# Malaysia's digital nomad visa > DE Rantau Nomad Pass for Malaysia: $24,000 a year income requirement, 12 months initially, 1,080 MYR fee, how to apply, what it means for tax, and the official page — checked 2026-08-18. Source: https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/malaysia/ Malaysia · digital nomad visa · 2026 12 months DE Rantau Nomad Pass Open · checked 2026-08-18 · mdec.my Malaysia runs the DE Rantau Nomad Pass, an initial 12 months for remote workers earning $24,000 a year. Next step **How we know** Every figure here is as mdec.my publishes it, checked 18 August 2026. Where a number is our own arithmetic rather than a printed figure, the row says so. Sources are listed further down the page. ## What to know before you apply Live and accepting applications. The authoritative document is MDEC's FAQ v9, linked from mdec.my/derantau; its PDF creation date is 6 August 2026 and it carries rules effective 1 August 2026, so it is current. It supersedes "DE Rantau Pass FAQ Version 3.0 (April 2024)", still hosted at mdec.my/static/pdf/derantau/, which lists only the single USD24,000 tier and no non-tech category. Worth stating plainly because it is often reported the other way round: the USD24,000 tech threshold has NOT changed since launch — what happened in June 2024 was the ADDITION of a second, higher USD60,000 tier for non-tech professions. No separate local/Malaysian-applicant income threshold is published today: mdec.my/derantau, /derantau/local and /derantau/foreign all serve the same page and the same FAQ v9, which is scoped to "qualified foreign digital nomads". maxStayMonths records the maximum initial pass (12 months); the 24-month figure is the cumulative maximum after one renewal. ## What it means for your tax days MDEC's FAQ states that for foreign remote workers with income sourced outside Malaysia, "Tax not applicable if the number of days stayed in Malaysia not exceeding 60 days" (exemption under Para. 21 and 22, Schedule 6, ITA 1967), and that income "Will be Taxable under Section 4(b)/ Sub-section 13(2) and Article 14 DTA if the number of stays is 61 days and more", at rates depending on residence status under Section 7 ITA 1967. Freelancers with Malaysia-sourced income face 10% withholding under s.109B for the first 182 days, then s.4(a) taxation. This is not a zero-tax regime. A visa is permission to stay; tax residency follows the days. Malaysia treats you as tax resident once you are present 182 days 182 days or more in a basis year (the calendar year corresponding to a year of assessment) — though the system is territorial, so foreign income may fall outside it. Days are not the only test: Section 7(1) ITA 1967 gives four alternative tests. (a) In Malaysia for periods amounting in all to 182 days or more in the basis year. (b) In Malaysia for less than 182 days where that period is LINKED by or to another period of 182 or more consecutive days in Malaysia falling in the immediately preceding or immediately following basis year — with the proviso that temporary absences (i) connected with service in Malaysia, service matters, conferences, seminars or study abroad; (ii) owing to ill-health of the individual or an immediate family member; and (iii) social visits not exceeding 14 days in aggregate, count as part of the period if the individual is in Malaysia immediately before and after the absence. (c) In Malaysia for 90 days or more in the basis year, having been either resident or in Malaysia for 90 days or more in each of any three of the four preceding years of assessment. (d) Resident in the following basis year, having been resident in each of the three immediately preceding years of assessment. The full tests and the official source are on our [Malaysia tax-day page](https://doastretch.com/tax-days/malaysia/). ## Sources - [mdec.my](https://mdec.my/derantau) — official source, checked 2026-08-18 - [mdec.my](https://mdec.my/api/media/file/FAQ-DE-Rantau_Pass_v9.pdf) (official), retrieved 2026-08-18 - [digital.gov.my](https://www.digital.gov.my/en-GB/siaran/DE-Rantau-Nomad-Pass-eligibility-expanded) (official), retrieved 2026-08-18 - [mdec.my](https://www.mdec.my/static/pdf/derantau/DE%20Rantau%20Pass%20FAQ-Foreign.pdf) (official), retrieved 2026-08-18 ## Questions people ask about Malaysia **Does Malaysia have a digital nomad visa?** Yes. Malaysia runs the DE Rantau Nomad Pass, which grants an initial stay of 12 months ("the professional visit pass (pas lawatan ikhtisas) is valid for a period between three (3) to twelve (12) months, with the option to renew for an additional twelve (12) months, allowing a maximum stay of twenty-four (24) months in total." renewal may be filed up to three months before expiry and takes 6-8 weeks.). Checked 18 August 2026 against mdec.my. **How much do you need to earn for the Malaysia digital nomad visa?** $24,000 a year — Two published tiers, both annual: "Tech Talent/Profession — The minimum annual income should be USD24,000 per year. Non-Tech Talent/Profession — The minimum annual income should be USD60,000 per year." MDEC's June 2024 expansion release states the non-tech figure as "USD60,000 per year, or USD5,000 per month". Income must come from a foreign-based company not registered in Malaysia. The recorded amount is the lower, tech tier.. That is the figure as published; check the official page for the current amount before you apply. **How long can you stay on the Malaysia digital nomad visa?** 12 months on the initial permission; "the professional visit pass (pas lawatan ikhtisas) is valid for a period between three (3) to twelve (12) months, with the option to renew for an additional twelve (12) months, allowing a maximum stay of twenty-four (24) months in total." renewal may be filed up to three months before expiry and takes 6-8 weeks.. Stretch counts the days either way and tells you the date you must be out. **Does a digital nomad visa in Malaysia make you tax resident?** Not by itself — but staying does. Malaysia treats you as tax resident once you are there 182 days 182 days or more in a basis year (the calendar year corresponding to a year of assessment), though the system is territorial. MDEC's FAQ states that for foreign remote workers with income sourced outside Malaysia, "Tax not applicable if the number of days stayed in Malaysia not exceeding 60 days" (exemption under Para. 21 and 22, Schedule 6, ITA 1967), and that income "Will be Taxable under Section 4(b)/ Sub-section 13(2) and Article 14 DTA if the number of stays is 61 days and more", at rates depending on residence status under Section 7 ITA 1967. Freelancers with Malaysia-sourced income face 10% withholding under s.109B for the first 182 days, then s.4(a) taxation. This is not a zero-tax regime. See our Malaysia tax-day page for the tests and the official source. **How does Stretch help with the Malaysia digital nomad visa?** Log the day you land and Stretch counts the days against the permission you are on, shows the date you must be out, and reminds you at 14, 7, 3 and 1 days. It also tallies the days that count towards tax residency, so the 182-day question answers itself. The counting and the alerts are free, forever. Other digital nomad visas - [Cabo Verde](https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/cabo-verde/) 6mo - [Kenya](https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/kenya/) 12mo - [Azerbaijan](https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/azerbaijan/) Announced, not open yet - [Kazakhstan](https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/kazakhstan/) 12mo - [Uzbekistan](https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/uzbekistan/) 36mo - [Kyrgyzstan](https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/kyrgyzstan/) 12mo - [Barbados](https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/barbados/) 12mo - [Colombia](https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/colombia/) 24mo - [All digital nomad visas →](https://doastretch.com/nomad-visa/) Malaysia, the rest of it - [Tax residency in Malaysia](https://doastretch.com/tax-days/malaysia/) 182d - [Who needs a visa for Malaysia](https://doastretch.com/visa/to/malaysia/) - [All visa rules by passport →](https://doastretch.com/visa/) Stretch is a tracker, not legal advice, and this is not tax advice. Visa and tax rules change and are applied by the authority, not by an app — every figure here shows its source and the date we checked it. Checked 2026-08-18; confirm on the official page before you apply or file.