Malaysia work permits and visas
The federal passes for Peninsular Malaysia, filed through the Immigration Department and the Expatriate Services Division. Salary thresholds doubled on 1 June 2026, so start with the numbers.
The short answer
Federal work authorisation in Peninsular Malaysia runs through the Immigration Department, with most expatriate applications filed via the Expatriate Services Division. A company must be ESD-registered before it can apply for any expatriate pass. The main instruments are the Employment Pass, the Professional Visit Pass, the Dependent Pass and the Long Term Social Visit Pass. None of them authorise work in Sarawak.
Why does ESD registration come first?
ESD is the gate. Until your company is registered and its sector, paid-up capital and shareholding have been assessed, you cannot file for a pass at all, however urgent the hire is. You do the registration once, at company level. Everything after it is per person.
Which federal pass fits the situation?
- Employment Pass On the Malaysian company’s payroll, fixed term, three categories by salary
- Professional Visit Pass Short assignment, salary still paid by the foreign employer
- Dependent Pass Spouse and children under 18 of an Employment Pass holder
- Long Term Social Visit Pass Family a Dependent Pass cannot cover
Does a Malaysian pass cover Sarawak?
No. Sarawak runs its own immigration and issues its own passes. If you move an employee holding a federal Employment Pass to Kuching, they need a separate Sarawak application before they start work there. This is the assumption we correct more often than any other, and it is the one that costs the most.
Companies that file through us
A sample of the employers whose passes and permits we handle.
Sources
- Immigration Department of Malaysia Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia
- Expatriate Services Division portal Immigration Department of Malaysia
Tell us what you need
Describe your situation and we’ll tell you which pass fits it, what it costs and how long it takes.
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