How to Apply for a Malaysia Dependent Pass

Malaysia Dependent Passes are the legal way to bring your family with you when you’re working or studying in Malaysia. It explains who qualifies, what documents are required, how to apply, and what happens after you arrive.

Malaysia Dependent Pass allows immediate family members of eligible Employment Pass or Student Pass holders to stay in Malaysia for the duration of their sponsor’s visa.

Passes issued under the “Visa With Reference (VDR)” category require prior approval from the Immigration Department of Malaysia for travel.

Dependent Passes are available if you hold the following:

• Employment Pass Category 1: Senior/executive position with a monthly salary of RM10,000 or more
• Employment Pass Category 2: A mid-level or managerial position with a monthly salary between RM5,000 and RM99,999

• Legal spouse
• Under 21-year-olds (biological, adopted, or stepchildren)
• Children with disabilities (of any age)
• Your parents

A Malaysia Employment Pass holder may apply for a Dependent Pass Malaysia for the following family members:

• Legal spouse (husband/wife)
• Biological, adopted, or stepchildren under 21 years of age
• All dependent children (those with a physical or mental disability that makes them dependent on you) regardless of their age

The Malaysia Long Term Social Visit Pass must be applied for if you wish to bring your common-law spouse (unmarried), dependent parents or parents-in-law, or children over 21. The following family members can apply for a Malaysia Dependent Pass if you are a Student Pass holder:

• Legal spouse (husband/wife)
• Children under 21 years of age (biological, adopted, or stepchildren)
• Children who are dependent on you regardless of their age (if they have a physical or mental disability)
• Your parents

What you need to prepare is as follows:

• A recent passport-size photo of the applicant
• A copy of the dependent’s passport (cover, information pages, visa pages, and blank pages).
• Relationship proof:
  • Certificate of marriage (for spouses)
  • A copy of the birth certificate (for the child or parents)
  • If applicable, custody/adoption letters
• Sponsor’s valid employment or student pass
• IMM.12 and IMM.38 (two copies each) Visa application forms
• Holders of Student Passes are required to post a personal bond
• Support letter from educational institution (for holders of Student Passes)
• Fee receipt for the Dependent Pass
• Documents translated into English from another language (if originally written in another language)
• A certified true copy (CTC) provided by your embassy or the Malaysian Embassy/Consulate

You must submit copies of your marriage and birth certificates translated into English if they haven’t already been done. Either the Embassy or Consulate of your family members’ country in Malaysia or the Institut Terjemahan Buku Malaysia must translate the documents.

Moreover, the documents must be endorsed as Certified True Copies (CTC) by the Embassy or Consulate of your family members’ country in Malaysia or the Malaysian Embassy/Consulate in their country.

You can apply for the Malaysia Dependent Pass in either of the following ways if you hold an Employment Pass:

• Please submit your Employment Pass application along with it
• When you have been granted an Employment Pass and are in Malaysia

The Malaysian Immigration Department must receive the application from you or your employer. Malaysian Dependent Passes can only be applied for by holders of Student Passes after their Student Passes have been issued. Malaysia Dependent Pass applications are handled by your educational institution. Student Pass applications must be submitted through the EMGS website, where your own was also submitted.

A Visa Approval Letter (VAL) must be issued by Malaysia’s Immigration Department before your dependants can travel there. A Malaysia Visa With Reference can then be applied for by your family members at the nearest Malaysian embassy or consulate using the VAL.

Foreign nationals who wish to enter the country for purposes other than tourism or short-term social visits are issued Visas With Reference by the Malaysian government.

In order to receive the Malaysia Dependent Pass sticker, your family members must submit their passports to the Immigration Department of Malaysia. In many cases, your school or employer handles the passport submission for the Dependant Pass.

Family members will receive Dependent Passes with the same duration as your own Employment Pass or Student Pass. Renewing it in the same manner is also possible.

Dependent Pass holders in Malaysia are not allowed to work under the conditions of the Dependent Pass. An Employment Pass must be converted into a Dependent Pass if your family member wants to start working.

Thus, they would be subject to the requirements and conditions of the Employment Pass. In order to obtain an Employment Pass, their employers must apply at the Visa, Pass and Permit Division of the Immigration Department of Malaysia or at any state immigration office

“Read More” about Visas costs. Here is the “Official Website” of Fees.

Malaysian Dependent Pass processing takes 7 days to one month, though it can sometimes take longer. 

What is dependent pass in Malaysia?

In Malaysia, a Dependent Pass (DP) lets the spouse and children (under 18) of an Employment Pass (EP) holder live in the country while the EP holder is working.

Can dependent spouse work in Malaysia?

Dependent spouse cannot work in Malaysia under a Dependent Pass alone. However, if they want to work, they must secure a job offer and convert their Dependent Pass into an Employment Pass or other relevant work visa.

Can Dependant pass holder apply for PR?

It is possible for a holder of a Dependent Pass to become a permanent resident of Singapore through a holder of a main work pass. Work pass holders can simultaneously apply for permanent residency for their dependents when applying for permanent residency.

The Malaysia Dependent Pass lets your family live with you while you work or study in Malaysia, but if they want to work, they must apply for a separate Employment Pass or get special approval depending on their visa type.