Marrying a Malaysian: Applying For Permanent Residency (PR) In Malaysia

By Elin Chow - Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Last month, I finally submitted my application for Permanent Residency (PR) in Malaysia after residing continuously in the country for 5 years on a Long Term Social Visit Pass (LTSVP). For foreign spouse of Malaysian, the road to PR is paved with bureaucracy and long waits. You can only apply after you have lived continuously in Malaysia on a valid LTSVP for at least 5 years along with having at least one Malaysian sponsor.

Why am I interested in becoming a permanent resident of Malaysia? This is simply because I wish to settle down permanently in Malaysia. Being granted with Permanent Residency will allow me to stay and remain in the country indefinitely, have full working rights and able to acquire properties.

As usual, I am documenting the entire process to share about my experience with people who are in the same situation as me. Please note that everything that I shared in this post is solely based on my own experience. The documents required may vary from case to case, so please use this post only as a reference.

Applying For Permanent Residency

I have already obtained the checklist and application forms from the immigration when I was renewing my LTSVP back in September. You can get them from the "Permit Masuk" counter at the Pass and Permit Division from the immigration branch where you applied your LTSVP. For my case, I went to the Jalan Duta branch. Simply get a number ticket from the counter and wait to be called. You are required to show your passport and all your previous LTSVP for the immigration officer to verify your eligibility. The officer will pass you the checklist and forms if you are eligible to apply.

Even though I collected the forms in September, I only submitted my application in early October. Please note that both the forms and checklist are in Bahasa Melayu and it is best that you fill in the forms in Bahasa Melayu too in order to avoid rejection. Below are the documents I have submitted as required on the checklist.

1. Entry Permit Application Form (IM.4)

Get this from the Permit Masuk" counter and fill it up in Bahasa Melayu.

2. Form Imm.270

Get this from the Permit Masuk" counter and fill it up in Bahasa Melayu.

3. 3 Applicant's Passport Photo with blue background 

Actually you will need four (4) photos instead of three (3). You will need to paste one (1) of it on Surat Akuan Sumpah Perkahwinan Form. Please remember to bring along your Malaysian spouse's photo as well.

4. 1 Marriage Photo or Family Photo

We submitted our marriage photo in 4R size since we do not have any children.

5. Applicant's's Birth Cert

Both photocopy and original (for verification) are required.

6. Applicant's Passport Pages

Photocopy of each passport pages with travel stamps and all your previous LTSVP, including the first page. Empty pages are not required. Please bring along your original passports as well for verification.

7. Malaysia Marriage Certificate

Both photocopy and original (for verification) are required.

8. Overseas Marriage Certificate 

This is for those who registered their marriage overseas. Both photocopy and original (for verification) are required.

9. Surat Akuan Sumpah Perkahwinan Form

This is same as the one you submitted for your application and renewal for your LTSVP. You will need to fill in all the required and visit the Commissioner of Oath office to do some stamping.

10. Death / Divorce Certificate From Previous Marriage (If Any)

11. 1 Malaysian Sponsor Photo

You will need 1 passport photo of your Malaysian sponsor with blue background. In this case, my husband is my sponsor. I am not sure what is the salary requirement for sponsor. You might want to check with the immigration officer.

12. Malaysian Sponsor's MyKad

Both photocopy and original (for verification) are required

13. Malaysian Sponsor's Birth Cert

Both photocopy and original (for verification) are required

14. Malaysian Spouse's Passport Page (If Married Overseas)

This is not applicable in my case since we registered our marriage in Malaysia.

15. Applicant's Children's MyKad & Birth Certificate 

Both photocopy and original (for verification) are required

16. Applicant's Children's Passport

Both photocopy and original (for verification) are required

17. Security Bond Receipt

You should receive a receipt after you have made payment for your security bond during your first LTSVP application. I submitted a photocopy of the receipt and do remember to bring along the original one for verification.

18. Proof of Residence

You can either submit a photocopy of your water or electricity bill in order to prove your residence address. Do remember bring along the original one for verification.

19. Cover Letter 

You will need to submit a letter of application in Bahasa Melayu. In the letter, you must mention your name, passport number, your spouse's name and MyKad number and the purpose of the letter.

20. Malaysian Sponsor's Proof of Income

We submitted my husband's 3 months payslip to prove his income

21. Malaysian Sponsor's Proof of Employment

My husband requested his company HR to issue an employment confirmation letter and we submitted that to prove his employment.

22. Company Registration (If Self-Employed)

I really recommend getting the documents ready before you visit the immigration office. But unlike LTSVP, you do not have to visit the immigration too early because the queue was not very long. After all, there are not many people who are eligible to apply for PR in Malaysia.

Anyway, I was given a date for an interview at the immigration office right after I have submitted the documents. My interview date is in January 2019 and I am feeling really worried about it because I could barely understand or speak in Bahasa Melayu. I will update about my interview session in another post again.

For foreign spouse who plans to marry and reside in Malaysia on a long term basis, you may wish to learn more about the following topics too. If you are interested to know how to:

1. Register your marriage in MalaysiaMarrying A Malaysia Part 1

2. Apply for a Long Term Social Visit Pass (Spouse pass) with a work endorsement: Marrying A Malaysian Part 2: Obtaining A Long Term Social Visit Pass (Spouse Pass)

3. Renew Long Term Social Visit Pass (Spouse Pass) Malaysia: Marrying A Malaysian Part 3: How To Extend Long Term Social Visit Pass (Spouse Pass) Malaysia

4. Renew Long Term Social Visit Pass (Spouse Pass) Malaysia (Updated August 2018): Marrying a Malaysian: Renewal of Long Term Social Visit Pass (LTSVP) Malaysia  - New Updates! (As at August 2018)

5. Immigration interview for permanent residency: Marrying a Malaysian: Immigration Interview For Permanent Residency (PR) In Malaysia

6. Renew  Long Term Social Visit Pass (LTSVP) + Work Endorsement Online: Marrying a Malaysia: How To Renew Long Term Social Visit Pass (LTSVP) + Work Endorsement Online During The Covid-19 Pandemic (Updated September 2021)

Be sure to follow me on Facebook for any latest updates on my blog. So stay tuned!

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22 comments

  1. Hi,
    Thanks for sharing the details it is really helpful. I just wanted yo check with about the interciew session. Have you done your interviews? How many interviews are there? Would be great if you can share some insights on it.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,

      Sorry for the late reply. Yes, I have done the interview. You can check out my post here: https://elinchow.blogspot.com/2019/01/marrying-malaysian-immigration.html

      Delete
  2. Hey. Looks easy from your post, not sure how complicated it will become when the process starts :)
    Im on a LTSV in my 4th year, but I don't reside in malaysia permanently. Is the 5 year residing clause mandatory to apply for a PR or just 5 years on a LTSV is enough?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,

      It is a requirement that you are on LTSVP continously for 5 years without expiring.

      Delete
    2. Hi,

      If my foreign wife on LTSVP went to her home country to visit her parents (for a month) and return to Malaysia without her LTSVP expiring, is it still valid or do we have to restart the 5 years count?

      Delete
    3. Hi,

      As long as her pass don’t expire, it is considered valid. But there are a lot of spouses whose pass have expired during this period. I have heard from a lot of spouses that the Immigration is making hard for them to apply for PR now.

      Delete
  3. Hi thanks for sharing is so helpful! Can I know whether I can submit PR forms and renew spouse visa at the same day? Or do I need to wait for my spouse visa to be approved first? And do u know if we need to bring our kids along (to show to the officers?) when renewing the spouse visa? TIA :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Beatrice,

      As long as you have passed the 5 year rule, you can submit the PR form. Have you gotten the checklist and forms from the immigration already? It is not a requirement for you to bring your kids along when you renew the spouse visa.

      Delete
  4. Hi, am glad to have found your blog. Very helpful. Was wondering, Im malay and my husband Dutch, we are now on our 2nd renew of our LTSVP. I believe we have had 2 (5 years) and this time stretch another 3 years due to his passport length. Do they count previous passes as part of your time here? thank you, Marina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Marina,

      Yes, they will include all previous passes as part of your time here, as long as they did not 'break'. This means that the passes are renewed continuously without expiring.

      Delete
  5. I have been in malaysia for 11 years and in 2019 when i wanted to apply under A2 professionals they told me that this category has been closed science 2008 and they wouldn't even give me a form to fill or look at my documents

    ReplyDelete
  6. Elin, just wanted to say thanks for sharing your experiences. Very helpful!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I want to know if the sponsors didn't working so she can't show the income i mean without three months salary is it possible to get residency in malaysia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In order to be eligible to apply for Permanent Residency in Malaysia, you need to be staying here on a valid LSTVP continuously for at least 5 years. To get LSTVP, your sponsor need to provide 3 months pay slips with at least RM 2,000 salary per month. It is a requirement for your sponsor to show his/her income.

      Delete
  8. Hi, Have you received your PR approval and red card? I started the whole process since April in year 2021 and went through two interviews. But still waiting for the result. No answer of approval or reject. Just no answer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, I am still waiting for result also. It is normal to wait years and years for the result. But there is a high chance that it will get rejected (since 99.9% of the application is getting rejected these days).

      Delete
  9. Hi Elim, Thank you for fruitful information..can u share with me what questions are asked in the police interview as my interview with police is tomorrow

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, the interviewer will usually ask you some basic questions about your life, marriage (eg. when did you get married? How do you know each other? How many years have both of you been married? etc.). You might also be asked to recite Rukun Negera, sing Negaraku, about your knowledge about Malaysia etc.

      Delete
  10. Hi Elin, I have wait my entry permit more than a year. normally how long will wait ? And were to check please advise thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, you are actually waiting for the result rather than the entry permit. There is no guarantee that your application will be approved. I am still waiting for the result of my application too, since 2018. You can check the status here: https://eservices.imi.gov.my/myimms/myPermit.semak

      Delete
  11. Hi Elin, thanks so much for sharing your experiences. My interview is next week and I’m compiling the necessary documents. I have to go to the S’pore High Comm to get current and expired passports certified true copy.. did you get every single passport page certified true copy or just the first page?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, I was not required to get the certified true copy of my passports from Singapore High Comm. Is this a new requirement?

      Delete