I applied for the DE Rantau visa on July 29, 2025, and afterward, I repeatedly messaged the CLIC email address provided on the website, though I only received responses telling me to wait. I also tried calling, which took a significant amount of time. On November 26, I received an email stating that my application would be approved once the ministry signed my personal bond. I finally received the signed copy of the document on January 19, at which point the application moved to the endorsement stage, though I was initially confused about how that process worked. To complete the endorsement, I had to provide a Tax Identification Number (TIN). I tried completing the KYC through the MyTax application on February 2, but the request remained pending for many days. Eventually, I went to the MyTax website and used the EP335D option for verification, which was approved in just five minutes.
I originally thought I had to submit these endorsement documents before entering Malaysia, assuming I could simply provide a flight ticket. However, this was incorrect; you can only apply for endorsement once you have physically entered Malaysia. Although I emailed MDEC to inform them I had provided misinformation, they did not reply, and the process handling team returned the application the same day because it was missing the entry stamp. I finally entered Malaysia on March 15 and submitted the endorsement documents immediately, but I encountered another problem. I was required to provide a copy of a visa, but since my country is granted a 30-day visa exemption, I did not have an e-visa copy.
To resolve this, I applied for a Malaysian e-visa using the Visa With Reference (VDR) process as suggested in this forum. For the VDR, you must provide the approval letter available on the De Rantau platform. My e-visa was approved within one day, and after I provided it to the portal, my visa was approved. I then paid the endorsement fees and the signed personal bond fees. These were approved on March 18, and I received my e-visa copy. While the process was ultimately simple, there was confusion regarding the timeline; you must apply for the endorsement after arriving in Malaysia with the required e-visa, which must be applied for even if your country is on the 30-day exemption list.