--- title: "i-Kad — Foreign Worker Identification Card in Malaysia" country: malaysia service: "i-kad" category: identification difficulty: easy estimated_time: "Issuance: passive (bundled with VP(TE)). Replacement: 1-2 visits — employer-mediated, varies by Imigresen office" cost_range: "MYR 0 at issuance (bundled with VP(TE) — RM 60 processing fee covers both); replacement fee operator-set, not published" last_verified: 2026-05-06 canonical: https://publicservices.guide/malaysia/i-kad/ status: current confidence: low tags: - identification - "i-kad" - "foreign-worker" - "vp-te" - imigresen sources: - https://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/main-services/foreign-worker/ - https://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/main-services/pass/visitor-pass/visitors-pass-temporary-employment/ - https://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/enforcement/loss-of-passport-travel-document-in-malaysia/ - https://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/main-services/pass/employment-pass/ - https://esd.imi.gov.my/ --- # i-Kad — Foreign Worker Identification Card in Malaysia **Country:** 🇲🇾 Malaysia **Last verified:** 2026-05-06 **Estimated time:** Issuance: passive (bundled with VP(TE)). Replacement: 1-2 visits — employer-mediated, varies by Imigresen office **Cost:** MYR 0 at issuance (bundled with VP(TE) — RM 60 processing fee covers both); replacement fee operator-set, not published ## Required documents - **Foreign passport** *(Pasport)* - Required: Original, with valid VP(TE) sticker - Cost: Free (already held) - _Note:_ Your VP(TE) sticker must still be valid. The i-Kad's validity is tied to the VP(TE), so an expired VP(TE) is its own issue, not an i-Kad-replacement issue. - **Police report (if lost outside the workplace)** *(Laporan Polis)* - Where to get: Any Malaysian police station (Balai Polis) - Required: Original report, lodged in person - Cost: Free - _Note:_ Imigresen's published procedure for a lost foreign-held identity document — documented for lost passports / travel documents on the Enforcement Division page — requires a police report. The same Imigresen page does not specifically name i-Kad, so the police-report step is the standard pattern for analogous lost-document cases. Confirm with your employer and the Imigresen counter for your case. - **VP(TE) issuance reference / employer pass record** *(Rekod VP(TE))* - Where to get: From your employer (HR / sponsor) — the employer holds the issuance record because the i-Kad is delivered through them - Required: Reference number or copy of the VP(TE) record - Cost: Free - _Note:_ The i-Kad is sent directly to the employer by the authorised vendor at issuance, so the employer is the channel of record for any reissuance. ## Costs - **i-Kad issuance:** 0 MYR — Imigresen states verbatim that 'the issuance of i-Kad does not incur any additional cost to the employers'. The card is printed simultaneously with the VP(TE) and sent directly to the employer / company by the authorised vendor. ## Steps ### 1. Understand what i-Kad is and the sector colour it carries - i-Kad is the foreign-worker identification card issued by Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia (Immigration Department of Malaysia) - The card carries the sector colour your employer is approved to hire under: Agriculture green, Plantation orange, Construction gray, Manufacturing maroon, Services yellow, Foreign Maid (FDH) chocolate - The colour is set at issuance and matches the worker's authorised employment sector under the Visit Pass (Temporary Employment) — VP(TE) - It is distinct from MyKad (the citizen / permanent-resident ID card) > **Tip:** If you receive an i-Kad whose colour does not match your authorised sector, raise it with your employer immediately — it indicates a sector / record mismatch that needs Imigresen correction. ### 2. Receive your i-Kad through your employer (passive issuance) - i-Kad is not a separate application — it is printed automatically when your VP(TE) is issued - After the VP(TE) is approved, the authorised vendor prints the i-Kad and delivers it to the employer's registered address - Your employer hands the card to you; you do not collect it from an Imigresen counter - The validity period of the i-Kad matches the VP(TE) it is bundled with > **Tip:** Your i-Kad is sent directly to your employer / company by the authorised vendor — don't queue at the Imigresen counter expecting to pick it up yourself. Coordinate handover with your HR or sponsor. > **If this fails:** If your VP(TE) has been issued but you have not received your i-Kad after a reasonable period, ask your employer first. Imigresen's vendor-mediated delivery model means the card may be at the employer's registered address, not at an Imigresen branch. ### 3. Confirm prerequisites for being on a VP(TE) (and therefore holding an i-Kad) - Hold a valid Visit Pass (Temporary Employment) — VP(TE) - Be in the age band of 18–45 years per Imigresen's VP(TE) eligibility rule - Be employed in one of the six authorised sectors: Manufacturing, Construction, Plantation, Agriculture, Services, or Foreign Maid - Have completed a medical examination at a FOMEMA-approved centre within 30 days of arrival in Malaysia - Be from one of the source countries Imigresen lists for foreign-worker recruitment (Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, India, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Vietnam, Sri Lanka) > **Tip:** The medical examination clearance is on a 30-day clock from your date of entry; missing it can stall the VP(TE) and therefore the i-Kad. ### 4. Track validity — i-Kad is tied to your VP(TE) - The i-Kad's validity period matches the VP(TE) period exactly - When your VP(TE) is renewed, a new i-Kad is reissued for the new period through the same employer-vendor channel - When your VP(TE) lapses or is cancelled, the i-Kad lapses with it > **Tip:** Renewal of i-Kad is not a separate paperwork stream — it follows from the VP(TE) renewal. ### 5. If your i-Kad is lost or damaged, file a replacement through your employer - Notify your employer immediately — the i-Kad is delivered to and held in association with the employer, so reissuance is initiated through the employer, not by the worker walking up to an Imigresen counter alone - If the card was lost outside the workplace, lodge a police report at any Malaysian police station (Balai Polis). This is the standard Imigresen pattern for replacing a lost foreign-held identity document (documented for lost passports / travel documents on the Enforcement Division page) — the same page does not specifically