Dear Sir/Madam,

Please be informed that effective 1 September 2016, the latest version of ESD Online Guidebook V3 2016 is now available in ESD website.

Here are some important updates in ESD Online Guidebook V3:

COMPANY REGISTRATION:

1. Companies that can register with ESD Online are as per page 6.
2. Company registration approval is valid for 90 days for Letter of Understanding (LOU) signing. Should the company fail to comply with LOU signing within stated period, the approval will be cancelled. Please refer to page 13 for all related LOU Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Please refer to the guidebook for more details.

EMPLOYMENT PASS (EP) & DEPENDENT PASS (DP):

1. APPROVAL REQUIREMENT
   1. All new EP Category I and II (expatriate) applications must obtain an Approval Letter before entering Malaysia for the purpose of employment. The Approval Letter must be produced at Malaysia's Entry Point for verification purposes. Please refer to page 21, 22 and 23 for more details.
   2. All new Employment Pass Category III (knowledge/skilled workers) must obtain an Approval Letter and Visa with Reference Letter (VwR) for the purpose of employment. The Approval and VwR Letters must be produced at Malaysia's Entry Point for verification purposes. Please refer to page 21, 22 and 23 for more details.
   
   Note: For category I,II and III, nationalities that require a visa to enter Malaysia can be applied at the nearest Malaysian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate General in the respective country.
   
   
2. PASSPORT VALIDITY
   Passport must be valid for minimum 12 months at the time of application submission.
   
   
3. COOLING-OFF PERIOD
   Cooling-off Period is applicable to the following:
   1. Employment Pass Category III holders whose pass have been renewed for two (2) times or 3 years in a row MUST leave the country and serve 3 months cooling off period to be able to apply for Employment Pass Category III again. Exemption is only given for cases of Employment Pass Category III converting to Employment Pass Category I / II.
   2. Employment Pass Category III holders who are changing employers MUST leave the country and serve 3 months cooling off period to be able to apply for Employment Pass Category III with different employer.
   3. Visit Pass (Temporary Employment) holders who wanted to convert to Employment Pass (all categories) MUST leave the country and serve 3 months cooling off period to be able to apply for Employment Pass (all categories). Please refer to page 30 for all related Cooling-Off Period Requirement.
      
      
4. CHANGE OF EMPLOYER/PASS TYPE/POSITION
   For change of employer cases/pass type/position, the current pass needs to be shortened before applying for new EP application.
   
   
5. CERTIFICATION OF PROOF OF RELATIONSHIP DOCUMENTS
   All Proof of Relationship documents (Marriage Certificate, Birth Certificate etc) must be attested by the Embassy*. Documents that are not in English need to be translated by Embassy* OR Institut Terjemahan & Buku Malaysia (ITBM). If the translation is done by the ITBM, the document must be attested by the Embassy*.
   
   *Embassy: Embassy / High Commission / Consulate General of respective country OR respective Embassy / High Commission / Consulate General in Malaysia
   
   Please refer to page 24 & 25 for all related Proof of Relationship document requirement
   
   
6. ENTRY INTO MALAYSIA AND EP ENDORSEMENT
   The applicant who have entered the country will have 30 days from entry date to endorse the EP sticker.

PROFESSIONAL VISIT PASS (PVP):

1. APPROVAL REQUIREMENT
   All new PVP applications must obtain an Approval Letter before entering Malaysia for the purpose of employment. The Approval Letter must be produced at Malaysia's Entry Point for verification purposes. Please refer to page 27 for more details.
   
   
2. EXTENSION OF CATEGORIES
   Please refer to page 27 for more details.
   
   
3. PASSPORT VALIDITY
   Passport must be valid for minimum 12 months at the time of application submission.
   
   
4. RENEWAL APPLICATION
   Renewal application must be submitted at least 14 days before the expiry date of current pass (applicable for PVP approval less than 12 months only). Please refer to page 27 for more details.
   
   
5. DURATION
   Maximum PVP can be applied are 12 months. No extensions are allowed beyond 12 months. Please refer to page 27 for more details.
   
   
6. ENTRY INTO MALAYSIA AND PVP ENDORSEMENT
   The applicant who have entered the country will have 14 days from entry date to endorse the PVP sticker. Please refer to page 27 for more details.

We strongly encourage you to go through the ESD Online Guidebook V3 2016 to make sure that you are updated with current requirement for ESD Online related applications.

Thank you.

Expatriate Services Division (ESD)