Healthcare Reimbursement in Malaysia: Who Reimburses What Depending on Your Situation

The French embassy in Malaysia reminds us: the French State does not cover the healthcare costs of a resident abroad, and cover depends on the country of residence and on status. CLEISS lists no bilateral social security agreement with Malaysia: no coordination of schemes, no totalisation of periods and no cross-coverage.

Four payers may step in: the local scheme (employer and PERKESO), the French scheme kept in place (secondment), the CFE and international health insurance. The right cover is chosen before departure, depending on the residence permit, the employer and the budget. The notions of reimbursement base and out-of-pocket cost help compare offers. The conversions on this page follow the ECB reference rate of 02/10/2026: MYR 4.5849 per €1. How the care networks work is presented in the guide to the Malaysian healthcare system.

The local-contract employee is registered with PERKESO by their employer. PERKESO compensates work accidents, invalidity and, since 1 June 2026, accidents outside work, with care in approved clinics for work accidents. Ordinary illness and hospitalisation unrelated to an accident fall under the health insurance in the contract: ask the employer for the policy document, the ceilings, the exclusions and the list of facilities with direct billing. See the glossary entry on the local contract.

The seconded employee of a French employer stays affiliated to French social security (Sécurité sociale). In a country with no agreement, they are affiliated to both the French scheme and the scheme of the country of secondment, and the Urssaf (the French social contributions collection agency) issues the employer a certificate of continued affiliation to French social security (Assurance Maladie). The employee keeps paid invoices and proof of payment, then sends them to their fund in France, from their ameli account (the online account of French national health insurance) or with form S3125; reimbursement follows French social security rates, within the limit of the expenses incurred. See seconded or expat and the glossary entry on the seconded worker.

The self-employed person or digital nomad has no Malaysian employer to register them. The DE Rantau Nomad Pass requires, at endorsement, a health insurance contract valid in Malaysia, with at least three months of validity and covering the whole duration of the pass (MDEC). International insurance covering hospitalisation, outpatient care and repatriation, or the CFE, is the most complete solution for a stay of several months; see digital nomad insurance.

The student must hold medical insurance taken out in Malaysia, according to Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS). The plans offered by partner insurers show a limit of MYR 30,000 (about €6,543) or MYR 50,000 (about €10,905) per claim, for an annual premium of MYR 498 to 644 (about €109 to €141), with, depending on the plan, a deductible of MYR 25 or 50 per consultation or no deductible. Under 30, the CFE offers its youth plan. See student insurance abroad.

The retiree falls under neither the S1 form, valid in the European Union, nor an automatic Malaysian scheme: from the moment they leave, their healthcare costs are no longer covered by French national health insurance (Assurance Maladie). They choose between the CFE, with the retirees’ plan from €147 a month and no medical questionnaire, private insurance and a local contract. For their stays in France, they register with the CNAREFE (the national centre for French retirees living abroad) if they have contributed for at least 15 years to one or more compulsory French schemes. See the guide to retiree health insurance abroad and the page on retiring in Malaysia, which details the insurance required of Malaysia My Second Home participants.

The spouse and children follow the holder’s residence permit, like the dependants of a DE Rantau holder, which is open to the spouse, children under 18 and parents (MDEC). The family members of an expatriate are covered under the rules of the country of expatriation, and the CFE and international insurers offer family contracts. See expat family insurance.

In France, the CFE reimburses on the same principles as French national health insurance, with direct payment in public and private hospitals; abroad, it applies to the actual expense a reimbursement base in rates or flat amounts depending on the country of care. When the Malaysian price exceeds this base, the difference remains at the member’s expense: the guide to CFE reimbursements details this mechanism.

• Plans: the main plan from €87 a month, the youth plan from €57 a month, the retirees’ plan from €147 a month; the CFE asks for no health questionnaire and cannot exclude a member.
• Waiting period: immediate cover if enrolment takes place before departure or within three months of moving abroad; otherwise a three-month wait before age 45 and six months from age 45.
• Maternity: conception must come after enrolment or after joining as a dependant.

On returning to France, the CFE states that there is no waiting period. Without the CFE, CLEISS indicates that a person who resumes an activity in France is subject to the French scheme from the start of the activity with no waiting period for care; a pensioner contacts the CPAM (the local health insurance office) of their place of residence; a person with no activity applies for French universal health coverage on a residence basis, with in principle three months of waiting. See reducing the waiting period and the page on returning to France.

International health insurance at the first euro reimburses actual costs within its ceilings, after any deductible, waiting periods and exclusions of the contract. It gives access to private facilities, whose rates are not published, with direct billing depending on the network. Private care for non-citizens bears a service tax, presented in the guide to the Malaysian healthcare system: check that the contract covers it. Contracts are compared on the annual ceiling, the coverage zone, evacuation and the handling of prior medical history.

The tourist travels with a contract at their own expense: the French embassy reminds us that an assistance or insurance contract guaranteeing medical costs and medical repatriation is necessary; in general, a bank card covers hospitalisation and repatriation for stays of less than 90 days, depending on the contract terms, to be read before departure. See long-stay travel insurance.

• Consultation: MYR 40 (about €9) in public general practice and MYR 120 (about €26) for a specialist consultation for a non-citizen; private rates not published by the Ministry; CFE base depending on the country; actual costs for a first-euro contract; French rates for the seconded employee.
• Hospitalisation: from MYR 160 (about €35) a day in a third-class ward to MYR 500 (about €109) in a VIP executive room in the public sector, MYR 360 (about €79) in intensive care; in the private sector, a contract with direct billing avoids advancing the costs.
• Medicines: to be carried in their original packaging with a prescription by international nonproprietary name translated into English (France Diplomatie, the French foreign ministry); reimbursed within the contract ceilings.
• Dental: France Diplomatie advises seeing the dentist before departure; the dental benefit of the CFE or the international contract is in the table of benefits.
• Optical: glasses and lenses fall mostly under international contracts, with ceilings per period.
• Maternity: the public delivery room costs MYR 300 a day (about €65) for a non-citizen; the CFE requires conception after enrolment; a private contract generally sets its own waiting period, to be read before any pregnancy.

The reimbursement guide and the expat health insurance page give benchmarks; Expavy helps you weigh these options against your situation.