Border control officer salary in Malaysia
What the job is: Customs and border inspectors check persons and vehicles crossing national borders to administer and enforce relevant government rules and regulations. ILO ISCO-08, 3351 Customs and Border Inspectors
- Assistant border officer (Pembantu Penguasa Sempadan, KS1): RM1,500 basic a month (SPM, or SVM in a related field), up to RM1,622 with higher qualifications.
- With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM2,265 a month at KS1.
- Assistant border superintendent (KS5): RM1,893 basic with a diploma, RM2,703 with allowances. STPM, STAM or matriculation starts at RM1,650.
- Border superintendent (KS9): RM2,470 basic, RM3,370 with allowances.
- Pay scale: grade 1 runs from RM1,500 to RM4,680, rising RM100 a year.
What a new border control officer earns
A border control officer at KS1 starts on RM1,500 basic, plus RM765 in fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM2,265 a month. Higher qualifications start higher.
Grade KS1, from the SPA service scheme and the JPA allowance circular. The starting point depends on the qualification.
| Qualification or pay item | Grade KS1 | RM a month |
|---|---|---|
| SPM, or SVM in a related field | Starting basic | 1,500 |
| SPM and SKM level 2 in a related field | Starting basic | 1,561 |
| SPM and SKM level 3 in a related field | Starting basic | 1,622 |
| Fixed allowances, Kawasan A | Housing (ITP) RM300, public service (ITKA) RM115, cost of living (BISH) RM350 | 765 |
| Total fixed pay at the start, SPM, or SVM in a related field | Basic plus fixed allowances, Kawasan A | 2,265 |
Sources: SPA scheme page for grade KS1; JPA Pekeliling Perkhidmatan 1/2024, Lampiran E. BISH is lower outside Kawasan A. Totals computed by Foundific.
- A year at the starting rate is RM2,265 × 12 = RM27,180.
- Candidates must be at least 1.57 m tall and 48 kg for men, or 1.53 m and 46 kg for women, with a BMI of 19 to 26.
- Men need a chest of at least 79 cm, or 84 cm expanded. All candidates need V6/9 eyesight without glasses and normal colour vision and hearing.
- The allowances counted here are the fixed ones in the JPA circular. Any allowance tied to a particular post is not included.
- Each grade also takes former police or army members of a set rank with a good service record, at the lowest starting pay for that grade.
- Yearly increments are not automatic. The head of department sets them based on performance.
- The SPA pages print the KS5 and KS9 starting pay against KP5 and KP9. The amounts are the same.
How to become a border control officer
Border control officers enter at KS1, KS5 and KS9, depending on the qualification.
| Entry level | Qualification | Starting basic, RM | With allowances, RM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assistant border officer (Pembantu Penguasa Sempadan, KS1) | SPM, or SVM in a related field | 1,500 | 2,265 |
| Assistant border officer (Pembantu Penguasa Sempadan, KS1) | SPM and SKM level 2 in a related field | 1,561 | 2,326 |
| Assistant border officer (Pembantu Penguasa Sempadan, KS1) | SPM and SKM level 3 in a related field | 1,622 | 2,387 |
| Assistant border superintendent (Penolong Penguasa Sempadan, KS5) | STPM, STAM or matriculation | 1,650 | 2,460 |
| Assistant border superintendent (Penolong Penguasa Sempadan, KS5) | Diploma | 1,893 | 2,703 |
| Border superintendent (Penguasa Sempadan, KS9) | Bachelor's degree with honours | 2,470 | 3,370 |
| Border superintendent (Penguasa Sempadan, KS9) | Former police inspector or army officer of at least second lieutenant rank | 2,250 | 3,150 |
Source: SPA scheme pages. Allowances from the JPA circular, Kawasan A: KS1 RM765, KS5 RM810, KS9 RM900. Totals computed by Foundific.
- Most routes need a credit in Bahasa Melayu at SPM or SVM. Former police or army members entering at KS1 must instead speak, read and write Bahasa Melayu satisfactorily.
How pay grows on the government scale
Grade 1 pay rises RM100 a year, from RM1,500 up to RM4,680. Promotion to a higher grade moves an officer onto a higher range.
Minimum and maximum monthly basic salary for each SSPA grade, 2026.
| Grade | Who | Minimum | Maximum | Yearly increment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assistant border officer, entry with SPM | 1,500 | 4,680 | 100 |
| 5 | Assistant border superintendent, entry with STPM or a diploma | 1,650 | 6,620 | 145 |
| 9 | Border superintendent, entry with a degree or as a former officer | 2,250 | 11,110 | 225 |
| 10 | Promotion grade | 3,840 | 12,150 | 250 |
| 12 | Promotion grade | 5,530 | 13,540 | 270 |
| 13 | Promotion grade | 6,210 | 14,370 | 290 |
| 14 | Promotion grade | 6,560 | 15,360 | 320 |
Source: Ministry of Finance, Budget 2026 establishment list, Lampiran A: SSPA salary codes and minimum-maximum salaries (page A-1). Basic salary only.
