From 1 January 2026, foreign buyers of residential property in Malaysia pay a flat 8% stamp duty on the transfer. This guide covers that change, stamp duty on loans, and other costs to budget for.
Foreigners selling Malaysian property pay RPGT on the gain, and the buyer must hold back 7% of the price for the tax authorities. How the rates and retention sum work.
Quit rent and assessment explained for foreign property owners, with a side-by-side checklist of the taxes foreign buyers and sellers pay in Malaysia.
A China will alone is rarely enough for assets in Malaysia. Why PRC nationals with Malaysian property, bank accounts or MM2H deposits should have a separate Malaysian will, and what happens without one.
An MM2H visa does not lower the State’s minimum price for foreign buyers. The effective minimum is the higher of the Federal MM2H requirement and the State threshold, with Penang and Forest City the main exceptions.
In Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, the State threshold for foreign buyers usually exceeds the Federal MM2H minimum, so the visa gives little or no price advantage.
Penang may reduce its State threshold for eligible MM2H participants, but the Federal MM2H minimum still applies. Worked examples show the effective price on the Island and in Seberang Perai.
Standard MM2H gives Silver and Gold holders little advantage in Johor, where the State minimum is RM1,000,000. Forest City’s separate SEZ/SFZ MM2H category has an RM500,000 minimum.
When does the vacant possession clock start in a property SPA? The Federal Court in Icon City v Lee Kean Hwa held that it runs from the date the approvals are actually obtained, and later amendments to building plans don’t restart it.