MDEC Employment Pass Processing Time and Fees

MDEC states about 14 working days for an FKW Projection Request, about 7 working days for an individual FKW application, and 10 working days for the JTKSM section 60K approval that comes first. Endorsement takes 3 working days for an applicant already in Malaysia, and immediate endorsement at ESC KLIA Terminal 1 for an applicant arriving from abroad. A first-time MD company subscription takes about 2 working days, and a non-MD registration about 30 working days. These are stated service times for complete submissions, not guarantees.

MDEC's published charge is RM2,160 per applicant for an MD company and RM3,024 per applicant for a non-MD company, for new and renewal applications. A Dependant Pass or Social Visit Pass is RM540 per applicant, and an amendment of an approval letter is RM108. Immigration's own fees are on a separate Immigration schedule that MDEC links to, and this page does not quote them. Confirm the current amounts with MDEC before budgeting.

MDEC states that renewal applications go through Xpats Gateway with online payment, and that for an applicant in Malaysia MDEC processes it and Immigration issues the ePass in 3 working days, which the company prints from the Expats system. Immigration's revised policy FAQ allows renewals up to three months before expiry, requires the pass to still be valid when the application is filed, and says renewals filed on or after 1 June 2026 fall under the revised policy.

MDEC's process ends with the pass sticker issued by Immigration, after which the applicant may start work. For an applicant abroad, the company pays online and clicks the endorse button 5 days before the entry or flight date, and the applicant presents the Approval Letter, the Reference Visa or eVisa if required, and the Confirmation Letter at ESC KLIA Terminal 1. Working before the pass is endorsed is not covered by any of these steps.

MDEC states that companies are discouraged from nominating a third-party agent as the company's authorised person. The authorised person is named in the Authorised Person Letter on company letterhead and signs up through the company's own account. A consultant can still help prepare documents, check them against MDEC's checklist and advise on the route, while the company's own authorised person submits. Xpats Gateway separately says a Private Employment Agency may submit section 60K applications as an authorised representative, although its own wording on who counts as one is unclear.

Section 60K of the Employment Act 1955 requires employers to get approval from the Department of Labour Peninsular Malaysia (JTKSM) before employing an expatriate. It applies to private sector employers in Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan under amendments effective 1 January 2023, applications go through Xpats Gateway from 1 July 2025, and it is required for new Employment Pass applications, valid for 12 months, and decided in 10 working days. Xpats Gateway states that operating without the required approval carries a fine of up to RM100,000, imprisonment of up to five years, or both.

It is the request through the eXpats system for the number of foreign knowledge workers a company may hire. Under MDEC's June 2026 announcement, a company seeking new or additional FKW headcount files the request with all mandatory documents, MDEC reviews it, and the FKW Approval Committee decides. Only approved projection headcount allows the company to file individual FKW applications.

MDEC states that the spouse and children under 18 are eligible for a Dependant Pass, and unmarried children over 18, parents and parents-in-law are eligible for a Long-Term Social Visit Pass. MDEC's charge is RM540 per applicant for each. Immigration's revised policy FAQ adds that Category III Employment Pass applications submitted from 1 June 2026 are subject to the revised policy for dependants, while passes issued under the earlier policy stay under the old rule, which does not permit dependants.

The Expats Service Centre, MDEC, 2360 Persiaran APEC, 63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor, at [email protected] or 03-8315 3106 and 03-8315 3157. For JTKSM section 60K questions, Xpats Gateway lists [email protected] and 03-8000 8000. For the MyFutureJobs step it lists PERKESO at [email protected] and 1300-22-8000.

MDEC issues a Rejection Letter. For section 60K, Xpats Gateway states there is no cooling-off period before reapplying. The MDEC pages reviewed do not describe an appeal procedure for FKW applications, so ask the Expats Service Centre what options apply, and correct the cause before you resubmit rather than resubmitting the same file.

The sources reviewed do not state a refund rule for the Employment Pass charge. MDEC's MTEP FAQ says its RM540 application fee is non-refundable, which is a different programme. Ask MDEC.

MDEC's pages state the charges but do not give a reason. Both routes end in the same Employment Pass issued by Immigration.

The Employment Pass charge pages reviewed do not say whether SST is included. MDEC's MTEP FAQ carries a 6% SST note under its post-approval fee table, but that is a different programme. Confirm with MDEC.