A Complete Guide To Malaysian Employment Pass Renewals

Compared to the initial application, renewing a Malaysian Employment Pass (EP) is relatively simple so long as terms of the current employment contract complies with the EP category applied for.  

Of course, simple doesn’t mean easy or that Immigration is any less strict!

Typo? Rejected!

For employers handling their first EP renewal, this guide covers key considerations to ensure success, broken down into:

• renewal eligibility requirements (including June 2026 updates)
• how and when to submit an EP renewal
• renewing Dependent Passes simultaneously
• required fees and documents, and
• common reasons for rejection

Of course, you’re welcome to get in touch directly – otherwise, let’s begin.

EP renewal eligibility requirements

Renewal applications are assessed holistically as Immigration determines if:

• the employer is still eligible to employ expatriates
• the stated salary has been consistently paid
• the expatriate has had no disciplinary issues during their stay
• the expatriate’s passport still has a minimum validity period of 12 months, and
• the role satisfies revised June 2026 EP category requirements

If the above conditions are met, there is a high chance of successful renewal, and as the last requirement is probably the most difficult to meet, that’s what we’ll focus on.

2026 EP renewal requirement updates

All EP renewals from June 2026 onwards must comply with increased minimum salary requirements for their respective categories: 

Category	Current	Revised
1	RM10,000	RM20,000
2	RM5,000	RM10,000
3	RM3,000	RM5,000

Category 2 and 3 EP applications may also need to be supported by a clear succession plan detailing how the employer plans to replace the expatriate’s role with a local hire within a specified period.

It’s not all bad: The revisions also come with increased maximum validity periods:

• Category 1: 5 years → Up to 10 years
• Category 2: 2 years → Up to 10 years
• Category 3: 1 year → Up to 5 years

Crucially, Category 3 holders will now be permitted to apply for Dependent Passes, making it much more of a direct alternative to Category 2.

For the purposes of renewing an existing EP, the most relevant changes are the minimum salary requirements and succession plan.

How and when to submit an EP renewal

The renewal application is done via the employer’s ESD account, and once an EP has 90 days of remaining validity, a button to renew will appear.

Although this means the earliest a renewal can be submitted is 90 days before expiry, we recommend starting the document compiling process a month in advance.

This way, submission can be made the moment it is available, giving employers the full 90 days as a buffer against unexpected delays.

Renewing Dependent Passes simultaneously

For expatriates with dependents, not only can Dependent Passes be simultaneously renewed alongside the principal, we strongly recommend it.

This allows employers to kill two birds with one stone and issues with separate Dependent Pass renewal applications tend to take much longer to resolve.

f its submitted in different time, there is a change the DP applicaiton will shift from 7 working days to 20 working days of application timeline

Required documents

Make sure your expat’s tax returns are in order! 

Ensure updated versions of the following documents are on hand:

• full colour copy of passport
• the last three (3) months’ payslips
• latest income tax filing documents
• updated and stamped employment contract
• JTK or sector‑specific approval letters
• *Certified True Copy academic certificates
• *updated resume or CV
• *job description on company letterhead

*Note: Although the ESD portal auto-generates previous versions of these documents, the system can occasionally glitch, and if there are any changes that can affect the outcome of the renewal, it’s a good idea to submit updated versions of these documents nonetheless.

Renewal fees

Renewal fees are identical to initial application fees and are as follows:

1. RM2,000 application fee
2. RM200 / year of EP validity endorsement fee
3. RM550 / dependent visa application 
4. RM90 / year of dependent visa validity endorsement fee

This doesn’t include SST (currently at 8%) or third-party service charges.

Common rejection reasons

As mentioned previously, Immigration assesses EP renewals based on several factors, and some of the most common but avoidable reasons for rejection include:

• weak justification for foreign hire
• salary misalignment with role scope, and
• missing, outdated, or incorrect documents

Because a rejected renewal has huge implications for both expat and employer, we always encourage employers to give themselves plenty of time to ensure everything is in order beforehand.

That’s it from us, and we wish you all the best with you EP renewal 😊

Let MISHU handle your EP renewals

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.