Malaysian Immigration Department: the department that decides who enters, who stays, who leaves

Everyone who crosses Malaysia’s border — a citizen renewing a passport, a tourist arriving, an expatriate coming to work — passes through one and the same department. But the documents it issues are often confused with one another, and that confusion is the cause of most immigration problems.

At a glance

Full name	Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia (Immigration Department of Malaysia)
Abbreviation	JIM
Type	Federal department
Under	Ministry of Home Affairs
Website	imi.gov.my

Four core functions

The department states its mandate in four parts:

1. Issuing passports and travel documents to Malaysian citizens and permanent residents.
2. Issuing visas, passes and permits to foreign nationals entering Malaysia.
3. Managing the movement of people at authorised entry and exit points.
4. Enforcing immigration legislation — the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Immigration Regulations 1963, the Passports Act 1966 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (Amendment 2010).

Visa, pass, permit — three different documents

This is the most common misunderstanding, and it is not just a matter of terminology.

Document	Its function
Visa	Permission to arrive in Malaysia — obtained before travel by nationals who require one.
Pass	Determines how long a person may stay and for what purpose — visiting, studying or working.
Entry Permit	A facility for a foreign national to enter and reside lawfully in Malaysia with no time limit — the route to permanent resident status.

Three basic types of visa are issued: a Single Entry Visa (usually for social visits, typically valid for three months from the date of issue), a Multiple Entry Visa (usually for business or government-to-government matters, typically valid for between three and twelve months) and a Transit Visa.

Visa With Reference (VDR) is a separate route: Malaysian missions abroad issue it only after the application has been approved by Immigration Department Headquarters. Categories such as a citizen’s spouse and nationals of certain countries go through this route.

The Entry Permit, meanwhile, is described by the department as the highest privilege granted by the Government of Malaysia to a foreign national — and it can be revoked if the conditions imposed are breached.

Main types of pass

Pass	Who it’s for
Employment Pass	Expatriates employed by a company in Malaysia
Visit Pass (Temporary Employment)	Foreign workers in certain sectors
Short-Term Social Visit Pass	Tourism and short visits
Long Term Social Visit Pass	Temporary stay of a minimum six months
Professional Visit Pass	Short-term professional work
Professional Visit Pass — Expert	Specialist category
Student Pass	International students
Resident Pass	Specially approved resident category

The Long Term Social Visit Pass covers, among others, the foreign spouse of a citizen (may be granted up to five years, and permitted to work), a senior citizen aged 60 and above with a sponsoring family in Malaysia, the family of an international student, a patient receiving treatment at a Malaysian hospital together with one companion, and the dependants of an expatriate.

Main online channels

• ESD (Expatriate Services Division) at esd.imi.gov.my — the first point of contact for companies wanting to employ expatriates. Every company must register with ESD before a pass application can be made.
• MDAC (Malaysia Digital Arrival Card) at imigresen-online.imi.gov.my — a digital arrival card that foreign visitors register online before arrival. Eligibility and exemptions are stated on the portal itself.

A note on fees

This page deliberately does not list fees. Visa, pass and passport rates are amended from time to time, and figures copied from third-party sites are usually already outdated. Refer to the official fee schedule at imi.gov.my or an Immigration counter on the date of your transaction.

Where the practical processes are explained

Topic	Article
Map of all work passes	Work passes Malaysia
Employment Pass for expatriates	Employment Pass Malaysia
Process for hiring foreign workers	Hiring foreign workers
Foreign worker levy	Foreign worker levy
Citizen identity documents (MyKad)	JPN
Control of goods at the border	Royal Malaysian Customs Department

What’s next

If you are an employer, start with the map of work passes to identify the right pass, then register your company on the ESD portal. If you are an individual, first identify whether your matter concerns arriving (a visa), staying (a pass) or settling (an Entry Permit) — then check the document list for that category at imi.gov.my, since most applications stall because of incomplete supporting documents.