Latest / IMI Podcasts / Malaysia’s MM2H Program Records 744 Property Purchases Since Late 2023

Transcript

Malaysia’s MM2H Program Records 744 Property Purchases Since Late 2023 · IMI Podcasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Malaysia, my second home, also known as 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.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Tourism Minister Teong King Sing told Parliament this week.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Chinese nationals lead with 304 completed purchases, about 41% of all transactions, followed by Taiwanese buyers at 91 properties and Singaporeans at 63.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Americans completed 41 purchases, British nationals 40, Hong Kong residents 34, Japanese buyers 25, and South Koreans 21.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: Buyers from Bangladesh, Australia, and Iran rounded out the top 10 nationalities.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: 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.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: 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.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: 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.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: 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.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: The MM2H program offers multiple routes to qualification, including fixed deposits and property purchases.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: The current three-tier structure sets fixed deposit requirements from 500,000 Malaysian ringgit or 130,000 US dollars to 5 million Malaysian ringgit or 1.3 million US dollars.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: 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.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Property purchase minimums vary by tier.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Silver tier$600,000 Malaysian ringgit or$150,000, minimum property purchase or$750,000 Malaysian ringgit or$200,000 if using withdrawn deposit funds.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: Gold tier$600,000 Malaysian ringit or$150,000 minimum property purchase or$700,000 Malaysian ringit or two hundred thousand dollars if using withdrawn deposit funds.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Platinum tier two million Malaysian ringit or five hundred ten thousand dollars minimum property purchase or one point five million Malaysian ringgit or four hundred thousand dollars if using withdrawn deposit funds, but state level foreign ownership thresholds add another layer that can override MM2H minimums.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: According to recent data, Kuala Lumpur requires all foreigners to spend at least one million Malaysian ringgit or two hundred fifty thousand dollars on residential property regardless of the MM2H tier.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Penang Island sets the bar at 3 million Malaysian ringgit or$763,000 for landed properties and one million Malaysian ringgit or$250,000 for strata units, while Salangor requires$1.5 to$2 million B Malaysian ringgit or$382,000 to$509,000 for landed properties depending on the district and$1 million Malaysian ringgit or$254,000 for high rise units.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: More accessible entry points on Penang's mainland are available at$500,000 Malaysian ringgit or$127,000 for strata properties, while landed properties still require 1 million Malaysian ringgit or$254,000.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: Saba and Sarawak, which run independent MM2H operations, set a minimum between$600,000 Malaysian ringgit or$153,000 and 1 million Malaysian ringgit or$254,000 depending on the division.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: The state level constraints mean silver tier applicants seeking to buy property and qualify for M, M2H at the 750,000 Malaysian ringgit threshold face effective exclusion from Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Salangor entirely.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: This episode first appeared as an article by Mustafa Daily on imidaly.com.
• 5:38
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