Malaysian PR (Permit Masuk): Immigration and Police Home Visit, File Transfer to Putrajaya and Permit Masuk Approval

Stages after the Police Interview

Checking Status Online

I continued to check my status online at https://imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/eservices/myPermit?semakStatusPermit and it showed:

Follow-up with Immigration (November 2023)

About 7 months after the police interview I renewed my passport and transferred my LTSVP, so at the same time I followed up at the Permit Masuk counter and updated them with my new passport details. The immigration officer said that my file was still with them and that they would contact me.

Immigration and Police Home Visit (February 2024)

Approximately 10 months after the police interview we had an unannounced home visit by 2 immigration officers and 1 police officer; fortunately my wife and I were both at home.

The officers asked questions about employment, salary, family etc., and asked to see information such as: Applicant’s passport, Malaysian spouse IC, employment letter, pay slips, utility bills, marriage certificate, S&P Agreement, wedding photos.

One immigration officer took photos in each room, inside our wardrobes, of our family photos, our documents and of us.

The officers were polite and professional and the visit was conducted mainly in BM. At the end they said they would submit their report which may take about 1 month. One of the Immigration Officers called me 1 week after the visit to clarify some information.

File transfer to Putrajaya Immigration HQ (November 2024)

9 months after the home visit my online status was updated to say my file had been transferred to HQ at Putrajaya. At this stage the application is passed to KDN (Ministry of Home Affairs) for the Permit Masuk & Residence Pass Panel Committee to make a decision:

Approval of Permit Masuk (December 2024)

3 weeks later my status had changed again, and I was very pleased to find out that my application had been approved:

NEXT STEP: Receiving Permit Masuk Approval Letter and Shortening Current LTSVP:  https://spousevisamalaysia.blogspot.com/2025/01/malaysian-pr-permit-masuk-receiving.html 

Forms & Documents Download Page

Some forms and documents can be downloaded here. 

Not all state offices use the same forms so check you use the correct ones. 

These are provided for reference purposes only; it is advisable to obtain the official forms directly from the relevant office.

Immigration (also see the JIM website) 

IM.12 (Visit Pass Application Form)

Im.38 (Application for Visa)

Imm.55 (Application for Extension of Visit Pass)

Surat Akuan (Marriage Statutory Declaration - Kuala Lumpur)

Surat Akuan (Marriage Statutory Declaration - Putrajaya)

JPN (also see the JPN website)

JPN.KC02 (Marriage Notice Form)

JPN.KC01E (Application for Marriage other than at Registrar Office)

JPN.KP01 (Identity Card Application Form)

JPJ (also see the JPJ website)

JPJL1 (Form to apply for Licence or IDP)

JPJL7 (Form to amend Driver's Details)

British High Commission (also see the UK government website)

Notarial Acts Letter

'Foreign Spouses of Malaysian Citizens' Facebook Group

This is a good source for application forms and other documents:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ForeignSpouses/files/files

You will need to join the Group to access the information

Driving in Malaysia: Renew Competent Driving Licence (CDL) with new passport number

I needed to renew my CDL driving licence with my new passport details so I went to JPJ Wangsa Maju around 2 weeks before the expiry of my current licence. If you are changing passport details or requesting a physical licence, these have to be done at JPJ state offices but otherwise foreigners can renew at UTC.

Note that if a driving licence has expired for more than 3 years it cannot be renewed and the driving test needs to be taken again.

Remember dress code: no shorts/t-shirts/ slippers /short skirts

I arrived at 745am on a Thursday, there were many parking spaces (parking now has to be paid for) and I joined the queue at Pintu 1 (Ground Floor). The doors opened at 8am and I took a queue ticket as the JPJeQ app didn’t seem to be in use.

I needed the following documents:

• Passport (both old and new if changing)
• Photocopy of passport (& old passport if changing)
• Photocopy of LTSVP (Spouse Pass)
• Current Driving licence
• Photocopy of current driving licence (front AND back)
• Photo (white background) if you are changing photo. 
• Flight tickets/ Proof of travel (if you want a physical driving licence to use overseas you need to provide proof of upcoming travels. Otherwise the renewal slip they will issue to you is NOT valid overseas: https://paultan.org/2024/02/09/jpj-driving-licence-renewal-slip-faq/)

I advised the officer that I needed to change my passport details and was given form JPJL7 to fill in. If you want you can download the form here and complete it in advance. 

If you do that the sections to be completed are:

• B: Old passport number
• C1: Name and date of birth
• C2: Address
• C3: New passport number
• E: Date and sign

My queue number was called at 845am, I handed over the form, passports and licence, plus flight details. Foreigners are given the option to choose a licence length of up to 5 years (dependent on your passport expiry date). The date of your CDL licence expiration will be the same as your birthday. The fee for foreigners is RM60/year and is payable by debit or credit card only. I had expected to be charged RM20 for the physical licence, but the officer said there was no extra charge.

At 9am my name was called and my new physical licence was ready. I was very impressed by how easy and quick the whole process was.

Driving in Malaysia: Can you drive with a foreign driving licence?

