Updated August 12, 2026

MY-DN

The DE Rantau Nomad Pass

Malaysia for remote workthe DE Rantau pass

A state programme for remote professionals: the pass is given for up to a year and extended for another. The application can be filed without coming to the country, and a spouse, children and even parents come with you. For IT professions an income from $24,000 a year is evidenced.

Get a preliminary assessment Go through your situation

The conditions are checked against the official DE Rantau FAQ (MDEC)
Working since 2004
We run the application, the pass and the extension

The Malaysian DE Rantau pass for remote work

from $24,000 a yearFor IT professions

Up to 24 monthsThe pass and the extension

Family and parentsIncluded as dependants

01 / About the program

How the DE Rantau Nomad Pass works

The programme is run by MDEC, the state digital economy agency. The applicant receives a Professional Visit Pass — an official pass for remote work, not a tourist status.

Two income thresholds

For professions on the technology list — from $24,000 a year. For other fields — from $60,000 a year.

Up to 24 months

The pass is issued for three to twelve months and extended by another twelve. The extension is filed in advance, up to three months before expiry.

Filing without coming

You do not have to be in Malaysia to file. The pass is multiple-entry: you can come and go freely for its whole term.

The employer is foreign

The company must not be registered in Malaysia. It is evidenced by the contract, the payslips and three months of statements.

02 / What you get

What the pass gives you

A state programme

DE Rantau is run by the MDEC agency: the conditions, the fees and the timelines are published and the decision is taken by a state body.

Parents come too

A rare possibility: besides a spouse and children, a parent of the main pass holder can be a dependant.

Two years on one pass

A year and an extension of another year — enough of a horizon to settle life and work without reissues.

A threshold below Europe’s

For technology professions $24,000 a year is one of the most attainable thresholds among the programmes for remote professionals.

English in everyday use

English is widely used in business and daily life, and international schools operate in the large cities.

The cost of living

Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Langkawi offer a European level of service at noticeably lower costs.

A preliminary assessment

Calculate the budget for your family

Set out who is applying with you. With the calculation you get the full Malaysian picture: the requirements, the fees, the timeline and a plan of action.

Who is applying for the pass?

Get the calculation

about a minuteno calls and no obligationsconfidential

The full calculation for your family composition
The timeline for each stage of the process
A plan of action: where to start

The DE Rantau pass and a set of documents

03 / Why people apply

Why people arrange DE Rantau

Malaysia is chosen for its attainable threshold, the English language and the chance to bring the whole family, parents included.

An attainable threshold for IT

$24,000 a year for technology professions — half the level of most European requirements.

An application from any country

There is no need to travel to file: the documents go online and the pass is collected with the decision already made.

A family in the widest sense

A spouse or civil partner, children under 18, children with a disability with no age limit and the applicant’s parents.

Clear fees

The main applicant pays 1,000 ringgit and a dependant 500. The programme requires no further deposits or investment.

An Asian hub

Direct flights around the region, developed digital infrastructure and co-working spaces accredited by the programme.

A soft entry into the region

Two years is enough to see whether life in Asia suits you before choosing a long-term status.

04 / Travel

How the stay works on the DE Rantau pass

The pass is multiple-entry: you can come and go freely for its whole term.

Mode 01

Malaysia without limits

Residence and travel around the country for the whole term of the pass, Penang, Langkawi and Sarawak included.

Mode 02

Multiple entry

The number of entries is not limited: the pass is not cancelled when you leave the country.

Mode 03

Work for clients abroad

The employer or the clients are outside Malaysia. Local employment is arranged separately.

Mode 04

The rest of the world on your own passport

You travel to third countries on your passport of citizenship: that is what sets the visa regime.

Sources: the DE Rantau programme of the MDEC agency, the Professional Visit Pass (Pas Lawatan Ikhtisas) and the Malaysian Income Tax Act 1967.

05 / The composition of the application

Who can obtain the pass

Dependants are arranged together with the main applicant. Open a row to see the conditions.

Aged 18 or over
Remote work for a company outside Malaysia
An income from $24,000 or $60,000 a year depending on the profession
A passport valid for more than 14 months

A civil partnership is also recognised
Arranged as a dependant of the main pass holder
The dependant fee is 500 ringgit

Natural, adopted and stepchildren
Children with a disability are included with no age limit
For schooling a separate Student Pass is arranged

Arranged as dependants of the main pass holder
Only the applicant’s parents, not the spouse’s
The fee for each is 500 ringgit

06 / Cost

What income has to be evidenced

The threshold depends on the profession: technology fields from $24,000 a year, others from $60,000.

Technology professions · Tech Talent

$24,000

≈ $24,000

Evidenced The whole term of the pass

A minimum annual income of $24,000
A contract with an employer not registered in Malaysia
Payslips and bank statements for three months
A passport valid for more than 14 months

Other professions · Non-Tech Talent

$60,000

≈ $60,000

Evidenced The whole term of the pass

A minimum annual income of $60,000
The profession must match the programme’s list
Proof of regular receipts matching the payslips
A letter from the employer on the remote format of the work

The applicant’s family · dependants

$24,000

≈ $24,000

Evidenced The term of the applicant’s pass

A spouse or civil partner and children under 18
Children with a disability — with no age limit
The parents of the main pass holder
The fee for each dependant is 500 ringgit

The category of profession

The main applicant

Spouse or partner

Children under 18

The applicant’s parents

The thresholds are given under the official FAQ of the DE Rantau programme (MDEC). The fees: 1,000 ringgit for the main applicant and 500 for a dependant; since 1 May 2025 the fee is non-refundable. This is a preliminary calculation, not a decision of a state authority.

