MM2H Silver, Gold, Platinum and SEZ: what is the difference and which one is right for you?
Published by Lugen MM2H | Reading time: 7 minutes | Updated April 2025
MM2H Silver, Gold, Platinum and SEZ are the four tiers of the Malaysia My Second Home programme. Most websites mention them but never explain who each one is actually built for. This post does exactly that, so you leave knowing which tier fits your situation and why.
All four MM2H Silver Gold Platinum tiers side by side
Feature | Silver | Gold | Platinum | SEZ / SFZ AGE 21-49 | SEZ / SFZ AGE 50+ |
Fixed deposit | USD 150,000 (~RM 675k) | USD 500,000 (~RM 2.25M) | USD 1,000,000 (~RM 4.5M) | USD 65,000 (~RM 260k) | USD 32,000 (~RM 128k) |
Visa length | 5 years renewable | 15 years renewable | 20 years renewable | 10 years renewable | |
Min. property | RM 600,000 | RM 1,000,000 | RM 2,000,000 | MINIMUM PROPERTY PRICE AS SET FOR SEZ PROPERTY EVELOPMENT | |
Participating Fee | RM1,000 | RM3,000 | RM 200,000 | RM1,000 | |
MINIMUM DAYS IN MALAYSIA PER YEAR FOR AGE 25-49 | 90 DAYS PER YEAR BETWEEN MAIN APPLICANT AND/OR SPOUSE & DEPENDENTS | ||||
MINIMUM DAYS IN MALAYSIA PER YEAR FOR AGE 50+ | NO MINIMUM REQUIREMENT TO STAY | ||||
Can I work? | No | No | Yes | No | |
Agent Fee | RM 40,000 | RM 55,000 | RM 70,000 | RM 40,000 | |
Dependent Fee / Person | RM 8,000 | RM 8,000 | RM 8,000 | RM 8,000 | |
Best for | Retirees, families | Long-stay families | Investors, professionals who want to work | Johor Bahru / Singapore focused | |
All Lugen fees are all-in. This means government visa fees, medical check-up and first year insurance are included for every applicant. Nothing is added on top.
This means government visa fees, medical check-up and first year insurance are included for every applicant. Nothing is added on top.
MM2H Silver: the right fit for most families and retirees
Silver is the most popular tier and for good reason. It gives you a solid 5-year renewable visa at the lowest entry point in the programme. Most of our clients start here.
Who Silver is for
- Retired couples who want a comfortable, affordable long-term base in Malaysia.
- Families relocating for international school education who are not planning to work in Malaysia.
- Anyone who wants to get settled in Malaysia before deciding on a higher tier.
The one thing to watch with Silver
You must spend at least 90 days a year in Malaysia (if the main applicant is age below 50). It is cumulative, not consecutive, so you do not need to stay three months straight. But if you travel constantly and cannot guarantee 90 days, Silver will be a problem. In that case, look at PVIP, which has no minimum stay.
Example: A 61-year-old retired headmaster from Leeds and his wife applied for MM2H Silver in Penang. They spend about eight months a year in Malaysia and four months visiting family in the UK. Silver is a perfect fit.
MM2H Gold: for families who want long-term certainty
Gold gives you a 15-year renewable visa. But the fixed deposit jumps significantly from Silver to Gold. Because of this, most people who look at Gold either stay on Silver or jump straight to Platinum.
Who Gold is for
- Families completely certain Malaysia is their permanent base who want 15 years of visa certainty without renewals.
- Higher net worth individuals who find Silver too small relative to their overall wealth.
- Applicants who need a higher-value property as part of their Malaysia asset strategy.
The honest truth about Gold
The deposit jumps from USD 150,000 to USD 500,000 but the main benefit is just a longer visa. You still cannot work. You still need 90 days minimum stay (when main applicant is below 50 years old) . For most people, Silver does everything Gold does at a third of the deposit cost.
MM2H Platinum: the only tier that lets you work and invest
Platinum is the tier that gets the most questions from investors and professionals. And that makes sense. Because Platinum is the only MM2H tier that allows you to work in Malaysia, run a company, and make active investments. Everything else is a residency visa. Platinum is closer to full economic participation.
Who Platinum is for
- High-net-worth investors who want to deploy capital in Malaysia and be involved in running those investments.
- Senior professionals who want to take a role in a Malaysian company or set up their own business.
- Entrepreneurs who want Malaysia as their operational base, not just their home.
- Families with significant wealth who want the longest possible visa and maximum flexibility.
Platinum vs PVIP: the question we always get
If you want to work in Malaysia, you have two choices: MM2H Platinum or PVIP. They are not the same and picking the wrong one is an expensive mistake.
- MM2H Platinum needs a USD 1,000,000 fixed deposit and a RM 2,000,000 property purchase. You must spend 90 days a year in Malaysia. RM200,000 participation fee for the whole family.
- PVIP needs a RM 1,000,000 fixed deposit and RM 40,000 monthly offshore income. RM200,000 participation fee for the main applicant and each dependent is RM100,000. No property required. No minimum stay.
The key difference is simple. If you already want to buy an expensive property in Malaysia as part of your portfolio, Platinum makes sense. If you want flexibility and no forced property purchase, PVIP wins even at a higher income threshold.
Example: A 48-year-old Taiwanese entrepreneur was weighing Platinum against PVIP. He travels four months a year and did not want a 90-day minimum stay over his head. He chose PVIP. But if he had wanted to buy a RM 2 million villa in KL as a portfolio asset anyway, whilst bring in his 8 family members, Platinum could have made a better choice. The property purchase would have happened regardless.
MM2H SEZ/SFZ:
SEZ stands for Special Economic Zone. SFZ stands for Special Financial Zone. These are designated areas in Malaysia, most notably the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone in Johor Bahru, where the government created a separate MM2H pathway with lower entry requirements.
Who SEZ/SFZ is for
- People who specifically want to live in Johor Bahru, especially those working in or commuting to Singapore.
- Applicants who find Silver’s USD 150,000 deposit too high but want a proper government-backed long-term visa.
- Investors and professionals targeting the Johor-Singapore economic corridor specifically.
The important catch with SEZ/SFZ
The lower requirements only apply if you actually have a house within the designated zone. You cannot get SEZ approval in houses at Penang or Kuala Lumpur. The visa is tied to that specific geography.
If you are targeting Johor Bahru specifically, this is one of the most cost-efficient routes into a long-term Malaysian visa available right now.
The one question that tells us which tier you need
After hundreds of MM2H consultations at Lugen, one question separates clients into the right tier almost every time. It is not only about money. It is this: do you need to work or run a business in Malaysia?
If yes, you are looking at Platinum or PVIP. Everything else locks you out of working. If no, the decision comes down to your budget, how long you want the visa, and where in Malaysia you plan to live.
From there, three more questions narrow it down. How much can you comfortably put in a Malaysian fixed deposit? Are you sure about where in Malaysia you want to live? And how important is visa length versus deposit size?
Most people land on Silver. Some choose Gold for the certainty. Investors and entrepreneurs go to Platinum or PVIP. People targeting Johor Bahru / Singapore look at SEZ. It is almost never complicated once you have a proper conversation.
Not sure if the numbers work for your situation? Book a free call with Lugen. Bring your situation, your questions, your family details. We will give you a straight answer on what actually fits your life.