Many posts on social media ask if a foreign driving licence can be used by long term residents to legally drive in Malaysia. 

Some responses to these posts suggest that a foreign licence can only be used on a temporary basis, perhaps for only 3 months or 6 months, and must be accompanied by an International Driving Permit (IDP).

I emailed JPJ to ask if a UK driving licence could be used and I received a response which advised I “can use UK Valid Domestic Driving License and International Driving Permit (IDP) (According to the defined format on the Convention on Road Traffic Geneva 1949) to drive in Malaysia”, so a foreign driving licence must be used with an IDP from the country that issued the licence.

There are lots of websites offering 'International Driving Licences'. These are not official documents and are not valid for driving in Malaysia (or elsewhere). Only an International Driving Permit can be used (alongside your domestic driving licence) and must be obtained from the country where your driving licence was issued.

The Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333), which sets out the rules for driving in Malaysia, states:

"A driving licence issued under the corresponding provisions of any law in force in any country which is a party to a treaty to which Malaysia is also a party and which purports to recognize domestic driving licences issued by the contracting countries shall, so long as such licence remains in force in that country, be deemed to be a driving licence granted under this Part."

More details on the Act are here:  https://www.lawyerment.com/library/legislation/acts/1987/333/ 

Malaysia is party to the 'UN Convention on Road Traffic, Geneva, 1949'. Details of all the other countries that are also party to that UN Convention can be found here: https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetailsV.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XI-B-1&chapter=11&Temp=mtdsg5&clang=_en

**Information for UK driving licence holders**

The UK government FCO website says the following, which initially seems to indicate that a UK licence and an IDP can be used for long term visitors (but that a new IDP needs to be purchased each year):

However, the FCO advice goes on to say that if you are moving abroad you should not apply for an IDP but should either exchange your UK licence or apply for a new one in the country you are moving to:

Also note that UK driving licence holders who are not normally resident in the UK are not allowed to renew their 10-year licence photocard when it expires. Some people claim to have renewed their photocard while living abroad by using a relative's address, which is an offence, and DVLA can cross-check applications against tax and other records. Even if the photocard is renewed, it is possible that the UK licence would be considered invalid, and insurers in the UK and abroad could deny insurance claims.

This is an extract from the DVLA explanatory notes:

and this one is from the DVLA photocard/licence application form:

**Information for ASEAN driving licence holders**

ASEAN licence holders can use their home licence in Malaysia, providing it is in English or is accompanied by a certified translation in English, but the 'Agreement On The Recognition Of Domestic Driving Licences Issued By ASEAN Countries' says the following:

"By virtue of the recognition hereby of the licenses, holders of the licenses issued in any one of the ASEAN countries and intending to make only a temporary stay in the territory of any of the other ASEAN countries may drive therein in the classes or types of vehicles the licenses permit them to drive"

If you are a long term resident of Malaysia then it might be difficult to demonstrate that you are here on a temporary stay, so ASEAN licence holders should consider if they need a Malaysian licence. The full ASEAN Agreement can be seen here:   https://asean.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/70.-Agreement-Driving-Licenses-1.pdf

Summary

Whilst short term visitors may be able to use their foreign licence and an IDP, there seems to be conflicting information on whether long term residents are allowed to.

It's also worth considering that, as an IDP will state the address shown on your foreign driving licence, if you are a Malaysian long term resident could the Police/JPJ consider that your IDP and foreign driving licence are invalid if they don't show your Malaysian address?

If you are a long term resident in Malaysia, then to remove any doubt over the validity of your driving licence you should consider these options:

• Convert your foreign licence to a Malaysian licence. From January 2021 JPJ allowed more foreigners to convert their driving licence - see the updates in this post:  https://spousevisamalaysia.blogspot.com/2016/05/driving-in-malaysia-do-you-need-to-ask.html

• Take the Malaysian Driving Test. I took my JPJ test in March 2020, as at that time it was not possible for me to convert my licence. See this post: https://spousevisamalaysia.blogspot.com/2020/03/malaysian-driving-lessons-test-for.html

Updates on STO appointments for Malaysia Immigration offices

Previously all immigration offices used the STO system for mandatory appointments. 

Applicants had to book an appointment using this link: 

https://sto.imi.gov.my/STO/home.php 

Currently only Selangor and KL use the STO system, all other offices only allow walk-ins.

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**UPDATE 1st November 2024**

Putrajaya does not use the STO system (only walk in is allowed), but from 1st November 2024 they say visitors should use the QMS app for getting a queue number. See:

https://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/pengumuman/qms-mobile-apps/ 

You can download the QMS app from Google Play or Apple Store.

**UPDATE 20th June 2024**

Kuala Lumpur Immigration have announced they are going back to using the STO system. 

So both Selangor and KL once again require applicants to make an STO appointment.

This photo was downloaded from the internet:

**UPDATE 10th June 2024** 

Selangor Immigration have announced they are going back to using the STO system.

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It was announced on 31st May 2024 that the STO appointment system will no longer operate with effect from 1st June. Instead immigration will accept walk ins and there is a 'no wrong door policy'.

Renew your LTSVP online, but to collect the pass walk in rather than making an appointment.