Why location changes the process
The first thing to settle is not the agency or the budget — it is where the helper will be employed. That single fact decides which government department handles the permit, which authority licenses the agency, and which labour law sets the rights and rest-day rules.
Assuming a Peninsular timeline in Sabah or Sarawak is a common and costly mistake. The state guides below each set out the correct route, the population context and the licence check for that specific place.
Choose your state
Every state and federal territory now has its own guide, covering the correct route for that area, its population context, and the licence check. Open the one where the helper will work.
Wherever you are, the licence check is the same discipline — confirm any agency on the JTKSM public register before paying — but the route to get there differs by region.
- West coast and central — Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Penang, Perak, Kedah, Perlis, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan.
- South and east coast — Johor, Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan.
- East Malaysia and Labuan — Sabah and Sarawak run their own systems; Labuan follows the federal route.