is 18% lower. The difference is about RM112,000, or USD 27,000, that stays with you rather than in a blocked account.

The second difference is presence. The federal programme requires 90 days a year from participants under 50; Sarawak requires 30 days in the state itself. For someone who lives in another country and comes to Malaysia for a month in winter, this is decisive. From age 50 the federal 90-day rule no longer applies, and Sarawak's advantage on this point disappears.

The third is property. A federal participant must buy a home after approval and cannot sell it for 10 years unless buying a more expensive one. In Sarawak buying is optional. For a family that wants to rent first and get to know the city, that means less risk and lower transaction costs.

The downside is the term. Sarawak gives 5 years plus another 5, then everything starts again. Federal Gold for USD 500,000 gives 15 years, and Platinum for USD 1 million gives 20 years on a single pass. For those thinking in decades, one long status is more convenient than repeated applications.

Fees work differently. In Sarawak it is RM5,000 for the whole application; in the federal programme the fee is paid for each family member. A family of four would pay RM6,000 in Silver and RM12,000 in Gold. Agency, insurance and translation costs come on top in both cases.

Neither programme suits remote work well: the pass gives the right to live, not to work full time. For remote workers Malaysia has a separate DE Rantau pass, and we covered its October changes in a separate article.

What this means for you. If you are under 50, spend little time in Malaysia and do not want to buy property, Sarawak is cheaper and lighter than federal Silver. If you need a 15 to 20-year status in one decision, look at Gold and Platinum.

Who Sarawak suits better than the federal programme

• People aged 30 to 50 who are ready to spend about a month a year in Malaysia, but not three. The 30-day requirement fits one long trip.
• Families with children who study or will study in Sarawak. After a year part of the deposit can go towards education, and children up to 21 are included in the application. A child who studies also needs a student pass.
• People who do not want to buy property in Malaysia or want to buy later, after a few years in the country.
• Pensioners with a pension of at least RM10,000 a month, about USD 2,450, for whom affordable healthcare matters: the ministry's guide lists private hospitals in Kuching, Sibu, Miri and Bintulu.
• People who have RM500,000 but not USD 150,000 to spare. The deposit remains yours, and after a year half of it can be used for purposes in Sarawak.
• People with a close relative in Sarawak: that relative can act as a personal sponsor, without an agency.

We have gathered the overall picture of the country, climate and taxes on the Malaysia page. It is worth reading in full before choosing a state: Sarawak on Borneo differs noticeably in pace of life from Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

When I would choose another option or wait

Sarawak does not pay off for everyone, and in several cases I would advise against rushing into it.

• You are under 30. Sarawak will not accept you; the federal programme accepts applicants from 25, and special economic zones from 21.
• You are over 50 and a short presence requirement does not matter. The federal 90-day rule no longer applies to you, and Sarawak's main advantage is lost.
• You plan to live in Kuala Lumpur or Penang. The deposit, medical check, sponsor and required days of the state programme are tied to Sarawak, so the federal option is more practical.
• You may need the money in the first year. Part of the deposit can be withdrawn only after a year, only half of it and only for purposes in Sarawak, and RM250,000 stays in the account for the whole term.
• You need a path to permanent status. The ministry's guide says nothing about moving to permanent residence: the programme gives a long-term pass, not permanent residency.
• You are only starting to choose a country. Nine months of statistics show growing demand, not a change of rules. The terms have not changed since July 2025, and there is no reason to hurry because of the report's figures.

What this means for you. The minister's report does not change the programme's terms. It shows that the programme held up after the threshold was raised. Decide on the basis of your own situation: age, income and how much time a year you spend in Malaysia.

How to apply in Sarawak: six steps

The application process in Sarawak differs from the federal one in that almost everything happens in the state itself and through a local sponsor. Below are the steps in the order in which they are usually taken.

The certificate of good conduct often takes the longest, especially if you have lived in several countries. How to obtain and legalise it is described on our page on criminal record certificates. When opening the deposit a Sarawak bank may ask where the RM500,000 comes from. Our service for proving the source of funds helps prepare that explanation in advance.

What this means for you. You cannot assemble the application without entering Sarawak: the deposit is opened with an entry stamp, and the medical check is done in a state hospital. Plan at least one trip to prepare the documents.

What the minister's report does not say

The 20 October speech gave approvals, participants, countries, deposits and fees. The number of applications filed and rejected does not appear in press reports. These data cannot tell us how strict the selection is.

I converted the fees into several applications by dividing by RM5,000. This is an estimate: the sum may include applications still under review and repeat applications after 10 years in the programme. The 2025 figures for deposits, RM146.9 million, and fees, RM1.04 million, come from the same press reports, and the ministry has not given the full number of approvals for 2025.

What to watch next. First, the full-year results for 2026: the ministry usually reports at sittings of the State Legislative Assembly. Second, a new edition of the applicant guide. The current one is dated 31 July 2025, and any change in thresholds will appear there first.

If you are comparing Asia as a whole, see also our review of visa-free entry to Thailand.

How this piece was prepared

The January to September 2026 statistics come from the speech by Sarawak's Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts in the State Legislative Assembly on 20 October 2026, as reported by the press the same day. Figures for 2024 and early 2025 come from a Sarawak government release of 27 May 2025 on the minister's speech in the Assembly, and applicants' motives from a state government release of 6 June 2025. The programme terms were checked against the ministry's applicant guide as amended on 31 July 2025 and the requirements page on the ministry's website, updated on 14 October 2026. The RM5,000 fee is confirmed on the Sarawak government services portal. Federal programme terms come from the official MM2H website of the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and the figure of 7,650 applications from the Deputy Minister's statement of 26 September 2026. The rate of RM4.083 to the dollar is the Central Bank of Malaysia middle rate for 20 October 2026. Averages, monthly rates and the number of applications derived from fees were calculated by BRIDGES. The material was checked on 20 October 2026.