SCIENTISTSAnnual Renewal
SEARRP, DVMC, MBMC and Forestry permission should last for the duration of your research project (e.g. 3 or 4 years for PhD students) but the SaBC permission (Access Licence) and Visit Pass Professional are only valid for one year, and so must be renewed annually.
Apply for the Access Licence 3-6 months before the current one expires. In order for Immigration to view your application as a renewal you must also complete the renewal steps in Sabah before your current pass expires.
If your current pass has expired, or it’s not possible for you to return to Sabah to renew your pass before your current one expires, then the procedure is slightly different. If you are continuing with the same research project you can submit a renewal form to SaBC in order to renew your Access Licence, however Immigration will count your application as a new application rather than a renewal, and so you must follow the steps above (i.e. do the same as the first time round). If you are applying for permission for a new and different research project you will always have to submit a new application, regardless of previous work and permissions.
Instructions for “true renewal” (if your current pass has not yet expired and project remains the same):
Step 1
Collect and fill in Immigration forms. You need to fill in form number 11 and 25, which can be collected from the Sabah Immigration Department. Form 11 needs to be signed by your local collaborator. You will need to get one copy of your local Collaborator’s ID card.
Step 2
Collect the Access Licence from SaBC. Once your Access Licence has been approved, SaBC will send a Statutory Declaration form to sign in the presence of a Session Court Judge, Magistrate, or Commissioner for Oaths in Sabah/Malaysia. Once signed, hand over the form to SaBC to collect the Access Licence in person. SaBC is located on the 11th floor of the Wisma Innoprise building (opposite the Yayasan Sabah building)
Step 3
Pay stamp duty at the Income Tax Office. Once it has been filled in and signed, you need to take form number 11 to the Sabah Income Tax Department and pay a stamp duty of RM10.00 (Lembaga Hasil Building)
Step 4
Submit all forms & photocopies to the Immigration Office and renew the Visit Pass. You need to submit the following documents to the Immigration Office:
– Forms 11 & 25
– Stamp duty paid on form number 11
– One copy of SaBC Access Licence (latest)
– Letter of support from Local Collaborator (latest)
– One copy of Local Collaborator’s MyKad
Go to floor 2 of the Immigration Office, and collect a ticket from window number 1 or 2. Once your number has been called, hand in all your paperwork and keep hold of the receipt they give. Processing should take about an hour.
Step 5
Collect the visa (Visit Pass Professional) in your passport. After handing in the paperwork, wait to be called and then pay a cash only fee of RM90.00 per 3 months on visa (1 year visa= RM360) to the cashier. You then need to hand in your passport and your receipt to the next window you’re called to, and a visa sticker will be put into your passport. Double check the visa has the correct information before leaving.
