Foreigners Buying Property in Malaysia: 22 Questions People Actually Search, Answered

Yes. Non-citizens may buy residential property in their own name, subject to the state's minimum price, the state's title and type restrictions, and written State Authority consent under section 433B of the National Land Code. Four things are barred nationwide: units below RM1,000,000 (federal guideline), low and medium-low cost units, Malay Reserve Land, and Bumiputera-quota units. Full list: what foreigners cannot buy.

It depends on the state, not the country. Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan RM1,000,000; Selangor Zones 1 and 2 RM2,000,000 (Zone 3 RM1,000,000); Johor RM1,000,000; Penang island strata RM1,000,000 and landed RM3,000,000; Negeri Sembilan strata RM600,000; Melaka strata RM500,000; Perlis, Kelantan and Sarawak RM500,000 (Bar Council Circular 444/2024, table as at October 2024). The state-by-state table has every row with its source.

Only in the states whose own floor is below RM1,000,000, and only if that state's land office grants consent: Perlis, Kelantan, Sarawak, Penang mainland strata, Melaka strata, Negeri Sembilan strata, and Perak new launches by zone. Not in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Kedah, Pahang, Terengganu or Sabah.

Yes. MM2H is a long-term visa, not a licence to buy. The rules above apply with or without it. MM2H actually adds a requirement: pass holders must buy a property at or above their tier minimum (Silver RM600,000, Gold RM1,000,000, Platinum RM2,000,000) and cannot sell it for ten years. See do you need MM2H to buy.

Not for the land documents. Section 433F of the National Land Code makes an instrument over alienated land executed by a non-citizen under a power of attorney void and incapable of registration. Plan to sign the transfer yourself, and ask your lawyer which steps can be done remotely.

Yes, from Malaysian banks, at the bank's discretion. There is no legal cap on the margin; offers of 60%–70% of the price are common for non-residents, and MM2H holders are sometimes offered more. The bank lends against its own valuation, not the SPA price. Details and what banks weigh: how much a foreigner can borrow.

A flat 8% of the price or market value, whichever is higher, on residential property, for dutiable documents executed on or after 1 January 2026 (Finance Act 2025, Act 874, Stamp Act Item 32(ab)). Permanent residents are excluded and pay the 1%–4% tiers. On RM1,000,000 that is RM80,000 against RM24,000. Signed the SPA in 2025? Read which document carries the duty.

For a Kuala Lumpur new launch with a 70% loan: 8% stamp duty RM80,000, loan stamp duty RM3,500, SPA legal fee about RM7,313 (developer-sale scale), loan legal fee about RM5,363, registration RM100 — roughly RM96,000 in duties and fees, and about RM396,000 in cash before the keys. Johor adds a 3% state levy (minimum RM30,000); Penang adds a 3% levy and a RM10,000 consent fee. Run your own numbers in the foreign buyer cost calculator.

No state publishes a service standard. Penang requires the application to be filed through a solicitor; Selangor takes the application from the buyer at the land office counter. Timeframes quoted online (one to six months) are practitioners' experience, not official figures, so ask the solicitor handling your file what that state is currently taking. The consent sits between signing the SPA and registering the transfer. See how state consent works.

The dealing is void (section 433C). Whether you get your deposit back depends on the SPA, not the law: insist on a clause making the purchase conditional on consent with a full refund if it is refused. Penang does not charge its levy on a refused application and allows an appeal.

In Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Negeri Sembilan and most states, yes, above the minimum price. In Selangor only landed property on a strata title (gated-and-guarded schemes), never on an individual title. Perak bars freehold altogether and bars residential subsale. Kedah, Johor and Melaka exclude single-storey and 1½-storey terrace houses.

Yes in every state except Perak, where since September 2023 non-citizens cannot acquire, hold or inherit freehold and may only buy 60-year leasehold from a developer. Elsewhere freehold and leasehold are both open; see freehold vs leasehold for what the difference means in practice.

Yes, with two exceptions: Melaka bars leasing for five years after transfer, and short-term rental depends on the state and the building. Penang's short-term accommodation by-laws took effect on 1 August 2026 with enforcement from 1 November 2026; Kuala Lumpur has no city-wide rule, so your building's by-laws decide. Rental income is taxable in Malaysia.

A non-resident is taxed at a flat 30% on net rental income (gross rent less allowable expenses such as assessment, quit rent, loan interest, insurance and repairs), with no personal reliefs. Residence is decided by days in Malaysia (182-day test), not nationality. Details: rental income tax for foreigners.

Real Property Gains Tax at 30% of the gain if you sell within five years of acquisition, 10% from the sixth year onwards — there is no zero rate for non-citizens. The buyer's solicitor retains 7% of the price and pays it to LHDN on account of your RPGT. See RPGT when a foreigner sells.

Yes. Non-residents may repatriate sale proceeds and rental income through a licensed Malaysian bank; the bank will ask for the SPA, the stamped transfer and the RPGT clearance. Keep every document from the purchase. See repatriating money and inheritance.

Malaysia has had no estate duty since 1991. The property passes under your will or the Distribution Act, but the transmission to a foreign heir still needs State Authority consent (section 433B(1)(e)), and a foreign grant of probate from a Commonwealth court must be resealed in the Malaysian High Court. Perak does not allow a non-citizen to inherit freehold.

Not the ownership rules. A Malaysian company with 50% or more foreign ownership is a "foreign interest" under the federal guideline: the minimum price, the prohibited categories and State Authority consent all still apply. A Malaysian-incorporated company does get a better RPGT scale (30/20/15/10%), and whether the 8% stamp duty applies to it is a question for your lawyer, because the Stamp Act does not define "foreign company".

The official MM2H site says purchase is compulsory and the property must be held for ten years. The 12-month deadline after approval appears in the ministry's PDF and in agents' material, and the ministry has said it will act against holders who cannot show proof of purchase. Treat 12 months as the working rule and confirm your own deadline with the ministry or your licensed agent. See MM2H tiers and the property requirement.

Nothing in the law is Singapore-specific: RM1,000,000 minimum, State Authority consent, 8% federal stamp duty, plus Johor's consent fee of RM2,000 per title and a levy of 3% or RM30,000, whichever is higher (from 1 July 2025). What is specific is the market: private-lease-scheme condos sold as if they were ownership, and the RTS Link now targeted for February 2027. See the Singaporean buyer's page.

People do it, and it costs them twice. The state and the bank look at the valuation: if the unit does not value up to the written price, consent can be refused and the loan is sized on the valuation, so you fund the gap in cash. The 8% stamp duty is charged on the higher of price and market value, so you pay duty on the inflated amount too.

Open the map with the foreign-buyer filter on: Klang Valley launches whose every unit clears the state minimum, and those where some units may qualify. Bumiputera-quota units within a project can never be bought, so ask us about the specific unit before you pay a booking fee.