- With increments alone, at RM100 a year, an officer starting at RM1,500 would need about 32 yearly increments to reach RM4,680.
Pay after 5, 10 and 20 years
Starting at RM1,500 at grade 1, with the RM100 yearly increment and no promotion. The grade maximum, RM4,680, is reached after about 32 years.
| Years in grade | Basic, RM a month | With fixed allowances, RM a month | Fixed pay, RM a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| At the start | 1,500 | 2,265 | 27,180 |
| After 5 years | 2,000 | 2,765 | 33,180 |
| After 10 years | 2,500 | 3,265 | 39,180 |
| After 20 years | 3,500 | 4,265 | 51,180 |
Foundific calculation from the Budget 2026 SSPA scale, with fixed allowances at the Kawasan A rate, which do not rise with increments. Promotion, special payments and allowance changes are not included.
Compared with Malaysian pay overall
A new border control officer's fixed pay, RM2,265, is below the RM2,940 median for Malaysian citizens. The public administration and defence median, RM4,483, covers workers of all grades and years.
| Figure | Source | RM a month |
|---|---|---|
| New border control officer, KS1, basic plus fixed allowances, Kuala Lumpur | SPA and JPA, 2026 | 2,265 |
| Median salary, public administration and defence | DOSM, 2024 | 4,483 |
| Median salary, all Malaysian citizens | DOSM, 2025 | 2,940 |
| Median salary, semi-skilled workers, citizens | DOSM, 2025 | 2,223 |
- The industry median covers all employees in the industry.
- DOSM figures cover all paid employees and all ages. The government figure is one fixed pay point. Use them to show scale only.
- Compare your own pay with this scale, the DOSM figures and court awards in the Malaysia salary comparison.
Border control officers outside government
No official source publishes border control officer pay outside government.
- DOSM publishes salaries by state, sector and skill level, but not by job title.
- Private surveys and job ads use different measures and samples, so their figures are not mixed into the tables here.
Data sources and coverage
Government pay for border control officers is exact. No official source covers private-sector pay for the job.
| Source | What it gives | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| SPA service schemes KS1, KS5, KS9 | Starting basic pay by qualification | Strong: official and current |
| Budget 2026, SSPA pay scale | Minimum, maximum and yearly increment for every grade | Strong: official and current |
| JPA SSPA circular, Lampiran E | Fixed allowances by grade and area | Strong: official |
| DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey 2024 and 2025 | Industry and national medians | Weak for one job title |
- A payslip shows basic plus allowances plus any shift, on-call or overtime pay, so it can be higher than the fixed figures here.
Is border control officer work affected by AI?
The International Labour Organization puts customs and border inspectors in its “Minimal” group for exposure to generative AI. Its scores cover the job worldwide, so they apply in Malaysia too.
Based on the International Labour Organization's 2025 index, which scores every core task of a job from 0 (AI cannot help) to 1 (AI could do nearly all of it).
AI can help with a small part of this job, mostly paperwork.
- Most exposed taskPerforming related administrative tasks
- Least exposed taskPatrolling national borders and coastal waters
- In numbersAI could do a large part of 1 of its 8 main tasks.
- Not exposed
- Minimal
- Some
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
Scored as ILO group 3351 Customs and border inspectors. Average task score 0.32, higher than 60% of the 427 jobs the ILO scored.
