How I Applied for the De Rantau Nomad Pass in 2025 (Step-by-Step Guide)

Visas & Nomad Pass Guide
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Welcome, nomads! :waving_hand:

If you’re planning to live and work remotely from Malaysia, the De Rantau Nomad Pass is your official digital nomad visa - managed by MDEC (Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation).

This guide walks you through the application process, required documents, fees, and approval timeline, based on my first-hand experience.

What Is the De Rantau Nomad Pass?

The De Rantau Nomad Pass allows foreign digital nomads and remote professionals to live and work legally in Malaysia for up to 12 months, renewable for another 12 months.

It’s part of Malaysia’s effort to build a thriving digital nomad ecosystem under the De Rantau Initiative, encouraging professionals to explore, live, and contribute to local communities.

Who Can Apply?

You can apply as either an IT/Digital Professional or a Non-Tech Professional, as long as you meet the income requirements and can show proof of remote work.

Tech Talent / Digital Professionals

This includes freelancers, remote employees, and independent contractors working in digital or tech-related roles, such as Software & Backend Engineers, UX/UI Designers, Cloud Engineers, Cybersecurity Specialists, Blockchain Developers, AI / Machine Learning Experts, Data Analysts & Data Scientists, Digital Marketing Professionals, Creative Content Developers, Game or App Developers, Digital Designers & Animators etc

Minimum annual income: USD 24,000 per year

Non-Tech Talent / Professionals

Remote professionals in business, management, finance, and creative domains are also eligible, including roles such as Chief Executive Officer / Founder / Managing Director, Chief Operations Officer, Business Development or Growth Manager, Marketing Manager / PR Manager / Communications Manager, Chief Financial Officer / Finance Manager / Accountant, Sales Manager / Customer Success Manager, HR Manager / Legal Counsel / Consultant, Customer Service Specialist / Administration Manager, Technical Writer / Tax Specialist / Production or Supply Chain Manager

Minimum annual income: USD 60,000 per year

Required Documents

You’ll need digital copies (PDF) of the following for application

  1. Passport (all pages, including blank ones)

  2. Recent passport-size photo (blue background with size less than 20KB)

  3. Client contracts (if freelancer/contractor) (single/multiple contracts equal to or greater than the required minimum annual income)

  4. Letter of employment (if remote employee)

  5. Proof of income (3 months of bank statements, audited income certificate etc.)

  6. Latest CV / portfolio

You’ll need digital copies (PDF) of the following for endorsement (after approval and entering Malaysia)

  1. Health insurance covering Malaysia

  2. Signed Personal bond form (available on the portal)

  3. Copy of immigration seal on the passport upon entering Malaysia

If applying with dependents (spouse/children), you’ll need:

  • Marriage certificate (with True copy attestation by respective country Malaysian embassy/consulate) (Translate to English if not so prior to attestation) (True copy attestion is mandatory. My application was returned since my initial upload did not have the required attestion)

  • Birth certificates (for children, with True copy attestation by respective country Malaysian embassy/consulate) (Translate to English if not so prior to attestation)

  • Passport copy for all (all pages, including blank ones)

  • Recent passport-size photo for all (blue background with size less than 20KB)

Application Steps

  1. Go to the official portal: MDEC | De Rantau Application

  2. Register and create an account.

  3. Fill out the application form and upload all required documents.

  4. Draft application shows status as Pending until you complete the last step and makes the payment.

  5. Once submitted, your status changes to In Progress MDEC - meaning MDEC is reviewing your file.

  6. If corrections are needed, you’ll receive an email to amend and reupload documents (I received a correction email in 7 days).

  7. Once approved by MDEC, the application moves to In Progress Immigration for review from Immigration.

  8. When Immigration approves, the status returns briefly to In Progress MDEC, and then to Approved.

  9. Once the application is approved, you can find the Approval Letter in the platform. The approval letter has a reference number (IMM Reference Number). The approval letter has a validity of 6 months from the date of obtaining the approval.

  10. Apply for eVisa at Malaysia eVisa website even if you are eligible for visa-free entry. You have to opt for Visa with reference (VDR) while applying for eVisa.

  11. eVisa is generally obtained in 2–3 days. Once eVisa is received, you can now travel to Malaysia. You are also required to fill Malaysian Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) within 3 days of arriving in Malaysia.

  12. At Immigration counter in Malaysia, your passport will be stamped with 30 days entry visa with a message to complete the rest of the steps with MDEC.

  13. Once you enter Malaysia, you can proceed with the endorsement steps which is the final step to obtaining your Professional Visit Pass. (I haven’t completed my endorsement yet, so i will update this once it is done. The endorsement step is to be initiated online, and would need copy of Malaysian Tax ID and Health insurance with coverage in Malaysia to be uploaded)

Validity & Fees

Item Amount (RM)
Application Fee (Main) RM 1,000
Dependent Fee RM 500 each
Pass Duration 12 months + renewable for another 12 months
Processing Time 6-8 weeks (usually takes longer. from what i learned from the community users. It took 3 months for me from application date until getting the eVisa)

:round_pushpin: Where You Can Stay (De Rantau Hubs)

You are free to stay anywhere in the Peninsular Malaysia. MDEC has recognized official nomad-friendly zones under the De Rantau initiative:

  • :cityscape: Kuala Lumpur & Selangor

  • :beach_with_umbrella: Penang

  • :sunrise: Langkawi

  • :mosque: Melaka

  • :sunset: Johor Bahru

Each hub offers co-working spaces, co-living options, events, and local support for nomads. (At this point, I haven’t seen many tangible benefits yet beyond the discount vouchers and coworking listings - will share updates as I learn more. Right now, it’s been only 5 days since I arrived in Malaysia, and I am looking forward to an exciting year ahead.)

:speech_balloon: Have you applied or planning to apply?

Share your timeline, approval updates, or any questions below — let’s help each other make the De Rantau journey smoother!

2 Likes
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I am planning on applying but since I’m an Upwork freelancer I get a little confused regarding how to present my active contracts. Do I ask the clients to give me a aigned copy of the contract on their company letter head?

2ndly, I dont know why but the lrocess of attestation feels like such a heavy burden to me. Might be a dumb question but Do you personally have to go or are their services that can do it for you?

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Yes, you may ask your client for a contract - it needs to show that you’ve got an ongoing or new project with them, along with the agreed amount and project duration. The De Rantau application lets you upload one or multiple contracts, as long as your total annual income meets the required amount for your application category.

About the attestation part, it’s only needed for marriage and birth certificates (if you’re applying with family) and it’s mandatory. There are agencies that handle the whole attestation process for you. I went through one too, and it made things a lot easier.

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Thanks for sharing your experience, Hashir. Currenty preparing the materials, it’s really helpful. Will update my journey as well. It’s nice to have a community supporting each other.

1 Like
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Thank you Hashir, for the detailed experience. Do you remember how many days it took for the status to change from “In Progress Immigration” to “Approved”? I got status updated to “In Progress Immigration” 11 days ago, and still no update.

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Hi,

It took around 30-35 days from ‘In Progress Immigration’ to ‘Approved’ status.

I had emailed them in between, and they had replied back saying it was pending their panel committe meeting. I believe they have their own processes to verify and approve the applications, so it might take a bit of time. Good luck.