A Breakdown Of Malaysian Employment Pass Processing Times

For employers who want to know how long the Employment Pass application process takes in Malaysia, here you go: If starting from scratch, expect it to take at least eight months, and potentially longer.

This is based on our five years of applying for expat visas, and we hope it helps you plan around yours.

If that’s all you wanted, we wish you all the best, and for those who want more details, read on as we break down the six months into individual steps, what you need to do, and what to avoid!

EP processing time breakdown

We’re assuming you already know you meet all employer, expatriate, and role eligibility requirements to apply for an Employment Pass.

This means we can skip the pre-application review and get right to the actual application, which consists of six main stages for first-timers.

When you break it down like this, the eight months suddenly doesn’t seem too unreasonable!

It’s not a lot of time considering the number of steps and amount of work required – so let’s see what happens at each stage.

Stage 1: ESD account registration

This is the very first stage where the employer registers its profile on the Expatriates Services Division (ESD) portal and obtains activation to hire expatriates. This is a one-off stage and as long as you maintain your ESD account renewal, there will never be a need to go through it for future applications.

What the employer needs to do:

• prepare company documents (SSM, business licenses, financials, etc.)
• submit company profile on the ESD portal
• respond to any queries or document requests from ESD
• submit Letter of Undertaking (LoU)
• await account activation before proceeding

Stage 2: JTK Section 60K application

At this stage, the employer secures workforce approval and obtains a support letter from the Malaysian Labour Department (JTK) under Section 60K of the Employment Act which allows them to proceed with an EP application.

What the employer needs to do:

• justify the need to hire a foreign employee
• submit position details and workforce information
• apply for support letter (if applicable to sector)
• ensure compliance with labour and quota requirements

Stage 3: MyFutureJobs advertising (if needed)

At this stage, employers advertise the role locally and interview candidates, then prepare and submit a Hiring Outcome Report demonstrating that no local candidate was found to obtain a PERKESO letter of approval to hire an expatriate (shown above).

What the employer needs to do:

• post the job vacancy on MyFutureJobs for at least 14 days
• conduct and document interviews with local candidates
• maintain records of recruitment efforts
• submit Hiring Outcome Report and obtain letter of approval

Note: Roles paying RM15,000 and above, particularly for key leadership / shareholder positions in Category 1 EPs likely do not need to go through this stage.

Stage 4: EP application submission

This is the actual application stage where the Employment Pass (EP) is formally submitted for Immigration review and assessment through their ESD account.

What the employer needs to do:

• compile all required documents (employment contract, qualifications, passport, etc.)
• submit the EP application via ESD
• monitor application status and respond to queries
• ensure all information is accurate to avoid delays or rejection

Stage 5: Approval & entry visa issuance

Once approved, the employer receives the approval letter and arranges for the issuance of the entry visa (VDR or eVisa as shown above).

What the employer needs to do:

• download and review the approval letter
• coordinate visa issuance with the candidate
• ensure the candidate completes any required pre-entry steps
• prepare for arrival in Malaysia

Stage 6: Endorsement & ePass

After the candidate enters Malaysia, the final step is endorsement of the Employment Pass, either as a sticker in the passport or via ePass.

What the employer needs to do:

• arrange post-arrival formalities (medical check-up, if required)
• submit passport for endorsement or complete ePass process
• ensure compliance with Immigration requirements
• confirm the employee is legally authorised to work

And with that, you can start putting your expatriate to work so they can offset the tremendous time and money they’ve cost you!

Here are five mistakes new applicants make that can significantly extend the processing time due to rejections or requests for amendments.

Why processing times get extended

Besides candidate or role ineligibility, most EP rejections or returns are due to technical or procedural non‑compliance, especially:

• missing or improper MyFutureJobs advertisements
• incorrect or incomplete CTC academic certificates
• absence of required WRT or USS licences for foreign‑owned companies
• submission of new EP applications while the applicant is physically in Malaysia
• misalignment between salary, job scope, and EP category

Take care to avoid them as rejected applications not only delays this hiring but can cause all future applications to receive stricter scrutiny.

EP renewal processing times

Renewal processing times can be as short as one to two months, provided all documents are in order and requirements for the EP category are still met.

As the supporting documents must demonstrate clean income tax records and proof of salary thresholds, we always recommend starting the document gathering process at least 120 days before expiry.

For more information, see our guide to Employment Pass renewals, and that’s it from us this time.

We wish you all the best with your applications, and we’re always here if you need help 😊

Let MISHU handle your EP application

Our team enjoys a 98% success rate across our Employment Pass applications and renewals over the years and can provide end-to-end foreign talent hiring assistance from ESD account registration to securing MyFutureJobs support letters, handling Immigration queries on your behalf, and more.