The short version
A foreign buyer in Johor deals with three things a Malaysian buyer never sees. The state has to approve the purchase. The state charges a fee for that approval. And the stamp duty on the transfer is a flat 8%, where a Malaysian pays a tiered rate that starts at 1%. None of this is special to Amora. It applies to a home anywhere in Johor Bahru.
You will not find Amora prices on this page. Prices move by floor, facing and package, and this site does not publish them. I have run the sums at round prices so you can see how the costs behave, then you can put your own figure in. Ask me for the current price list first.
Who counts as a foreign buyer
The Johor land office, PTG Johor, uses the term "foreign interest". It covers four kinds of buyer: a person who is not a Malaysian citizen, a permanent resident, a foreign company or institution, and a local company in which foreign parties hold more than 50% of the voting rights.
The second one catches people out. A permanent resident who has lived in Johor for twenty years still needs the state approval. So does a Sdn Bhd that is mostly owned from Singapore. If you plan to buy in joint names with a Malaysian spouse, ask your lawyer how the land office will treat that before you sign anything.
The RM1,000,000 line
PTG Johor publishes a table of what a foreign interest may buy direct from a developer. Flats, service apartments and holiday homes sit on one row: a minimum price of RM1,000,000, and up to 50% of the units in the project. The same RM1,000,000 minimum applies if you buy a completed unit from an owner later.
A price under RM1,000,000 is not an automatic no. The state fee table has its own line for a commercial service apartment or SOHO that the state allows to be sold below the minimum price, and that permission comes from the State Authority. It is a separate approval, and you should not assume a project has it.
So for any Amora unit under RM1,000,000, ask two things. Does the project hold approval to sell below the line to foreign buyers? Does it cover this unit? Get both answers in writing before a booking fee leaves your account.
One more rule from the same page. Units set aside for the Bumiputera quota are closed to foreign interests unless the state has released them.
Where each layout meets the line
This table is arithmetic on the six published sizes. It shows the price per square foot at which each layout reaches RM1,000,000.
| Layout | Built-up | Reaches RM1,000,000 at |
|---|---|---|
| Type A1, 3 bedrooms | 990 sq ft | RM1,010 per sq ft |
| Type A2, 3 bedrooms | 1,015 sq ft | RM985 per sq ft |
| Type B1, dual key | 1,290 sq ft | RM775 per sq ft |
| Type B2, dual key | 1,455 sq ft | RM687 per sq ft |
| Type C1 and C2, penthouse | 2,230 sq ft | RM448 per sq ft |
It is not a price list. Hold it next to the one I send you and you will see at once which rule your unit falls under. The bigger the layout, the lower the price per square foot at which it clears the line.
Ask which price goes on the Sale and Purchase Agreement too. The state fee is worked from the agreement price, so if a rebate takes that figure under RM1,000,000, ask which rule the unit then falls under.
The two costs, at three prices
The state approval fee. PTG Johor charges 3% of the price in the stamped agreement, with a minimum of RM30,000 for each title. For a commercial service apartment or SOHO approved for sale below RM1,000,000 the minimum is RM50,000. The 3% rate started on 1 July 2025. Before that it was 2% with a RM20,000 minimum, and plenty of older articles still quote those figures. The land office guideline gives you 30 days from the approval letter to pay.
Stamp duty. Since 1 January 2026 a buyer who is not a citizen and not a permanent resident pays a flat 8% on the transfer of residential property. Does a serviced apartment count as residential? For a home, yes. The Stamp Act definition, added by the Finance Act 2025, names a service apartment used solely as a dwelling. The duty is worked on the price or the market value, whichever is higher.
| Example price | 8% stamp duty | State fee | Extra for a foreign buyer | Share of price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RM800,000 | RM64,000 | RM50,000 minimum | RM114,000 | 14.3% |
| RM1,000,000 | RM80,000 | RM30,000 | RM110,000 | 11.0% |
| RM1,200,000 | RM96,000 | RM36,000 | RM132,000 | 11.0% |
Example prices only, not Amora prices. The RM800,000 row assumes the below-RM1,000,000 approval has been granted. Legal fees, loan costs and furnishing come on top.
Look at the first two rows. The RM800,000 home costs a foreign buyer RM4,000 more in extras than the RM1,000,000 home, because the minimum fee jumps from RM30,000 to RM50,000 below the line. If you are torn between a smaller layout under RM1,000,000 and a larger one just over it, the larger one carries the lighter load: 11.0% of the price against 14.3%.
Foreign, permanent resident and Malaysian on the same home
A Malaysian citizen pays the tiered duty: 1% on the first RM100,000, 2% on the next RM400,000, 3% on the next RM500,000 and 4% on anything above RM1,000,000. There is no state fee. A permanent resident also pays the tiered duty, because the 8% rate leaves permanent residents out, but still pays the state fee.
| Example price | Malaysian citizen | Permanent resident | Foreign buyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| RM800,000 | RM18,000 | RM68,000 | RM114,000 |
| RM1,000,000 | RM24,000 | RM54,000 | RM110,000 |
| RM1,200,000 | RM32,000 | RM68,000 | RM132,000 |
The gap between the first and last columns runs from RM86,000 to RM100,000. Why does a foreign buyer need to know what a local pays? Because the person who buys from you one day is most likely Malaysian. That buyer never faced these costs and will not pay you back for them. Count the gap as the price of getting in, and plan to hold long enough for it to matter less.
