Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) asked the Immigration Department on September 22 to increase checks on Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) participants who do business without permission. Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing made the request in a Facebook post, Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported.
“Appropriate action must be taken to ensure compliance with MM2H conditions and prevent abuse of the programme,” Tiong wrote.
According to DayakDaily, MOTAC directed the Immigration Department to increase its surveillance of MM2H participants. Tiong added that “particular attention will be given to individuals participating in commercial ventures despite lacking the required permits or failing to fulfil legal criteria.”
Tiong chaired a meeting on MM2H the same day with MOTAC officials and Immigration Department representatives. FMT reported that the meeting also discussed lengthy security checks on applications and differences in the time taken to complete reviews.
FMT’s Malay-language report added that the meeting dealt with cases of participants involved in unlawful activities. It gave no number of cases.
MM2H, which Malaysia overhauled in 2024, gives foreigners a long-term pass to live in Malaysia. The program now offers four tiers: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and the Special Economic and Financial Zone (SEZ/SFZ) tier.
MOTAC’s Platinum page lists both “business/investment activities” and “career opportunities” as “permissible.” For Gold, Silver, and SEZ/SFZ, the same site marks both as “not allowed.”
FMT reported that participants in those three tiers must obtain “the appropriate pass” before they work or do business. The report did not name that pass.
Of the 3,172 applications that Malaysia approved in 2025, 46 were for the Platinum tier, according to figures Tiong released in March. The other approvals went to Silver with 2,650, SEZ/SFZ with 322, and Gold with 154, IMI reported at the time.
The Platinum tier asks for a US$1 million fixed deposit and a home worth at least RM2 million, according to MOTAC’s site. For Silver, the figures are US$150,000 and RM600,000.
MOTAC’s application checklist states that every application goes through security screening by the Royal Malaysian Police. It also asks principal applicants and dependents aged 18 and above for a letter of good conduct or a police certificate.
Deputy Home Minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah told Parliament last October that the government also cross-screens MM2H participants with security and health agencies, Bernama reported. IMI covered the wider due diligence reforms at the time.
In April, the Immigration Department detained three Chinese nationals in the Kuala Lumpur area for allegedly using fake passes in US visa applications, Bernama reported. The department seized their passports, which bore MM2H stickers that it suspected were fake.
The department described the April arrests as follow-up action to a case from last year. In that case, it uncovered a syndicate that sold fake long-term passes for use in US visa applications.
Tiong asked officials to enforce tier conditions that MOTAC already publishes on its MM2H site. None of the three reports on the meeting mentions a new rule or a new penalty for participants who break those conditions.
