Hello and welcome to my first blog. Today, I would like to talk about my experiences regarding the obtaining of an "extended social pass" or spouse visa for Malaysia. Hopefully it can be a good resource or stepping-off point for those that also want to marry a Malaysian citizen.
Being that I am a foreign national, there were certain requirements I had to fulfill in order to make my marriage fully legal and valid, not only in Malaysia but in my home country and everywhere else for that matter. In Malaysia, the spouse visa became known as an "extended social pass". It would allow one to stay in the country for a period of time longer than the 90-day regular social pass you are granted upon entry into this country. (A note: Immigration does count the day your passport is stamped as your first day.)
The first step we had to take was to travel to our local JPN office in Penang. There, we had to obtain the documents required for registration of marriage. A partial list of documents is shown here:
1. Form JPN.KC02 that is completed. 2. MyKad, MyPR or Malaysian green card (that is still valid). 3. ORIGINAL passport and photocopy of pages with personal details, the latest arrival date in Malaysia and a valid visa or pass for non-citizen. 4. One (1) colour passport-sized photograph per applicant...
The full list of required documents can be found here, as well as other application conditions. One important fact to note is that you have to reside in the district that you are to be married, at least 8 days before applying. Also, the registration of the marriage is to take place "21 days + 1 day but not later than 6 months from the date of application" as stated on the above-linked page. There are two fees: RM10 (Malaysian ringgit) for the certificate for marriage and RM20 for Marriage Certificate.
After this inital meeting at JPN, my then-fiancée and I travelled to KL (that's shorthand for Kuala Lumpur). I had to go to the U.S. Embassy there to obtain a stamped letter of single status. (I should note that the U.S. government does not officially have such a form, but they do draft this letter to fulfill the Malaysian government's requirement for this form.) The fee is USD$50 or the equivalent in Malaysian ringgit (RM). On that same trip, we went to Putrajaya where the main Ministry of Foreign Affairs office was. This was to get the above-named single status letter notarised. We, also, had to go the Federal Court House to get the registration form translated from Bahasa Malaysia to English by a certified translator of the Court. Fee for that is RM12.
Next week, I will continue with this scintillating series and discuss the requirements of the Malaysian Immigration Department. Yes, there are a LOT of requirements to fulfill, in order to blissfully wed your Malaysian true love, as you will find out when you embark upon this journey.
Thank you for reading part 1 of my first blog. Please post any comments on the comments page.
Please check out Part Two to continue this scintillating saga..
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