The Digital Nomad’s Guide To De Rantau Pass Applications (2025)
The De Rantau Programme is an initiative by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) that aims to make Malaysia a hub for foreign digital nomads from across the world.
Fun fact: ‘Rantau’ is Malay for ‘explore’, so it’s literally an ‘Explorer’s Pass’ which is pretty cool!
To achieve this, De Rantau issues what is in name a Malaysian Professional Visit Pass but has so many changes from the original it’s a completely different pass.
If you are a freelancer or remote worker seeking a long-term base in Southeast Asia, this guide explains why Malaysia and De Rantau is a strong contender, covering:
- how it compares to a normal Professional Visit Pass
- qualifying professions
- requirements for freelancers
- requirements for remote workers
- application steps, and
- an offer to let us handle it for you 🙂
Let’s begin.
De Rantau versus Professional Visit Pass
Remember how Pimp My Ride took normal cars and turned them into the wildest things?
That’s what MDEC did when they took a Professional Visit Pass and made it a De Rantau Pass.
We’re big believers in understanding the original to truly appreciate its variations, so let’s start with a table comparing key differences between the two.
| Criteria | Professional Visit Pass (PVP) | DE Rantau Nomad Pass |
| Minimum age | Can be under 18 | Must be over 18 |
| Purpose | – Skill transfer- Research- Internships | – Remote working – Freelancing |
| Income requirement | None | USD 24,000 – USD 60,000 / year |
| Duration | 6 – 12 months | 3 – 12 months, renewable for 12 months |
| Dependents allowed | Not allowed | Allowed to bring spouse, children, and parents |
| Fee | RM 1,200 | – RM1,080 for main applicant – RM540 / dependent |
The original Professional Visit Pass is meant for short-term assignments where a foreign professional contributes skills, knowledge, or services.
Meanwhile, the De Rantau Nomad Pass is very much a long-term pass for independent digital workers who want the option to bring their families along.
The latter is also significantly more selective and demanding, so let’s see if you qualify!
Qualifying professions
De Rantau separates qualifying professions into tech and non-tech with higher annual income requirements for the latter.
The list for both is quite long so we’ll share industries they belong to instead, along with their respective income requirements.
| Category / income | Examples of Industries |
| Tech Profession (Min. USD 24,000 per year) | – Software & IT Engineering – Design & User Experience – Cloud & Cybersecurity – Emerging Tech – Digital Media & Marketing |
| Non-Tech Profession (Min. USD 60,000 per year) | – Executive & Management – Business Development & Sales – Finance & Corporate Services – Marketing & Communications – Customer Service & Success – Operations, Supply Chain & Production – Technical & Specialist Roles |
If your job belongs in one of these verticals and you meet the income requirements, you’re one step closer to a digital nomad life in Malaysia.
Required documents
De Rantau has slightly different document requirements (literally one difference) for two nomad categories:
- freelancers who work remotely on a project basis
- remote workers who are employees with permission to work remotely
For freelancers
- passport (all pages, with minimum 6 empty pages and 14 months validity)
- latest CV
- last 3 months bank statement
- last 3 months income statement or latest tax returns
- project contract(s) with minimum period of 3 months
- personal bond
- letter of good conduct
- highest education certificate
- Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia tax registration slip
- medical insurance enrolment certificate (must also cover dependent, if any)
Proof of medical insurance can be submitted after the application has been approved or before issuance of your De Rantau sticker with a minimum of 3 months validity.
For remote workers
- passport (all pages, with minimum 6 empty pages and 14 months validity)
- latest CV
- last 3 months bank statement
- last 3 months income statement or latest tax returns
- valid employment contract with contract period of 3 months minimum
- personal bond
- letter of good conduct
- highest education certificate
- Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia tax registration slip
- medical insurance enrolment certificate (must also cover dependent, if any)
Notes
- documents must be in PDF format
- documents must be in English or accompanied by a certified English translation
- name and income details must be consistent across documents.
- proof of medical insurance can be submitted after the application has been approved or before issuance of your De Rantau sticker with a minimum of 3 months validity.
Fees
Assuming you handle your own De Rantau application, there are four fees to keep in mind:
- an applicant processing fee of RM1,080
- a dependent processing fee of RM540 / dependent
- immigration pass fee of RM30 / month per person, and
- Multiple Entry Visa fees which vary by country
Steps in the De Rantau application process
We’re laying this out as if you were handling it yourself, and there are five main steps, not including step 0 which is preparing your documents!
Step 1: Register an MD account
Head over to the MD portal registration page and set up your account.
There’ll be the usual email verifications, which we’ll trust you to navigate yourself since this is an application for a digitally savvy business after all!
Step 2: Choose De Rantau Digital Nomad (Foreign)
You can check out those other programmes later; pick De Rantau for now and hit ‘proceed’!
Step 3: Choose to apply as freelancer / remote worker
The page just repeats what we’ve shared above, so scroll to the end and tick the right checkbox depending on if you’re a freelancer or employee.
Step 4: Complete application and submit documents
You will be directed to a DE Rantau application form, which we should note is quite extensive, so give yourself about an hour to fill everything in.
Step 5: Get approval and visit Malaysia for endorsement
Applications typically take six to eight weeks to be processed, and if yours is successful, you will be issued an approval letter through the MD portal.
Upon receiving it, you have six months to visit Malaysia and submit your final endorsement application and pay the processing fees for yourself and any dependends.
Your De Rantau pass should be issued within one week of your endorsement application.
On the other hand, if your application is unsuccessful, you can appeal within one month of the rejection.
If you still have unanswered questions, check out MDEC’s FAQ on De Rantau passes, and if you still have questions after that, you can always ask MISHU for help!
Let MISHU help with your De Rantau application
Whatever your reasons for moving to Malaysia as a digital nomad, our team can help with your De Rantau Pass application to ensure a smooth process, so get in touch today!