Working in Malaysia
For Indonesia passport holders · Checked 2026-08-15
Malaysia takes a large share of Indonesian placements, under employer-held permits and a SIP2MI on the Indonesian side.
What the employer must have
- The Malaysian employer must hold approval to employ foreign workers and file for the calling visa.
- The placement must sit under a SIP2MI permit held by a licensed P3MI company.
What you must do before you leave
- You must be at least 18 and meet the five statutory conditions in Law 18/2017 Article 5: minimum age, competence, physical and mental health, registration with a social-security number, and complete documents.
- Go through a licensed P3MI placement company, and check it on the government register first — there is also a published list of companies currently under sanction or with revoked licences. A company that cannot show you its placement permit (SIP2MI) for your job is not lawfully recruiting you.
- Your vacancy should appear on the government system with its SIP2MI permit number. Look it up yourself on siskop2mi.bp2mi.go.id rather than trusting a photo of a document.
- Register for BPJS Ketenagakerjaan social security cover (JKK/JKM) before departure — it is one of the five statutory conditions, not an optional extra.
- Check the permit and the P3MI company on the government system — Malaysia is the corridor with the most informal crossings and the least protection when they go wrong.
Things to watch
- Indonesian law places a defined list of placement costs on the EMPLOYER, not on you — that is the point of Law 18/2017 Article 30 and the placement-cost regulation made under it. Ask which components you are being asked to pay and why, in writing.
- Indonesia has kept a long-standing moratorium on sending domestic workers to a group of Middle Eastern countries, and the official annex listing exactly which countries is not published in a form that can be verified — sources contradict each other on whether the list runs to 15, 19 or 21 states. Do NOT rely on any third party (including this page) for that list: confirm your specific destination with KP2MI or your nearest BP3MI office before committing.
- Workers who cross without the permit lose every protection the law gives them, including the placement-cost rules and social-security cover.
What you may lawfully be charged
YOU CANNOT LAWFULLY BE CHARGED A PLACEMENT COST AT ALL — the law puts the training, certification, the agency's own service fee, your visa, your outbound AND return ticket, accommodation, medical and social insurance on the EMPLOYER. If a company asks you for those, ask which regulation allows it, in writing.
Law 18/2017 Article 30(1); Permen KP2MI/BP2MI 17/2025 Article 2(6).
⚠️ Never pay anyone for a job offer or a visa on this route. Legitimate employers and licensed agents do not charge workers for jobs.
Official sources
- Malaysia — Immigration Department (foreign worker passes)
- KP2MI — Ministry for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers
- SISKOP2MI — official vacancy register
- VERIFY YOUR RECRUITER — register of licensed P3MI companies
- CHECK FOR SANCTIONS — P3MI companies suspended or with revoked licences
- Permen KP2MI No. 17/2025 — the placement-cost rule
This describes the immigration system, not your personal case, and not this specific vacancy.