Permits and rights

Temporary Employment Visit Pass for Domestic Helper

What the PL(KS)/VP(TE) pass itself actually is, how long it lasts, and the specific conditions attached to holding it — not the wider permit sequence, which has its own guide.

The short answer

The Temporary Employment Visit Pass — PL(KS) on Immigration’s own Malay-language pages, VP(TE) on its English ones — is the document that actually lets a foreign domestic helper work in Malaysia, issued once she has passed her post-arrival medical exam. It comes from the State Immigration Office or the Foreign Workers Division at Immigration Headquarters, following the period approved in her VDR approval letter, and Immigration’s own i-Kad system codes it as “Foreign Maid — Chocolate,” separate from the six general foreign-worker sectors. Holding it comes with conditions that don’t apply anywhere else in the process: she can’t marry in Malaysia while she holds it, can’t apply for an Entry Permit while she holds it, and can’t change employer without the Immigration Department’s own permission.

At a glance

What it is
One pass, two namesPL(KS) — Pas Lawatan (Kerja Sementara) — and VP(TE) — Visitor’s Pass (Temporary Employment) — are Immigration’s own Malay and English names for the identical document.
i-Kad category
“Foreign Maid — Chocolate”Its own colour on Immigration’s identity-card system, separate from the six general foreign-worker sectors, none of which lists domestic placement.
Validity
Follows the VDR’s approved periodIssued within one month of her arrival, once she’s certified healthy — not a fixed term set independently of the VDR approval letter.
Two things she can’t do while holding it
Marry in Malaysia, or apply for an Entry PermitBoth stated directly as conditions of the pass on Immigration’s own page.

What the pass actually is, and how its validity is set

Immigration’s own pages use PL(KS) on the Malay side and VP(TE) on the English side for the identical document — worth being clear on before anything else, since both acronyms sometimes appear on the same page describing the same renewal deadline. It’s the document that authorises her to work, issued only after she’s passed the post-arrival medical exam, not before and not as a formality running in parallel with it.

Its validity follows the VDR approval letter rather than a term set independently: Immigration’s own wording is that it is issued “following the approved period of VDR in the approval letter,” and it’s meant to happen within one month of her arrival date. The pass also carries its own colour on Immigration’s i-Kad identity-card system — “Foreign Maid — Chocolate” — separate from the six general foreign-worker sectors (manufacturing, construction, plantation, agriculture, services, and island-resort services), none of which lists domestic placement as a category.

The conditions that attach specifically to holding it

Two restrictions apply only while she actually holds the pass, and Immigration states both directly: she is not allowed to marry in Malaysia while on the PL(KS), and she is not allowed to apply for an Entry Permit while she has been issued it. Neither is about the sequence leading up to the pass — they’re conditions of holding the document itself.

A third condition governs changing employer: Immigration’s own wording is to “ensure that the FDH does not change employment or change employers without the permission of the Immigration Department of Malaysia” — permission-based, not an outright ban, and a distinct question from what happens when her employment ends altogether, covered in its own dedicated guide.

Renewal, and Immigration’s own right to revoke it

The pass needs renewing well before it expires — the timing, documents, and what happens if the deadline is missed are covered in full in the dedicated renewal guide, since that’s a big enough topic on its own. What’s specific to the pass itself is that Immigration states plainly it has the right to revoke an approved pass; the page doesn’t attach a separate list of grounds beyond the conditions already named, so treat every condition here as something that could put the pass at risk, not just a formality to note.

This whole framework — the pass, its i-Kad category, and its conditions — is confirmed for Peninsular Malaysia. Sabah issues its own licence under its own Section 118 system, and Sarawak runs its own HAVEN-based Labour Licence, neither using PL(KS)/VP(TE) terminology at all — check the dedicated guides for those two states rather than assuming this pass applies there.

The rules and figures here follow official Malaysian sources as at the review date, and your own situation can differ. Check what applies to your own case with the Immigration Department of Malaysia for permits and passes, or the Department of Labour Peninsular Malaysia for agency licensing and employment terms, before you act on it.

Questions this page answers

Is PL(KS) a different pass from VP(TE)?

No — they’re Immigration’s own Malay and English names for the same document. Some of Immigration’s own pages use both names for the identical pass within the same paragraph.

How long is the pass valid for?

It follows the approved period stated in her VDR approval letter rather than a fixed term of its own, and Immigration states it should be issued within one month of her arrival date once she’s certified healthy.

Can she get married in Malaysia while holding this pass?

No — Immigration states this directly as a condition of holding the PL(KS).

Can I move her to a different employer while she holds this pass?

Only with the Immigration Department’s own permission — Immigration’s wording is that changing employer without that permission isn’t allowed, not that it’s never possible.

Does Immigration ever cancel this pass?

Immigration states it has the right to revoke an approved pass. The page doesn’t list every ground beyond the conditions already named for holding it, so treat those conditions as enforceable, not just guidance.

Temporary Employment Visit Pass for Domestic Helper

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DomesticHelper editorial teamReviewed 14 August 2026Sourced from Malaysian government registriesIndependent of the hiring agenciesEditorial standards
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