In January 2025, Malaysia’s Home Ministry (KDN) announced that changes to the application process for foreign spouses would take effect in September 2025:
Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia has released the official Permit Masuk Guidelines (Garis Panduan Permit Masuk) which provide a step-by-step guide to the updated application process.
Download them here: https://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/main-services/permit/
The Guidelines outline the process clearly and include links to download the required forms. However, the PR application form (Borang Permohonan Permit Masuk [IM.4]) is not available for download, and will only be issued to applicants once their eligibility has been verified by Immigration.
The Immigration department has released a brief explanatory video on YouTube
Key updates for foreign spouses include:
- Eligibility criteria have been reduced for foreign wives, who can now qualify with a minimum of 3 years of marriage and 1 year on LTSVP. Foreign husbands must still meet a minimum of 5 years for both marriage and LTSVP. This summary is shown on Page 38:
- There is no mention of a ‘Points System’ in the Guidelines, instead Page 20 states that the applicant and Malaysian spouse must attend an Immigration interview to determine eligibility for the Permit Masuk application. If the Points System has been abolished, applicants may now be evaluated to a standard decided by the Immigration officer at the interview. Appendix A2 shows the verification criteria are the same as those under the Points System (download the form by using the link at the bottom of the page):
- Page 22 of the first version of the Guidelines (released on 13th October 2025 on the Immigration Facebook Page) stated that decisions on applications should be issued within 6 months from the submission date. This was also shown on this Facebook Post by Immigration on 12th December 2025. However, Page 22 of the most recent version of the Guidelines (as shown on the Immigration website) states that a review of the application result can be done after 6 months. Extracts of both versions are shown here, with the assumption that Version 2 takes precedence:
Version 1:
This infographic on Page 34 shows the process and timeline:
- Here are some other extracts from the Guidelines:
Page 9: Examples of Red IC (MyPR) and Permit Masuk Certificate
issued to a successful applicant, by JPN and Immigration
Page 16: Eligibility criteria for the wife of a citizen
Page 17: Eligibility criteria for the husband of a citizen
Page 28: Example of the Permanent Resident passport stamp
issued to a successful applicant by Immigration
Appendix A1: Example of the IM.4 Permit Masuk Application form
given to applicants who have had their eligibility verified by Immigration
Appendix C1: Checklist for the Permit Masuk Application
(download the checklist by using the link at the bottom of the page)
Where to find further information:
- For specific guidance go to the 'Permit Masuk' counter at your nearest Immigration office.
- Visit the Facebook pages and Groups shown in the 'Useful Links' section
- See information on the PR process on the FAQs page:
