Employment Pass Application in Malaysia: Step by Step for a Sdn Bhd

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 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.

For new Employment Pass applications from 1 July 2025, Xpats Gateway requires the MyFutureJobs advertisement acknowledgement letter from PERKESO, with exemptions for renewals, in-country position or category changes, and positions on PERKESO's exemption list. PERKESO decides, and employers must follow its advertising guidelines. MDEC's pages describe this as SOCSO approval after advertising the vacancy.

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.

It is the government's single-window platform for Employment Pass applications. MDEC states that since 24 April 2024 all new and renewal Employment Pass applications under MDEC go through Xpats Gateway, using the same login as the MDEC Expats System. Once an application is forwarded to the MDEC eXpats system it can no longer be edited in Xpats Gateway, and changes must be requested from MDEC.

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 publishes an Employment Pass Checklist for MD Companies and one for Non-MD Companies, both version 3 with file names dated 28 May 2026, and an FKW Projection checklist and template for June 2026. They sit in MDEC's document library, which this page could not reproduce. Download the current version from MDEC rather than relying on any third-party list, ours included.

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.

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.

A registered company that fits an MDEC route, a nominated authorised person, the signed Expatriate Service Agreement and Authorised Person Letter, and the latest e-SSM company profile.

The Approval Letter comes first, issued while the applicant is abroad. A Visa with Reference or eVisa, if required, is then obtained and the applicant enters Malaysia for endorsement.