When you sell
Real Property Gains Tax is charged on the gain. A foreign owner pays 30% on a sale within five years of buying and 10% from the sixth year on. The buyer's lawyer also holds back 7% of the sale price from a foreign seller until the tax is settled.
Amora has a target completion of 2030, subject to the developer's confirmation, so part of those five years passes while the towers go up. Ask your lawyer which date starts the clock for your unit.
What the land office asks for
The application goes to PTG Johor with a copy of your passport, the Sale and Purchase Agreement, the land title, and the current quit rent and assessment receipts. On a purchase from a developer, the developer fills in a form of its own. A company buyer adds its constitution, statutory forms, a board resolution and a company secretary's letter on who owns the shares.
Check these before you pay a booking fee
- Ask me what is open right now. The latest record on this site does not show residential units open for selection, so do not plan around a unit until that is confirmed.
- Get the agreement price for the exact unit, after any rebate. That figure decides which side of RM1,000,000 you are on.
- If it is under RM1,000,000, ask for written proof that the State Authority allows a foreign buyer to take that unit.
- Ask how much of the 50% foreign quota is left in the project.
- Ask who files the application, the developer or your lawyer, and what happens to your booking fee if the state says no.
- Confirm the unit is not a Bumiputera lot.
- Check the developer's delivery record; the Astaka Kimlun developer guide lists what the group has delivered in Johor Bahru, from The Astaka, completed in June 2018, to Menara MBJB.
Still choosing between Tampoi projects? Aliff Heights is completed and freehold, with asking prices of RM380,000 to RM450,000 on 9 October 2026. Tampoi Heights is leasehold, listed from RM379,800, with completion targeted for November 2027. Both are advertised far below RM1,000,000, so for a foreign buyer the same approval question comes first there too. The Tampoi new launch comparison sets all three side by side.
My take
For a buyer from Singapore, the case for Amora is space. These are three and four bedroom homes of 990 to 2,230 sq ft, freehold, 8.5 km from the JB CIQ and the RTS station at Bukit Chagar. The foreign costs are heavy but they are known in advance: budget about 11% on top of the price at RM1,000,000 and above, and closer to 14% on a RM800,000 home. If the unit you like sits under the line, the approval question comes before everything else. Send me your nationality and the layout, and I will come back with what is open and a cost sheet for that unit.
Questions foreign buyers ask about Amora
Can a foreigner buy a unit at Amora Serviced Residence?
Service apartments are on the list of property Johor allows foreign interests to buy from a developer. The published minimum price is RM1,000,000 and up to 50% of the units in a project can go to foreign buyers. A unit priced below RM1,000,000 needs a separate State Authority approval, so confirm the position for your exact unit in writing before you pay a booking fee.
What is the minimum price for a foreigner to buy property in Johor Bahru?
RM1,000,000. The Johor land office lists that minimum for houses, flats, service apartments and holiday homes, for a purchase from a developer and for a sub-sale. The same figure applies to shops, offices and industrial property. The page was last modified on 6 May 2026 and I read it on 6 October 2026.
How much is the Johor state fee for a foreign buyer in 2026?
3% of the price in the stamped Sale and Purchase Agreement, with a minimum of RM30,000 for each title. That is RM30,000 on a RM1,000,000 home and RM36,000 on RM1,200,000. For a commercial service apartment or SOHO approved for sale below RM1,000,000 the minimum is RM50,000.
Do foreigners pay 8% stamp duty on a serviced apartment?
Yes, if it is bought as a home. Since 1 January 2026 a buyer who is not a Malaysian citizen and not a permanent resident pays a flat 8% on the transfer of residential property, and the Stamp Act definition of residential property includes a service apartment used solely as a dwelling. On RM1,000,000 that is RM80,000. Non-residential property is charged 4%.
Does a Malaysian permanent resident need approval to buy at Amora?
Yes. The Johor land office counts a permanent resident as a foreign interest, so the state approval and its fee apply. The 8% stamp duty does not, because it is written for buyers who are neither citizens nor permanent residents. On a RM1,000,000 home a permanent resident pays RM24,000 in tiered duty plus the RM30,000 fee, RM54,000 in all.
How much extra does a foreign buyer pay on a RM1,000,000 home in Johor?
About RM110,000 before legal fees and loan costs: RM80,000 in stamp duty at 8% and RM30,000 for the state approval fee at 3%. A Malaysian citizen buying the same home pays RM24,000 in stamp duty and no state fee, so the gap is RM86,000.
What tax does a foreign owner pay when selling a home in Malaysia?
Real Property Gains Tax on the gain: 30% if the sale is within five years of buying and 10% from the sixth year. The buyer's lawyer also holds back 7% of the sale price from a foreign seller until the tax is settled.
Is Amora Serviced Residence freehold, and when will it be ready?
It is freehold, with 617 homes in two towers by Astaka Kimlun Sdn Bhd, sold as a serviced apartment under the Housing Development Act. The target completion is 2030, subject to the developer's confirmation.
Buying from Singapore or overseas?
Send me your nationality, the layout you like and your budget. I will check what is open, tell you which side of the RM1,000,000 line it falls on, and send an itemised cost sheet before you commit to anything.
WhatsApp Chris +60 10-369 8656