Ever fancied living and working in Malaysia? Living it up in a snazzy Kuala Lumpur high rise, chilling out in a Penang beachside resort or packing up your laptop and heading for the lush Cameron Highlands? Well, here’s your chance. Malaysia is the latest country to launch a ‘digital nomad’ visa for remote workers – and it’ll be one of the most accessible schemes in the world.
Malaysia’s new ‘digital nomad’ scheme is called the DE Rantau Nomad Pass and it’s designed to appeal to people who work remotely and can therefore live anywhere. Currently, remote workers from certain countries can work in Malaysia for up to 90 days, but under the new rules you could soon stay for up to two years.
And, excitingly, Malaysia’s scheme will come with one notable upside that’ll make it accessible to plenty of potential applications. The scheme will be open to those earning just $24,000 (£21,000) per year, which makes it quite a bit more affordable than a few other similar schemes. (To qualify for the Costa Rican digital nomad scheme, for example, you need to be earning $36,000 (£30,000) per year.)
To be eligible for Malaysia’s DE Rantau pass, you’ll need to be either full-time or part-time employed, either on contract or as a freelancer, and be able to show proof of three months of employment.
The scheme is primarily aimed at people working in the IT industry, but there are no actual restrictions on who can apply.
You’ll be able to stay in Malaysia with the DE Rantau pass for up to 12 months, with the option to extend for another 12. The initial visa fee is 1,000 ringgit (£190, £220) and if you want to bring along any ‘dependents’ (spouses or children), they’ll cost an extra 500 ringgit (£95, $110) each.
If you’d like to find out more, further details are available on the official website here – applications open on October 1 2022. See you in KL!
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Plus: Colombia’s new digital nomad visa looks VERY tempting.