MM2H 2026 and Property: The Four Tiers, Minimum Purchase Price and the 10-Year Rule
MM2H 2026 starts with the part most people get wrong: you do not need MM2H to buy property in Malaysia. What the law requires is state consent under section 433B of the National Land Code, not a visa. MM2H governs whether you can stay, not whether you can buy. If you do apply, MM2H in 2026 has four tiers — Platinum, Gold, Silver and SEZ/SFZ — with fixed deposits from USD 32,000 to USD 1,000,000, and all four carry a 10-year ban on selling the home you buy. Every figure below comes from the official MM2H site, last updated 10 February 2026.
Short answer
You do not need MM2H to buy property in Malaysia: the law requires state consent under section 433B of the National Land Code, not a visa. MM2H has four tiers in 2026 — Silver, Gold, Platinum and SEZ/SFZ — with fixed deposits from USD 32,000 to USD 1,000,000 and minimum home prices from RM600,000 to RM2,000,000. All four bar selling the home for 10 years.
Key numbers at a glance
| Visa needed to buy? | No; state consent under NLC s.433B is what is required |
|---|---|
| Silver | USD 150,000 deposit; RM600,000 home; 5 years; age 25 |
| Gold | USD 500,000 deposit; RM1,000,000 home; 15 years; age 25 |
| Platinum | USD 1,000,000 deposit; RM2,000,000 home; 20 years; age 25 |
| SEZ/SFZ | USD 65,000 (21–49) / USD 32,000 (50+); 10 years; Forest City |
| 10-year no-sell rule | All four tiers, unless upgrading to a higher-value home |
| Days in Malaysia | 90 cumulative days a year (participants under 50) |
| Deposit withdrawal | Up to 50% after approval, for the home, education, medical or tourism |
Key points in 30 seconds
- No visa is required to buy. A non-citizen needs the State Authority’s written approval under section 433B of the National Land Code; no statute or guideline conditions a purchase on holding a pass.
- The four 2026 tiers: Silver (USD 150,000 deposit, RM600,000 home, 5-year pass), Gold (USD 500,000, RM1,000,000, 15 years), Platinum (USD 1,000,000, RM2,000,000, 20 years) and SEZ/SFZ (USD 65,000 for ages 21–49 or USD 32,000 for 50+, 10 years, property must be in Forest City, Johor).
- Buying a home after approval is compulsory, and all four category pages state the home cannot be sold for 10 years unless you upgrade to a higher-value one. No official page publishes a deadline for completing the purchase.
- MM2H removes none of the buying costs: state consent still applies, the state minimum price still applies, the 8% residential stamp duty still applies, and Johor’s 3% approval fee (minimum RM30,000) still applies.
- Silver’s RM600,000 floor sits below Johor’s foreign-buyer threshold, so a Silver participant buying in Johor must still clear the higher state minimum.
- Sarawak and Sabah run separate programmes with their own deposits, ages and property rules. A MOTAC MM2H pass is not a Sarawak or Sabah pass.
Do you need MM2H to buy property in Malaysia?
No. In eleven years this is the question I get asked most, and the one agents most often get wrong.
The provision that governs a foreign purchase is section 433B of the National Land Code: a non-citizen or foreign company may acquire alienated land only with the prior written approval of the State Authority, and a transaction in breach is null and void. The section speaks of state consent, not of holding any pass. The Malaysian Bar’s December 2024 circular, written specifically about restrictions on non-citizens acquiring property, does not mention MM2H once.
- What MM2H is: in MOTAC’s own words, “a renewable social visit pass with multiple entry-visa”. It solves a residence problem.
- What MM2H does not change: the state minimum price, the need for state consent, the 8% residential stamp duty, or Johor’s 3% approval fee with its RM30,000 floor.
- What MM2H adds: two obligations an ordinary foreign buyer does not have — a compulsory purchase after approval, and a 10-year ban on selling.
- MM2H is not a route to permanent residence. The Tourism Minister said in June 2024 that new participants in all three of Platinum, Gold and Silver are not eligible to apply for PR status. Agency material still describing Platinum as a PR pathway is out of date.