07 / Comparison

Malaysia against other programmes for remote workers

The Asian programmes differ in the income threshold, the term and the family composition you can bring.

	Malaysia	Thailand DTV	The UAE	Indonesia	Estonia
Income requirement	$24,000 a year (IT)	500,000 baht in the account	$3,500 a month	funds in the account	€3,960 a month
The term of the status	Up to 24 months	5 years	1 year, extendable	5 or 10 years	up to 548 days
Parents in the application	Yes	No	Through sponsorship	No	No
Filing without travelling	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fees	MYR 1,000 and 500	the consular fee	GDRFA fees	immigration fees	€120

The conditions are given as at the date this page was updated; the details for each country are set out on its own page.

Full program comparison →

10 / How it works

How the process works

STEP 1

Checking the profession and the income

We settle the category — Tech or Non-Tech — and check whether the required annual income is evidenced.

STEP 2

The employment documents

A contract with the foreign employer, payslips and bank statements for three months, and a letter on the nature of the work.

STEP 3

The passport and the family

We check the validity of the passports — it must exceed 14 months — and settle the list of dependants.

STEP 4

Filing the application

The application is filed online; there is no need to travel to Malaysia. The fees for the applicant and the dependants are paid.

STEP 5

Receiving the pass and entering

After approval the Professional Visit Pass is issued. We help with the housing, the account and settling in.

STEP 6

Extension and taxes

The extension is filed up to three months before expiry. We go through the tax status after 182 days of stay separately.

Two years in Asia with the work you already have — and the whole family, parents included, alongside.

MalaysiaSouth-East AsiaThe MDEC programme

Go through your situation

11 / Our role

Why people arrange the pass with us

The main difficulties are matching the profession to the programme’s list and making the statements agree with the payslips.

We check the category of profession

It sets the threshold: $24,000 or $60,000 a year. A mistake in the category leads to a refusal and a non-refundable fee.

We reconcile the income documents

The bank statements must show receipts matching the payslips. We resolve any discrepancies in advance.

We prepare the family composition

Parents are included only for the main pass holder, and children need a separate Student Pass for school.

We keep the extension deadlines

The extension is filed in advance — up to three months before expiry — so that the stay stays continuous.

12 / Team

Who runs the De Rantau visa process

The application is run by a permanent team: an immigration lawyer, a documents specialist and a family coordinator.

Sergey EvdokimovManaging PartnerThe strategy for the programme and complex cases

Eva LauriHead of OperationsRunning the application legally and the documents

Hanna BergerTrusts and Succession AdvisorThe tax status and the structure of income

Irina ShternHead of Hungary OfficeCoordinating the family and contact at every stage

15 / Materials

Useful materials on Malaysia

Materials on the DE Rantau programme: the categories of profession, the documents and the order of filing.

The main materialPresentation

The DE Rantau Nomad Pass

The presentation gathers the essentials: the categories of profession, the income requirements, the documents, the fees and the timelines.

Inside:

which category your profession falls into
what income has to be evidenced
which documents are needed from the employer
which family members can come with you
what the fees are for the applicant and the dependants
how to extend the pass for a second year
how work with BRIDGES is organised

PDF · free · current as of August 2026

A short check: the category of profession, the level of income and whether the employer’s documents are ready.

The list for the applicant and each dependant, the passport validity requirements included.

We calculate the income requirements, the fees, the budget for the move and the support.

All the materials are updated regularly by our team and are used when supporting BRIDGES clients.

16 / News

What matters to know

2025-05-01

The application processing fee became non-refundable: it is not returned either on a refusal or on withdrawal of the application.

2026-08-12

Version V8 of the programme FAQ applies: thresholds of $24,000 and $60,000 a year and a maximum pass term of 24 months.

Worth having

Prepare for Malaysia DE Rantau

The short document we give clients before the start: the income, the documents, the stages and the timelines.

Inside the document

The category of profession and the income required
What is needed from the employer
The current conditions for 2026

We will send it after a short form - no call or obligation.

17 / Questions

Answers to common questions

For technology professions from $24,000 a year, for other fields from $60,000 a year. It is evidenced by payslips and bank statements for three months.

From three to twelve months, with an extension of another twelve — 24 months at most. The extension is filed up to three months before expiry.

No. The application is filed online from any country. The pass is multiple-entry: you can come and go freely for its whole term.

A spouse or civil partner, children under 18, children with a disability with no age limit and the parents of the main pass holder. The fee for each dependant is 500 ringgit.

The main applicant pays 1,000 Malaysian ringgit and each dependant 500. Since 1 May 2025 the fee is non-refundable, including on a refusal.

The passports of the applicant and the dependants must be valid for more than fourteen months at the time the application is filed.

For schooling a child on a dependant’s pass is issued a separate Student Pass through the school. The conditions are checked with the particular institution.

For income from a Malaysian source a withholding tax applies for the first 182 days under section 109B of the Income Tax Act 1967. After 182 days tax residency arises and taxation follows the general rules.

No. The employer must not be registered in Malaysia: the programme is designed for remote work with clients abroad.

The programme is open to citizens of all countries except Israel. For other applicants there are no restrictions on citizenship.

INITIAL ASSESSMENT

Tell us what outcome your family needs

We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.

Get a preliminary assessment Book a consultation

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Anna Kovalevskaya, lead lawyer at BRIDGES GLOBAL

Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer, citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice