The three components behind "permit cost"
A single "permit fee" line on a quotation usually stands in for three separate charges: the Visa with Reference, or VP(TE) (indicatively around RM60), visa processing (indicatively around RM125), and the PLKS permit itself, which Immigration confirms by case and route rather than a fixed published number. Treating all three as one unexplained total makes it hard to tell whether a quotation is reasonable or has padding built in.
These figures are indicative and change — the source for all three is the Immigration Department, and the amount that applies depends on the specific route and current schedule. Confirm the current figures directly with Immigration, or ask your agency to cite where their number comes from, rather than accepting a total with no source.
- VP(TE): ≈RM60 (indicative, confirm on imi.gov.my).
- Visa processing: ≈RM125 (indicative, confirm on imi.gov.my).
- PLKS issuance: no single published figure — confirm by route and case.
What to ask for on a quotation that lists a permit charge
Ask the agency to itemise the permit line into its components — VP(TE), processing, and PLKS — rather than accepting one bundled figure. A written breakdown that matches the three components above is a reasonable answer; a single number with no explanation is a fair thing to question before paying.
Keep the breakdown with your other quotation records so you can compare it against a second agency’s figures line by line, the same way the rest of a cost comparison should work.
What the permit charge does not include
The permit-related charges here are the VP(TE), processing and PLKS trio — the annual foreign-worker levy is a separate item that Immigration itself bundles into the approval and PLKS-extension payment, so don’t let an agency fold it into the permit line without itemising it. These are also separate from FOMEMA (the annual medical exam) and PERKESO (mandatory Employment Injury and Invalidity Scheme cover for a foreign helper), which have their own figures and their own confirmation sources.
Treat each of these as its own line to confirm rather than assuming any single "government fees" total covers all of them correctly.