1. Can Foreigners Own? By State
| Borneo Area | Freehold Own? | Min Price (Foreigner) | Trick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sabah (Kota Kinabalu, KK) | Yes ✅ | RM1M (Sabah 2024+ still RM1M) | No Bumi quota on high-rise >RM1M |
| Sarawak (Kuching, Miri) | Yes, but approval ✅ | RM500K (Kuching/Miri) else RM1M | Need State Consent (2-4mo) |
| Kalimantan (ID) | No ❌ | — | Via PT PMA + HGB (30+20+20 yrs) |
| Labuan | Yes ✅ | RM1M | Labuan Corp can hold? |
| Brunei | Rarely | Lease 99yr | Temp residents only |
Sabah/Sarawak control immigration — owning house ≠ right to live. Need visa separately.
2. Sabah & Sarawak — How to Buy (Sdn Bhd vs Individual)
- Individual: Buy in personal name, get State Consent. Loan: foreigner LTV 70% max (Maybank, HSBC). RPGT 30% if sell <5yr (foreigner), then 10%.
- Via Company: 100% foreign Sdn Bhd can buy commercial/industrial freely, residential needs same RM1M threshold + consent.
- Cost: SPA legal 1-2%, stamp duty 1-4%, consent RM500, agent 3%. Total 5-7% on top.
3. Kalimantan (Indonesia) — No Freehold
Foreigners cannot own Hak Milik (freehold). Options: PT PMA + HGB (Hak Guna Bangunan, 30yr + 20+20 on land) — you own via company, or Hak Pakai (25yr personal, if you have KITAS, 1 unit landed). For apartments: strata title via Hak Pakai. Never use nominee — illegal since 2015, courts void.
Nusantara (IKN) special: Otorita IKN offers HGB 80-95yr in IKN zone for investors — 2026 land bank via BPN IKN. Longer than normal HGB. Requires commitment letter + investment plan.
4. Visa to Live There
MM2H Sabah/Sarawak
Sabah MM2H: fixed deposit RM150k + income RM10k/mo. Sarawak MM2H: RM150k + medical. 5yr renewable.
Indonesia KITAS
Investor KITAS via PT PMA — stay 1yr, no work? Need work KITAS. Min invest Rp 10B.
Social Visit
Buy house but do visa run 90 days? Not legal long-term — immigration watches. Better MM2H/KITAS.
5. Price Map 2026
Kota Kinabalu — Tanjung Aru condo
RM450k-900k • Yield 4-5% Airbnb to Koreans
Kuching — Kota Samarahan landed
RM350k-600k • Lower foreign threshold RM500k helps
Balikpapan near IKN — Sepaku land
Rp 450k/m² • Speculative, check HPL status
Need vetted agent/lawyer?
We intro licensed agents — KK, Kuching, Balikpapan, no markup.
Not advice. Verify at Sabah L&S, Sarawak L&S, BPN Kalimantan, and MM2H Sabah/Sarawak official.
