Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) long-term residency program has driven 744 property purchases between December 2023 and December 2025, with a pipeline of 2,637 prospective MM2H applicants actively searching for properties, Tourism Minister Tiong King Sing told Parliament this week.
Chinese nationals lead with 304 completed purchases, about 41% of all transactions, followed by Taiwanese buyers at 91 properties and Singaporeans at 63.
Americans completed 41 purchases, British nationals 40, Hong Kong residents 34, Japanese buyers 25, and South Koreans 21. Buyers from Bangladesh, Australia, and Iran rounded out the top ten nationalities.
The numbers show the program has recovered some momentum since its relaunch, though participation remains far below pre-pandemic levels when the scheme approved thousands of applications annually and stood as the world’s largest golden visa program by participant volume in 2019.
Chinese Dominance Draws Parliamentary Scrutiny
The concentration of Chinese and Taiwanese buyers has drawn questions in Parliament, according to local reports, with some lawmakers asking whether the demographic composition aligns with program objectives.
The tourism minister defended the applicant mix, stressing that MM2H “should remain apolitical,” albeit acknowledging that promotional efforts have focused heavily on East Asian markets, where demand appears strongest.
To address MPs’ concerns, the minister emphasized that MM2H functions as a long-term visa with no path to residency or citizenship, and said his ministry is amping up promotion efforts in other regions, such as the Middle East, “where participation remains low.”
MM2H Tiers Set One Threshold, States Set Another
The MM2H program offers multiple routes to qualification, including fixed deposits and property purchases.
The current three-tier structure sets fixed deposit requirements from MYR 500,000 (~$130,000) to MYR 5 million (~$1.3 million).
Participants can withdraw up to half of their fixed deposits to fund property purchases, education, or healthcare expenses, with the remaining deposits held in Malaysian banks for the visa duration.
Property purchase minimums vary by tier:
- Silver Tier: MYR 600,000 (~$150,000) minimum property purchase, or MYR 750,000 (~$200,000) if using withdrawn deposit funds
- Gold Tier: MYR 600,000 (~$150,000) minimum property purchase, or MYR 750,000 (~$200,000) if using withdrawn deposit funds
- Platinum Tier: MYR 2 million (~$510,000) minimum property purchase, or MYR 1.5 million (~$400,000) if using withdrawn deposit funds
But, state-level foreign ownership thresholds add another layer that can override MM2H minimums.
According to recent data, Kuala Lumpur requires all foreigners to spend at least MYR 1 million (~$250,000) on residential property regardless of the MM2H tier.
Penang Island sets the bar at MYR 3 million ($763,000) for landed properties and MYR 1 million (~$250,000) for strata units, while Selangor requires MYR 1.5-2 million ($382,000-$509,000) for landed properties, depending on the district, and MYR 1 million ($254,000) for high-rise units.
More accessible entry points on Penang’s mainland are available at MYR 500,000 ($127,000) for strata properties, while landed properties still require MYR 1 million ($254,000).
Sabah and Sarawak, which run independent MM2H operations, set a minimum between MYR 600,000 ($153,000) and MYR 1 million ($254,000), depending on the division.
The state-level constraints mean Silver-tier applicants seeking to buy property and qualify for MM2H at the MYR 750,000 ($191,000) threshold face effective exclusion from Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Selangor entirely.
IMI Pros Who Can Help with MM2H
