Thursday 9 April 2015

Guide to Renewal of Long Term Social Visit Pass in Malaysia (Spouse Visa)


Step by step guide to renewing Long Term Social Visit Pass in Malaysia 
(otherwise known as a Spouse Visa or Spouse Pass)

*** The information in this post may have been superceded. See my latest blog entries for most recent updates on renewal of LTSVP/Spouse Pass***

You can renew your LTSVP for up to 5 years, depending on your passport expiry date. Some have reported that if you were only granted a 6 month initial pass that you will only be given a 1 year pass upon first renewal. I decided to write this guide to help other people seeking information on the process!

I renewed my pass a little over one month before the expiry of my current pass. The unexpired month was added to my new pass.

One person has reported that immigration would only deal with their renewal within the last 2 weeks of their initial pass - that person had a 6 month initial pass, so whether that has a bearing on it (as opposed to my 1 year initial pass) I do not know. To be on the safe side (and to avoid a wasted trip) you are probably best to time your renewal so that you visit Immigration in the last 2 weeks of your initial pass.

I went through the renewal process at the Jalan Duta Centre in KL - the process may be slightly different if you are using another state office.

When attending the immigration department clothing rules may be enforced e.g. no shorts/t-shirts/slippers/short skirts. You may be turned away if you are not dressed appropriately.

For the renewal the following forms need to be completed:

1) Statutory Declaration that the marriage is still subsisting (to be signed in front of a Commissioner for Oaths) (1 copy) with 1 photo each of the applicant & Malaysian spouse affixed to it

2) Form Imm.38 (1 copy)

3) Form Imm.55 (1 copy) 

You can get the forms from Immigration

Also bring the following:
Photocopy of applicant’s Passport
Photocopy of current pass
Photocopy of Malaysian spouse’s Identification Card (both sides)
Photocopy of Marriage Certificate
Also bring the originals in case Immigration wants to see them. 

If you are requesting a renewal of the work endorsement, bring a copy of your employment contract in case it is asked for. Ensure your employment contract has the "Stamp Duty" stamp on it.

Step by Step guide: 

1) Complete all the forms. Both the applicant and the Malaysian spouse should complete the Statutory Declaration and then sign it in front of a Commissioner for Oaths (we used the one downstairs at the Jalan Duta centre which costs RM4)

2) Both the applicant and the Malaysian spouse go to Immigration with all of the requested documents. Go to the counter called “Nombor Gilirang” (counter 24) and obtain a number. Await your turn (we waited around an hour). When your number is called the officer will check your forms and supporting documents. We were then given a confirmation print out and asked to return after 3 working days. We found that a good time to arrive at Immigration is 11am as we avoided the morning rush and then the officers hurry to get through the other numbers before lunch. From arriving to leaving took us around 1 and a half hours. Some people report that at busy times applications have not been accepted in the afternoon, so you are best to go in the morning.

3) The applicant returns to Immigration (the Malaysian spouse doesn’t need to go) to pay the fee.  Bring your passport, the confirmation print out plus funds in cash. Funds required are RM90 per year of the pass granted, but you should check what the current charges are with the Immigration office, in case the amount has changed. Go to counter 24 to collect a ticket. Your number will be called and you will hand your confirmation form and passport to the officer. You will then wait again for your number to be called to go to the payment counter (be aware that tickets for the payment counter are not called in order). Pay the fee (cash only - there is a Bank Islam ATM on the ground floor if you need it). You will be given a receipt for the fee; wait for your number to be called again at which point you will be given your passport with the pass entered in it. Check the correct pass and period has been given. I went to Immigration around 1130 am and the entire process took around 1 and a half hours.

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