MM2H 2026: the four tiers, deposits, property prices and pass lengths
The official MM2H site, run by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), lists four categories: Platinum, Gold, Silver and SEZ/SFZ (Special Economic Zone / Special Financial Zone). The figures below come from the four category pages and the overview comparison table, each carrying a footer date of 10 February 2026.
| Silver | Gold | Platinum | SEZ/SFZ (age 21–49) | SEZ/SFZ (age 50+) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed deposit | USD 150,000 | USD 500,000 | USD 1,000,000 | USD 65,000 | USD 32,000 |
| Minimum value of the residence purchased | RM 600,000 | RM 1,000,000 | RM 2,000,000 | See below — set by Johor state policy | See below — set by Johor state policy |
| Pass length | 5 years | 15 years | 20 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Minimum age | 25 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 50 |
| Days in Malaysia | 90 cumulative days a year (participants under 50) | Same | Same | 90 days | Not shown on the official page |
| One-off fee (principal applicant) | RM 1,000 | RM 3,000 | RM 200,000 plus RM 5,000 | RM 1,000 | RM 1,000 |
| Renewal fee | RM 1,500 | RM 3,000 | RM 5,000 | RM 300 | RM 300 |
| Renewal cycle | Renewable | Every 5 years | Every 5 years | Every 5 years | Every 5 years |
- The fixed deposit must be placed “in any Malaysian financial institution licensed under the Financial Services Act 2013”.
- Up to 50% of the principal fixed deposit may be withdrawn after approval, for buying the residence, education, medical care or tourism. The wording is identical on all four category pages. That withdrawal is a real source of down-payment money.
- Age: the guidelines state “25 years old and above” for Silver, Gold and Platinum, and “21 years old and above” for SEZ/SFZ, with a lower deposit band for applicants aged 50 and over.
- The guidelines page renders its deposit and price figures as images, so the text figures above are taken from the four category pages and the overview table, which agree with each other.
Two expensive misunderstandings. The first is believing you must hold MM2H before you can buy, and tying up a USD 150,000 deposit plus a 10-year ban on selling for a purchase that needed neither. The second is treating MM2H’s RM600,000 as Johor’s threshold and viewing units the state will never approve.
Ask Louis directly
Tell me whether you want to live here or only to own a property, and I'll line up the MM2H conditions against the rules of the state you're buying in so you can see which route actually fits.
Send me your age, the state you're looking at and your budget, and I'll put together a free side-by-side of the MM2H tier conditions against that state's foreign-buyer minimum price and consent fee, each with its source and date.
What MM2H requires you to do about property: the compulsory purchase and the 10-year rule
- The purchase is compulsory. All four category pages say it is “compulsory to purchase and own a residence after obtaining the approval as MM2H participant”. For SEZ/SFZ the page specifies a property in Forest City, Johor.
- No deadline is published. I read the four category pages, the overview, the guidelines and the references page, and looked for a MOTAC announcement. None states a time limit — not 90 days, not 12 months. The “buy within 90 days of approval” figure that circulates for the SEZ/SFZ tier could not be verified from any government source. Read the conditions on your own approval letter; do not plan around hearsay.
- Ten years, no sale. The official wording is: “Selling of the residence is not allowed for 10 years, unless it is to upgrade the residence by purchasing one of higher value.” It appears on all four category pages and the guidelines page, so SEZ/SFZ is caught as well, not just Silver, Gold and Platinum.
For a buyer, that 10-year condition matters far more than the deposit figure. It turns the property into an asset you can trade up but cannot cash out of for a decade. If your plan was to live here for a few years and sell on a rise, MM2H closes that door — while an ordinary foreign buyer who never applies can sell whenever they like, paying non-citizen RPGT of 30% in the first five years and 10% from the sixth. See selling as a foreigner and RPGT.
Does MM2H exempt you from state consent or the minimum price?
