Immigration

Malaysia | Implementation of ePASS for pass endorsement

Summary

Effective 1 March 2025, electronic passes (ePASS) will be issued for all types of expatriate passes for companies under the purview of the Expatriate Services Division (ESD) of the Immigration Department and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).

Currently, the ePASS is only issued to renewal applications which do not involve a change in the expatriate employee’s position. However, with this new announcement, the implementation of the ePASS is expanded to cover both new and renewal applications, including Transfer of Endorsement and Take Up Balance. This new feature is aimed to improve efficiency of the pass endorsement process, in line with the Government of Malaysia’s recent efforts in streamlining and digitalising the overall immigration processes.

The detail

With the issuance of ePASS, the immigration authority will no longer issue physical pass endorsement stickers to be affixed on the expatriate’s passport. Instead, the ePASS will be generated and issued through the immigration portal once the online endorsement application has been approved by the immigration authority. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the expatriate must still be physically present in Malaysia in order to initiate the endorsement process.

The implementation of the ePASS will be applicable for the following expatriate passes, both new and renewal:

• Employment Pass
• Dependant Pass
• Long Term Social Visit Pass
• Professional Visit Pass
• Resident Pass-Talent

The current endorsement process for passes issued under public universities and government agencies remains unchanged.

Other key points of the implementation of the ePASS are as follows:

• The current endorsement process upon arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1 (KLIA1) and Terminal 2 (KLIA2) remains the same. However, instead of a physical endorsement sticker, the immigration authority will issue the individual with an ePASS upon arrival.
• For individuals who opt to complete their pass endorsement post-arrival, their physical passports are no longer required to be furnished to the authorities to complete the pass endorsement process. Pass sticker delivery will no longer be available as the ePASS will be issued through the immigration portal once the pass endorsement application is approved.
• Processing time for the issuance of the ePASS is one (1) working day upon payment of the endorsement fee after the pass application is approved.
• The ePASS will be issued with a QR code. As such, the authorities may scan the QR code to verify the authenticity of the ePASS.
• It is advisable to print the ePASS in the event that the ePASS is not accessible on digital platforms for identification purposes.
• The issuance of physical i-KAD for Employment Pass and Resident-Pass Talent holders will remain.

How will this new feature benefit you?

The expansion of the issuance of ePASS to all types of expatriate passes is certainly a positive development as it will ease the endorsement process and reduce the overall processing time, allowing for expatriate employees to commence employment in Malaysia without delays.

Additionally, the issuance of ePASS will allow individuals to retain possession of their passports throughout the whole application process and eliminate the need for physical pass endorsement stickers in passports, thus, minimising the usage of passport pages. This is particularly beneficial for frequent travellers.

We will continue to monitor the latest developments and keep you informed.

Contact us

For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:

Sasha Reddy
Partner

Hana Rabi
Senior Manager

Kimberly Chong
Manager

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