Visiting
The Government of Canada's travel advice says Canadians do not need a tourist visa for stays of up to 90 days. Longer stays need an extension at a Malaysian immigration office. You must complete the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card before you arrive. We found no official statement that remote work is allowed on a visit.
- Canada's advice says business visits need a visa, while Malaysia's immigration list shows Canada as exempt for any purpose. Confirm with Malaysian immigration before a work trip.
- MDEC, the agency that runs the nomad pass, says a tourist pass cannot be converted to it.
Sources: Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca), Immigration Department of Malaysia (Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia). Checked 15 October 2026.
Staying a year or longer
The DE Rantau Nomad Pass is a Professional Visit Pass for 3 to 12 months, renewable once for 12 more, so 24 months at most. For tech and digital roles, plan for income of more than US$25,000 a year. Other listed roles, including founders, consultants, finance, sales and legal work, need more than US$61,000 a year. Remote employees must work for a company not registered in Malaysia, and freelancers' contracts must have started at least three months before you apply.
- The pass covers Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan only, not Sabah or Sarawak. Sarawak runs its own version of MM2H, called S-MM2H.
- MM2H, for longer stays, asks for a fixed deposit in a Malaysian bank: Silver, more than US$160,000; Gold, more than US$510,000; Platinum, more than US$1.1 million. It also asks for at least 90 days a year in Malaysia and the purchase of a home. Silver and Gold do not allow career work.
- An Employment Pass needs an employer in Malaysia and a basic salary of more than RM 5,100 a month from 1 June 2026. After three years on it, the Residence Pass-Talent has a higher salary test, more than RM 16,000.
Sources: Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Ministry of Tourism, InvestSarawak (Sarawak state investment agency), Immigration Department of Malaysia, Talent Corporation Malaysia (TalentCorp). Checked 15 October 2026.
Documents, fees and timing
Employees need a signed contract showing remote work, job title, salary and the foreign employer's details, plus three months of payslips and bank statements with matching deposits. Freelancers need signed client contracts, three months of invoices, proof of payment and three months of statements. Everything must be in English or a certified translation, as PDFs. MDEC says applications take six to eight weeks.
- An employer letter is strongly recommended. Your passport needs more than 14 months of validity when you apply.
- Fees are RM 1,080 per applicant and RM 540 per dependant, non-refundable, plus an immigration fee of RM 360 a year.
- If MDEC acts as your sponsor, Canadian citizens pay a refundable bond of RM 2,000.
More detail
The approval letter lasts six months. You must enter Malaysia with a passport stamp, not the e-gate, complete endorsement within one month of entry and stay until the pass is issued. The e-pass arrives about a week after endorsement.
To collect the pass you also need health insurance covering Malaysia and a tax registration slip from the tax authority (LHDN). Since 1 August 2026, rejections cannot be appealed.
Sources: Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). Checked 15 October 2026.
Tax
A year away does not by itself end Canadian residence. The CRA looks at your residential ties, such as a home, a spouse or dependants, and your social ties. Malaysia taxes employment exercised there even when you are paid from abroad, and you are resident there after 182 days. Canada and Malaysia have a tax agreement, but no social security agreement.
- LHDN says 60 days or less in a year can be exempt. MDEC says remote workers become taxable from 61 days.
- Residents pay rates from 0% to 30%. Non-residents pay a flat 30% with no reliefs.
- If you emigrate, you are treated as having sold most property at fair market value on the day you leave. Canadian real estate, RRSPs, TFSAs and pensions are among the exceptions.
More detail
You usually become a non-resident on the latest of your leaving, your spouse or dependants leaving, or becoming resident in the new country. If you keep ties but are resident in a country with a tax treaty, you may be a deemed non-resident instead.
Form T1161 applies if your property is worth more than $25,000, and Form T1244 lets you elect to defer the tax.
A foreign income exemption for Malaysian residents applies under conditions to the end of 2026. We found no official source confirming it beyond 2026, so that is unknown.
Malaysia is not among the countries with a Canadian coverage certificate, so no agreement keeps you in the CPP while you work there. CPP benefits can be paid abroad. Old Age Security paid abroad needs 20 years in Canada after age 18, and non-resident tax may be deducted.
Sources: Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (LHDN / HASiL), Department of Finance Canada, Canada Revenue Agency, Government of Canada (Service Canada), Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). Checked 15 October 2026.
Setting up
The nomad pass requires health insurance covering Malaysia for the whole pass. Provincial cover depends on your province. Ontario can keep OHIP for up to two years away if Ontario stays your primary home, while British Columbia ends MSP after the month you leave permanently. Canada's advice says payment is due at the time of care. We found no official source for private insurance prices, so that cost is unknown.
- Foreign individuals register for a tax number online through e-Daftar, with a copy of a valid passport.
- MDEC says most banks do not accept the pass for opening an account. Plan to rely on Canadian accounts or cards at first.
- MDEC strongly advises against significant expenses, such as a tenancy deposit, before your pass is approved and endorsed.
Sources: Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca), Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (LHDN / HASiL), Government of Ontario, Government of British Columbia (Health Insurance BC). Checked 15 October 2026.
Living in Kuala Lumpur
Canada's advice says good care is mainly available in major cities, quality varies, and payment is due at the time of service, in cash or by major credit card. It describes monsoon rains from November to March that cause flooding and landslides. Haze, mainly from June to October, can push air pollution to unhealthy levels. We found no official source for rents, transport or other living costs, so they are unknown here.
- If air quality matters to you, check air conditioning, filtration and the building's flood history.
Sources: Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca). Checked 10 October 2026.
Other places we looked at
The research also looked at George Town, for contrast. UNESCO lists George Town with Melaka as World Heritage, for a multicultural townscape shaped by 500 years of trade between East and West. Penang is in Peninsular Malaysia, which the nomad pass covers. We found no official source for rents there, so they are unknown here.
- Sabah and Sarawak are left out because the nomad pass does not cover them.
Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). Checked 15 October 2026.
Canada
Malaysia