It does not. An MM2H participant is still a non-citizen for land law and for stamp duty purposes, so:
| Requirement | Does MM2H exempt you? | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| State consent (NLC s.433B) | No | Per transaction; Johor typically 1–3 months |
| State minimum price for foreigners | No | Johor residential RM1,000,000; varies by state |
| Residential MOT stamp duty | No | 8% from 1 Jan 2026 (commercial and industrial 4%) |
| Johor state approval fee (levy) | No | 3% of price or valuation, minimum RM30,000 |
| Loan agreement stamp duty | No | 0.5% of the loan |
| Margin of finance | Nothing official either way | A bank credit decision; Bank Negara sets no foreigner-specific cap |
There is one trap worth spelling out. Silver’s MM2H property floor is RM600,000, but Johor’s residential threshold for foreigners is RM1,000,000. The two do not contradict each other: MM2H says what you must at least buy to qualify for the pass, while the state says what you are permitted to buy at all. The higher of the two governs. In Johor, a Silver participant still has to buy above RM1 million.
The SEZ/SFZ tier makes the same point explicitly — its own page defers the floor price to Johor state policy. MM2H does not override a state. For the full cost list see the true cost for a foreign buyer, for the sequence see how foreigners buy property in Malaysia, and for what may be bought where see the foreign ownership rules.
How is Sarawak's S-MM2H different, and what about Sabah?
Many buyers assume MM2H is one national scheme. It is not. Sarawak and Sabah run their own programmes with different conditions, deposits, ages, minimum stays and property rules — and a MOTAC MM2H pass is not a Sarawak or Sabah pass.
Sarawak S-MM2H, rules effective 1 January 2025
- Administered by the Sarawak Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP Sarawak) with the Sarawak Tourism Board, not MOTAC.
- Applicants must be citizens of countries with diplomatic relations with Malaysia and aged 30 and above.
- A fixed deposit of RM500,000 with a local bank in Sarawak per application, covering the spouse and dependants.
- A minimum stay of 30 days a year in Sarawak as a condition of extension or renewal.
- The pass runs 5 years, renewable for a further 5. Processing takes 90 working days.
- From 16 May 2025, personal sponsors are limited to immediate family — spouse, parents or step-parents, children or siblings.
- Property: the Sarawak Tourism Board page states participants may buy a residential house at a minimum of RM600,000 per unit in Kuching and RM500,000 in other divisions. That page’s own last-update stamp is May 2023, before the January 2025 rules, so confirm the current floor with MTCP Sarawak before committing.
Sabah-MM2H
- Approved by the federal government on 19 July 2024 and open for applications from 1 July 2024, administered by Sabah’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment.
- Reported terms: minimum age 30; a 10-year programme issued as an initial 5-year visa with the remaining 5 granted after security and minimum-stay checks; a cumulative stay of 30 days a year in Sabah; property purchase restricted to high-rise units at a minimum of RM600,000, not sellable for 5 years unless replaced by an equal or higher-value purchase; dependants limited to spouse, parents-in-law and children under 21; pass holders cannot work.
- No deposit or income figures are published here. The law-firm briefing I relied on confirms the programme, the age, the stay and the RM600,000 property rule but states no amounts, and I could not reach a Sabah state page with current terms. These figures date from 2024 — confirm with the state.
Want to see what you can actually buy?
The rules are above; these are the actual homes. Each page lists the projects I am tracking, with published price ranges and the date each figure was checked. Tell me the area on WhatsApp and I will send the current list.
What can and cannot an MM2H holder do?
- Not permitted: business, investment and employment activities. All four category pages say so.
- Permitted: education at Malaysian higher-learning institutions, long-term medical treatment, and tourism and leisure. A medical check-up is required after approval.
- Eligible dependants (identical wording across the four categories): spouse; biological, step or adopted children under 21; children aged 21–34 who are unemployed and single; disabled children with no age limit; parents and parents-in-law. Platinum additionally allows foreign domestic help.
- Days in Malaysia: the published condition for Silver, Gold and Platinum is 90 cumulative days a year for participants under 50. SEZ/SFZ applicants aged 21–49 also show 90 days; the official page shows no figure for the 50-and-over band. If that is you, confirm the condition on your approval letter.
- Not a PR pathway: the Tourism Minister stated in June 2024 that new participants in all three main categories are not eligible to apply for permanent residence.
For scale: as at early February 2026, 744 homes had been bought under the revised MM2H with 2,637 more in process, according to the Tourism Minister as reported by Malay Mail on 4 February 2026. That is context, not a rule, but it tells you the programme is real and modest in size.