name i-Kad, but the report-and-replace sequence is the closest published procedural analogue - Attend the Imigresen office stated on your original VP(TE) issuance, or the nearest state Imigresen branch, with your employer or your employer's representative - Bring your passport, the police report (if applicable), and your VP(TE) record from your employer - Pay the fee at the counter — Imigresen does not publish a dedicated i-Kad replacement fee schedule. Confirm the fee at the Imigresen counter when filing the replacement. The lost-passport S3 Special Pass procedure is the closest published procedural analogue for the report-and-replace sequence; the i-Kad fee itself is operator-set - The replacement i-Kad is issued through the employer per the same authorised-vendor channel as the original > **If this fails:** Imigresen does not publish a dedicated lost-i-Kad replacement page; the exact counter and fee are not publicly mapped. Confidence on this step is low — verify the procedure and fee with your employer and the Imigresen office that originally issued your VP(TE). ### 6. At end-of-stay, surrender the i-Kad together with VP(TE) cancellation - When your contract ends or you depart Malaysia, your employer cancels your VP(TE) at Imigresen - Imigresen's standard practice for foreign-held documents at end-of-stay is to surrender to the Enforcement Division when the pass is cancelled (no fee published) - Coordinate the surrender with your employer so it happens at the same time as VP(TE) cancellation — do not retain the card after the VP(TE) has lapsed > **Tip:** Imigresen does not publish a separate i-Kad end-of-stay procedure; treat surrender as part of the VP(TE) cancellation paperwork your employer files. ## FAQ ### Do I have to pay separately for my i-Kad? No. Imigresen states that the issuance of i-Kad does not incur any additional cost. The card is bundled with the Visit Pass (Temporary Employment) and printed at the same time, with no separate transaction at the worker's expense. ### Where do I collect my i-Kad? From your employer. Imigresen's Foreign Worker page is explicit: the i-Kad is sent directly to the employer / company by the authorised vendor — not handed over at an Imigresen counter to the worker. Coordinate handover with your HR or sponsor. ### What does the colour on my i-Kad mean? The colour identifies your authorised employment sector under the Visit Pass (Temporary Employment) scheme: Agriculture green, Plantation orange, Construction gray, Manufacturing maroon, Services yellow, Foreign Maid (FDH) chocolate. The colour is set when the VP(TE) is issued and matches the sector your employer is approved to hire under. ### How long is my i-Kad valid? The validity period of the i-Kad is the same as the VP(TE) it is bundled with. When your VP(TE) is renewed, the i-Kad is reissued for the new period. When the VP(TE) lapses, the i-Kad lapses with it. ### What do I do if I lose my i-Kad? Notify your employer immediately — the employer is the channel through which the card was issued and through which it must be reissued. If the card was lost outside the workplace, lodge a police report at any Malaysian police station; this matches Imigresen's published pattern for replacing other lost foreign-held identity documents (such as a lost passport handled by the Enforcement Division). Imigresen does not publish a dedicated i-Kad replacement fee schedule, so confirm the fee at the Imigresen counter when filing the replacement. Confidence on this answer is low — verify with your employer and the Imigresen office that issued your VP(TE). ### What happens to my i-Kad at the end of my employment in Malaysia? Imigresen does not publish a dedicated i-Kad surrender procedure separately from VP(TE) cancellation. The standard Imigresen practice for foreign-held documents at end-of-stay is to surrender the document to the Enforcement Division when the pass is cancelled. Coordinate the surrender with your employer when your contract ends so it happens together with VP(TE) cancellation. ## Sources - [Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia (Immigration Department of Malaysia)](https://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/main-services/foreign-worker/) — accessed 2026-05-06 — _T1_ — i-Kad definition and role; sector basis; verbatim no-additional-cost statement; employer-mediated authorised-vendor delivery; VP(TE) processing fee RM 60; sector levy table by region; visa fee plus security bond by nationality; foreign-worker source-country list; medical examination requirement within 30 days of entry. - [Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia](https://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/main-services/pass/visitor-pass/visitors-pass-temporary-employment/) — accessed 2026-05-06 — _T1_ — VP(TE) — i-Kad printing rule that the application of VP(TE) is considered to be the application for i-Kad; six-sector colour codes (Agriculture green, Plantation orange, Construction gray, Manufacturing maroon, Services yellow, Foreign Maid chocolate); supporting forms IM.12, payment form, VDR form; age 18–45 eligibility rule; five-year work period. - [Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia — Enforcement Division](https://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/enforcement/loss-of-passport-travel-document-in-malaysia/) — accessed 2026-05-06 — _T1_ — Pattern for handling lost foreign-held documents: police report required, surrender to Enforcement Division, no-middlemen rule. Used as the closest published procedural analogue for the report-and-replace sequence; the page does not specifically name i-Kad, and any specific fee for i-Kad replacement is not derived from this page. - [Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia](https://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/main-services/pass/employment-pass/) — accessed 2026-05-06 — _T1_ — Employment Pass channel — confirms EP is for expatriates approved by the Expatriate Committee or relevant regulatory agencies, distinguishing the EP route from the VP(TE) route described in this guide. - [Expatriate Services Division (ESD), Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia](https://esd.imi.gov.my/) — accessed 2026-05-06 — _T1_ — ESD as the operating channel for Employment Pass, Dependant Pass, Long-Term Social Visit Pass, and Professional Visit Pass — referenced as a separate channel for the EP-stream i-Kad variant (out of scope for this VP(TE)-focused guide). --- Verification pending — see the canonical page for the latest trust state. Canonical: https://publicservices.guide/malaysia/i-kad/