i-Kad — Foreign Worker Identification Card in Malaysia

Step-by-Step

1. 1

   Understand what i-Kad is and the sector colour it carries

   1. i-Kad is the foreign-worker identification card issued by Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia (Immigration Department of Malaysia)
   2. 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
   3. The colour is set at issuance and matches the worker's authorised employment sector under the Visit Pass (Temporary Employment) — VP(TE)
   4. 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. 2

   Receive your i-Kad through your employer (passive issuance)

   1. i-Kad is not a separate application — it is printed automatically when your VP(TE) is issued
   2. After the VP(TE) is approved, the authorised vendor prints the i-Kad and delivers it to the employer's registered address
   3. Your employer hands the card to you; you do not collect it from an Imigresen counter
   4. 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.

   ⚠️ Watch out: 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. 3

   Confirm prerequisites for being on a VP(TE) (and therefore holding an i-Kad)

   1. Hold a valid Visit Pass (Temporary Employment) — VP(TE)
   2. Be in the age band of 18–45 years per Imigresen's VP(TE) eligibility rule
   3. Be employed in one of the six authorised sectors: Manufacturing, Construction, Plantation, Agriculture, Services, or Foreign Maid
   4. Have completed a medical examination at a FOMEMA-approved centre within 30 days of arrival in Malaysia
   5. 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. 4

   Track validity — i-Kad is tied to your VP(TE)

   1. The i-Kad's validity period matches the VP(TE) period exactly
   2. When your VP(TE) is renewed, a new i-Kad is reissued for the new period through the same employer-vendor channel
   3. 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. 5

   If your i-Kad is lost or damaged, file a replacement through your employer

   1. 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
   2. 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
   3. 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
   4. Bring your passport, the police report (if applicable), and your VP(TE) record from your employer
   5. 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
   6. The replacement i-Kad is issued through the employer per the same authorised-vendor channel as the original

   ⚠️ Watch out: 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. 6

   At end-of-stay, surrender the i-Kad together with VP(TE) cancellation

   1. When your contract ends or you depart Malaysia, your employer cancels your VP(TE) at Imigresen
   2. 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)
   3. 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.