Should you apply for MM2H just to buy a property?
Split it into two independent decisions and it gets easier:
| Ordinary foreign buyer (no MM2H) | MM2H participant | |
|---|---|---|
| Can you buy? | Yes, with State Authority consent | Yes, on the same terms |
| Residential MOT stamp duty | 8% | 8% — identical |
| State minimum price | Applies | Applies, alongside the MM2H floor; the higher governs |
| Johor approval fee | 3% / minimum RM30,000 | 3% / minimum RM30,000 — identical |
| Must you buy? | No | Yes |
| When can you sell? | Any time (non-citizen RPGT applies) | Not for 10 years, unless upgrading to a higher value |
| Long-stay residence? | No, ordinary visa rules apply | Yes, 5 to 20 years depending on tier |
| Fixed deposit? | None | USD 32,000 to USD 1,000,000; up to 50% withdrawable after approval |
- If your goal is only to own a property — rental, a holiday base, somewhere for a child at university — MM2H brings cost and restriction, not benefit. Go through state consent alone.
- If your goal is to live here long-term, MM2H is the relevant programme, and the compulsory purchase plus the 10-year lock are the price of it, not a perk.
- Either way, confirm the unit clears that state’s minimum price before you negotiate.
- The SEZ/SFZ tier maps to Forest City only. If the property you want is elsewhere, that tier is not available.
- Read the approval letter line by line: any purchase deadline, the exact wording of the 10-year condition, the days-in-Malaysia requirement, the renewal cycle and the fees.
- Sort out financing before you apply. MM2H status does not make a bank lend you more; the margin remains a credit decision. See home loans for foreigners.
Related questions
Is MM2H or buying as an ordinary foreigner the better deal?
If all you want is to own a property, buying directly is better. The stamp duty, the state approval fee and the minimum price are identical either way, but buying directly involves no fixed deposit, no compulsory purchase and no 10-year lock on selling. MM2H earns its keep on residence: a renewable 5 to 20-year pass covering spouse, children and parents. It is a long-stay pass with a price, not a property incentive.
Can the MM2H fixed deposit be used for the down payment?
Partly. All four category pages state that up to 50% of the principal fixed deposit may be withdrawn after approval, for purposes including buying the residence, education, medical care and tourism. On Silver’s USD 150,000 that is USD 75,000 in principle. The withdrawal requires approval, and the remaining 50% must stay with a Malaysian financial institution licensed under the Financial Services Act 2013 for as long as the condition runs.
Can an MM2H holder work or run a business in Malaysia?
No. All four category pages state that business, investment and employment activities are prohibited. The permitted activities are education at Malaysian higher-learning institutions, long-term medical treatment, and tourism and leisure, with a medical check-up required after approval. MM2H is not a work or start-up visa. The Tourism Minister also confirmed in June 2024 that new participants in the three main categories cannot apply for permanent residence.
Silver's floor is RM600,000 — can I buy a RM600,000 condo in Johor on it?
No. The RM600,000 is the minimum MM2H requires you to buy to qualify; Johor’s RM1,000,000 residential threshold is what the state permits a foreigner to buy at all. Where both apply, the higher governs, so in Johor you are still starting at RM1 million. The SEZ/SFZ tier says as much on its own page, deferring the floor price to Johor state policy. See the true cost for a foreign buyer.
Frequently asked questions
Do foreigners need MM2H to buy property in Malaysia?
No. Section 433B of the National Land Code requires the State Authority’s written approval, not a visa, and the Malaysian Bar’s 2024 circular on foreign acquisition does not mention MM2H at all. MM2H is a renewable social visit pass that solves residence, not purchase eligibility. If anything it adds obligations: a compulsory purchase after approval and a 10-year ban on selling.
What are the MM2H 2026 fixed deposits and minimum property prices?
