Employment Pass Through MDEC: Who Can Apply and How It Works

MDEC's Expats Service Centre serves companies with Malaysia Digital (MD) status, or MSC Malaysia status, that are in operation and comply with the conditions of that status. It also serves ICT companies without MD status that are fully operational and use ICT as their core business, subject to a minimum paid-up capital, a physical office and an assessment by MDEC. Companies in non-qualifying activities, such as trading, staffing and staff augmentation, do not qualify.

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 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.

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 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.

No. MDEC lists staff augmentation among the activities that do not qualify, describing it as resource requests through a request form, projects without project managers, pricing by resource tables or work permit costs, and resources with no service level commitment beyond available hours. MDEC states that it may check for these activities and revoke passes or MD status at any time.

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.

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.

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.

No. MDEC verifies the application and approves the position. Immigration issues the pass sticker or ePass after MDEC approval, and the decision on an individual application is joint, with MDEC issuing the Approval or Rejection Letter.

No. MDEC also serves ICT companies without MD status that meet its non-MD criteria. The first set-up takes longer, about 30 working days, and the MDEC charge per pass is higher.

Expats Service Centre, MDEC, 2360 Persiaran APEC, 63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor. Sticker collection for applicants abroad is at ESC KLIA Terminal 1.