| Factor | Border control officer |
|---|---|
| 1Exposure levelThe ILO's rating for the whole job, from not exposed up to very high. | Minimal |
| 2Average task scoreHow much of each core task generative AI could do, averaged. 0 means none, 1 means nearly all. | 0.32 higher than 60% of jobs |
| 3Tasks AI could do much ofTasks scoring 0.5 or more. These are the parts of the job most likely to change. | 1 of 8 |
| 4Hands-on or people tasksTasks scoring under 0.25: physical, in-person or judgement work that AI barely touches. | 3 of 8 |
| 5How even the exposure isEven means AI touches most tasks a little. Uneven means a few tasks are exposed and the rest are not. | Mixed (0.14) |
| 6Most exposed taskWhere AI tools are likely to show up first. | Performing related administrative tasks to record findings… 0.53 |
| 7Least exposed taskThe task AI can help with least. | Patrolling national borders and coastal waters to stop… 0.12 |
- 0.53Performing related administrative tasks to record findings, transactions…
- 0.48Checking travel documents of persons crossing national borders to ensure that…
- 0.42Examining transport documents and freight of vehicles crossing national…
- 0.12Patrolling national borders and coastal waters to stop persons from illegally…
- 0.18Detaining persons and seizing prohibited and undeclared goods found to be in…
- 0.24Coordinating and cooperating with other agencies involved in law enforcement…
| Job | Exposure | Avg task score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative assistant | Very high | 0.59 | |
| Accountant | High | 0.51 | |
| IT officer | Moderate | 0.49 | |
| Computer technician | Moderate | 0.47 | |
| Information officer | Moderate | 0.43 | |
| PTD officer | Minimal | 0.42 | |
| Town planner | Minimal | 0.41 | |
| Psychologist | Some | 0.39 | |
| Science officer | Minimal | 0.39 | |
| Architect | Minimal | 0.37 | |
| Legal officer | Minimal | 0.36 | |
| Pharmacist | Minimal | 0.33 | |
| Border control officer | Minimal | 0.32 | |
| Quantity surveyor | Not exposed | 0.30 | |
| Engineer | Not exposed | 0.30 | |
| Teacher | Not exposed | 0.30 | |
| Doctor | Not exposed | 0.29 | |
| Agriculture officer | Not exposed | 0.28 | |
| Physiotherapist | Minimal | 0.28 | |
| Environmental health officer | Not exposed | 0.28 | |
| Assistant engineer | Not exposed | 0.28 | |
| Medical assistant | Not exposed | 0.23 | |
| Radiographer | Not exposed | 0.22 | |
| Nurse | Minimal | 0.22 | |
| Community nurse | Not exposed | 0.20 | |
| Occupational therapist | Not exposed | 0.20 | |
| Firefighter | Not exposed | 0.18 | |
| Dentist | Not exposed | 0.15 | |
| Veterinarian | Not exposed | 0.14 | |
| Prison officer | Not exposed | 0.14 |
- Exposure measures how much of the work AI could do or speed up. It does not measure job cuts.
What the pay figures include
Every figure is monthly basic pay or fixed allowances, before deductions.
| Measure | Includes | Excludes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic salary | Gaji pokok on the SSPA scale | Allowances, shift, on-call and overtime pay, special payments |
| Fixed allowances | ITP, BISH, ITKA or ITK, and BIPK as advertised for the post | Shift, on-call and overtime pay |
| DOSM salary | Monthly salaries and wages of paid employees | Self-employed and unpaid family workers |
Questions
What is the border control officer salary in Malaysia?
A new government border control officer starts on RM1,500 basic a month (KS1, SPM, or SVM in a related field). With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur the total is RM2,265 a month, in 2026.
What is the border control officer salary per year in Malaysia?
RM2,265 a month is RM27,180 a year in fixed pay, before any shift, on-call or overtime pay and before the special payments the government announces each year.
How does a government border control officer's pay grow with years in service?
On the yearly increment alone, basic pay at grade 1 rises RM100 a year: from RM1,500 to about RM2,000 after 5 years and RM2,500 after 10, before any promotion. Foundific calculation from the Budget 2026 scale.
What is the highest border control officer salary in government?
Grade 1 runs from RM1,500 to RM4,680 in basic pay. Promotion can lead to grade 14, with a maximum basic of RM15,360 a month (Budget 2026).
How much does a border control officer earn in a private company?
No official source publishes border control officer pay outside government.
What is the difference between KS1 and KS9 for border control officers?
KS1 (assistant border officer) is the SPM entry and starts at RM1,500 basic. KS9 (border superintendent) is the degree entry and starts at RM2,470. The KS9 scale runs to RM11,110, against RM4,680 at KS1.
Where do these figures come from?
Starting pay is from the SPA service scheme pages, the pay scale from the Budget 2026 establishment list, and allowances from the JPA SSPA circular. Private-sector context is from DOSM and Industrial Court awards.
Related guides
Sources
SPA service schemes, Ministry of Finance Budget 2026, JPA SSPA circular, DOSM
- Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Pembantu Penguasa Sempadan Gred Ks1 M.
- Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Penolong Penguasa Sempadan Gred Ks5 M.
- Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Pegawai Sempadan Gred Ks9.
- Ministry of Finance, Budget 2026 establishment list, Lampiran A. SSPA minimum-maximum salaries, page A-1.
- JPA, Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bil. 1/2024 (SSPA), Lampiran E: ITP, ITKA and BISH by grade and area.
- DOSM, Salaries & Wages Survey Report 2025 and the 2024 report.