Malaysia moves more study and second-location permissions online from 1 November

The 1 November change affects existing expatriate pass holders

Malaysia’s Expatriate Services Division announced on 22 October that enhanced online applications for Permission to Study and Permission to Work at a Second Location take effect on 1 November 2026. Employment Pass holders can now submit study-permission requests through the Sub-Product menu in ESD Online, replacing the manual ESD Putrajaya process described in the notice. Online study applications are also extended to spouses holding Dependant Passes, beyond the previously available child applications.

The same enhancement moves second-location requests into that menu. Physical submissions for these services will no longer be accepted at Immigration Department or MYXpats Centre counters. The announcement concerns specified pass holders and application functions, rather than a nationality-based visitor concession. It does not turn a tourist admission into permission to study or work. Employers arranging an affected application should use the dated enhancement notice to identify the current filing channel before following an older checklist’s counter instructions.

Employment Pass study requests need company and course evidence

The ESD downloads page remains useful for obtaining forms, but its Employment Pass study link still carries a Putrajaya-only submission label. That wording conflicts with the newer online enhancement. Use the page for document preparation and the 22 October notice for the filing change; if the company account does not show the relevant function, seek MYXpats help rather than assuming counter submission remains available.

The linked Employment Pass study checklist identifies a company application letter, representative-authorisation evidence, the educational institution’s offer letter and study timetable, a signed and company-stamped DP11 form, and passport copies covering the personal-data page and current pass. The downloads page additionally says the company cover letter should state that it has no objection to the expatriate studying during employment. Together, these documents distinguish an employer-supported study request from an independent student application. Prepare the course timetable before seeking the employer’s endorsement so both address the same proposed studies.

A spouse should not rely solely on the older child checklist

The Dependant Pass checklist available through downloads is headed for dependants below 18. It requests educational confirmation, company correspondence and authorisation, principal and dependant passport material, and a signed, stamped DP11A form. Those details are evidence of the older child procedure; they should not be represented as a complete new spouse checklist.

This matters because the enhancement expressly adds Dependant Pass spouses. A spouse can use the new announcement to establish that online submission is now available, but should obtain the document list displayed for that application in the company account. The official Sub-Product FAQ directs users to the checklist within ESD Online. If a request asks for an age-specific child document that does not fit the spouse’s circumstances, ask the helpdesk how to proceed rather than uploading an irrelevant substitute or inventing a waiver.

Second-location permission remains tied to the same company

The second-location checklist requires a company request, representative-authorisation evidence, a signed and stamped DP11 form, passport personal-data and current-pass copies, and documents establishing why work at the additional location is necessary. Its substantive restriction is important: the branch or project site must be operated by the same company. An online submission facility therefore does not establish permission to take an unrelated employer’s job.

For example, an employer transferring an expatriate between its own project sites should prepare evidence connecting the second site to that company. A separate company offering additional paid work presents a different question and cannot rely on this checklist as confirmation of eligibility.

The Sub-Product FAQ describes a three-working-day processing charter and lists no MYXpats or Immigration processing charge for these two permission services. That is not a guarantee of approval within three days, nor a statement that the underlying Employment or Dependant Pass has no fees. Check the account’s current requirements before submission. The enhancement notice provides the MYXpats telephone number, +603-7839 7171, for unresolved access or procedural questions. No retrospective filing concession or extension of an existing pass is stated in the announcement.