Gold or Platinum: the price of being allowed to work
What does the right to earn cost?
Platinum is the only MM2H category that permits employment or business. That single right is what the step up from Gold buys, and it costs a further USD500,000 on the deposit plus a participation fee of RM200,000 against Gold's RM3,000.
| Gold | Platinum | |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed deposit | USD500,000 | USD1 million |
| Participation fee | RM3,000 per principal application, one-off | RM200,000 per principal application, one-off |
| Minimum property | RM1 million | RM2 million |
| Pass length | 15 years | 20 years |
| Employment | Not allowed | Permissible |
| Business or investment | Not allowed | Permissible |
| Foreign maid as dependant | Not listed | Permitted |
Both columns read from the MOTAC category pages on 2026-08-24: Gold and Platinum. Everything not listed above was read on the same date from the ministry's own category pages.
Two things separate them, and only one is obvious. Platinum opens employment and business, which Gold forbids. It also alone permits a foreign maid as a dependant, which the Gold, Silver and SEZ category pages do not list. Otherwise both run long passes, both compel a property purchase, and the conditions common to every category apply either way.
Common questions
- Is Platinum the only MM2H category that allows work?
- Yes. Platinum permits both employment and business or investment activities. Gold permits neither, and nor does Silver. The SEZ category follows the terms of the Special Economic Zone.
- How much more does Platinum cost than Gold?
- A further USD500,000 on the fixed deposit, taking it to USD1 million. The participation fee rises from RM3,000 to RM200,000, and the minimum property from RM1 million to RM2 million. The deposit stays your capital; the fee does not.
- Is Platinum worth it purely for the longer pass?
- Platinum runs 20 years against Gold's 15. Five extra years for an RM197,000 larger fee is a poor trade on its own. Platinum earns its cost when you need the right to work or run a business, which is the thing Gold cannot give you at any price.
If the right to work is the deciding factor, the alternative worth weighing is not another tier but PVIP, which permits employment without any property purchase. Otherwise, full detail sits on Platinum. Applications go through one of the 242 licensed companies.