Silver: USD 150,000 deposit, RM600,000 minimum home, 5-year pass. Gold: USD 500,000, RM1,000,000, 15 years. Platinum: USD 1,000,000, RM2,000,000, 20 years. SEZ/SFZ: USD 65,000 for ages 21–49 or USD 32,000 for 50 and over, a 10-year pass, with the property in Forest City, Johor and the floor price set by Johor state policy rather than by MM2H. Up to 50% of the principal deposit may be withdrawn after approval for the home, education, medical care or tourism.
Can you sell an MM2H property before 10 years?
Only to upgrade. The official wording is that selling the residence is not allowed for 10 years “unless it is to upgrade the residence by purchasing one of higher value”, and it appears on all four category pages and the guidelines — SEZ/SFZ included. It is the condition worth thinking hardest about, because it turns the home into an asset you can trade up but cannot cash out of for a decade. A foreign buyer who never applies has no such restriction.
How long after MM2H approval do you have to buy a property?
No deadline is published. All four category pages and the guidelines say the purchase is compulsory after approval, but none of them — nor any MOTAC announcement I could find — states a time limit. The “90 days” figure that circulates for the SEZ/SFZ tier could not be verified from any government source. Work from the conditions written on your own approval letter, and put anything unclear to the MM2H unit in writing.
Does MM2H reduce the 8% stamp duty for foreign buyers?
No. An MM2H participant remains a non-citizen for land law and stamp duty, so the residential MOT is still stamped at 8% from 1 January 2026, Johor’s 3% approval fee with its RM30,000 floor still applies, state consent must still be obtained, and the state minimum price still applies. MM2H is a residence pass, not a tax concession. The full cost breakdown is in the true cost for a foreign buyer.
Is Sarawak's S-MM2H the same programme as MM2H?
No. S-MM2H is run by Sarawak’s Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts. From 1 January 2025 it requires applicants aged 30 and above, a RM500,000 fixed deposit with a bank in Sarawak per application, a minimum stay of 30 days a year in Sarawak, and issues a 5-year pass renewable for 5 more, with processing in 90 working days. The published property floors — RM600,000 in Kuching, RM500,000 elsewhere — come from a page last updated in May 2023, so confirm them with the state. Sabah runs its own programme too.
Sources & verification
- MM2H (MOTAC) — Programme overview and category comparison (last updated 10 Feb 2026)
- MM2H (MOTAC) — Silver category
- MM2H (MOTAC) — Gold category
- MM2H (MOTAC) — Platinum category
- MM2H (MOTAC) — SEZ / SFZ category
- MM2H (MOTAC) — Application guidelines
- Malay Mail — New MM2H participants not eligible for PR status, says Tourism Minister (15 Jun 2024)
- Malay Mail — Over 740 homes bought under MM2H, 2,600 more in the pipeline (4 Feb 2026)
- MTCP Sarawak — New requirements for Sarawak-MM2H effective 1 Jan 2025 (31 Oct 2024)
- MTCP Sarawak — S-MM2H application requirements
- Sarawak Tourism Board — S-MM2H programme overview
- Skrine — Introducing the Sabah My Second Home (Sabah-MM2H) Programme (9 Aug 2024)
- Malaysian Bar — Circular No 444/2024, Restrictions in respect of non-citizens and foreign companies (23 Dec 2024)
- National Land Code (Act 828, Revised 2020) — section 433B
- KPMG Malaysia — Finance and Tax Bills 2025 Highlights (8% foreign-buyer stamp duty, Item 32(ab))
- The Star — Johor to raise levy on property bought by foreign interests (18 Jun 2025)
Verified: 2026-09-20. This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and rates change — confirm in writing with your lawyer, bank or the relevant authority before you sign.
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Louis Koh
11 years in Malaysian property · Johor Bahru & Kuala Lumpur · English & 中文
I help local buyers and cross-border buyers from Singapore with new and subsale property. Every figure in these guides is sourced; when a rule changes, I update the page and date it.
Stuck on this step? Ask me directly
Send me your situation — new or subsale, budget, state, and where you are in the process — and I will tell you what to do next and what to watch for.
Send me your age, the state you're looking at and your budget, and I'll put together a free side-by-side of the MM2H tier conditions against that state's foreign-buyer minimum price and consent fee, each with its source and date.
Louis Koh · 11 years in Malaysian property · +60 10-906 6685 · replies 9am–10pm MYT