How to fill in the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC)

What you need before you start

• Your passport, including its number, expiry date and your place of birth.
• An email address and a mobile phone number.
• Your arrival and departure dates.
• Your flight, vessel or transport number, and your last port of embarkation before Malaysia.
• Your address in Malaysia, with state, postcode and city.
• A computer if possible. The portal recommends desktop view.

Step by step

Autogate: foreign business and social travellers from 63 countries can use the autogate on arrival if their MDAC was "submitted 3 days before arrival" and they hold an e-Passport. Travellers from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia and Timor-Leste can use it on departure only. Check your status with "Check Egate Eligibility Status" on the portal. Australian travellers can use the autogate at KLIA Terminals 1 and 2 if their passport is valid for at least 6 months and they submitted the MDAC 3 days before arrival. Smartraveller says you complete an enrolment process on arrival first. Manual immigration counters remain available.

After an autogate entry, you receive an email with a link and a PIN to view your visit pass online. Take a snapshot of your visit pass and keep it on your phone.

For questions about your application, use the Immigration Department's online enquiry system at eapp.imi.gov.my.

1. 1Open the official portal at imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac/main and press "Register".
2. 2Fill in "Personal Information": "Name", "Passport No.", "Date of Birth", "Nationality / Citizenship", "Place of Birth", "Sex", "Date of Passport Expiry", "Email Address", "Confirm Email Address", "Country / Region Code" and "Mobile No.".
3. 3Fill in "Traveling Information": "Date of Arrival", "Date of Departure", "Flight / Vessel / Transportation No.", "Mode of Travel" (AIR, LAND or SEA) and "Last Port of Embarkation before Malaysia".
4. 4Fill in your accommodation: "Accommodation of Stay", "Address (In Malaysia)", "State", "Postcode" and "City". Use letters and numbers only in the address, as the form says: "Please key-in alphanumeric only".
5. 5Check that every field marked with an asterisk is filled in.
6. 6Complete the "Drag To Verify" slider and submit.
7. 7On arrival, show your completed MDAC to the border officer together with your passport.

When to submit

The MDAC has been mandatory since 1 January 2024. Submit it within 3 days before arrival in Malaysia. The form says: "Please note that your trip must be within 3 days (including the date of submission)". For example, if you arrive on 7 December, you can submit from 5 December.

Complete it before you travel. Airlines may ask for it at check-in.

Cost

No fee is shown on the official MDAC portal or the registration form. The Consulate-General of Japan in Kota Kinabalu warns that fake MDAC sites ask for a fee and card details, and says no fee needs to be paid for entry.

If a site asks you to pay for the MDAC, leave it and check the address. The official form is only on imigresen-online.imi.gov.my.

Families and children

• The registration form takes one passport number, so each form covers one passport.
• The official pages we checked do not say whether there is a group or family option, or how to submit for children. Check with the Immigration Department of Malaysia (imi.gov.my) before you travel.

Who doesn't need it

• Citizens of Singapore.
• Holders of diplomatic and official passports.
• Malaysian permanent residents and Malaysian Long Term Pass holders.
• Brunei General Certificate of Identity (GCI) holders.
• Holders of the Brunei Malaysia Frequent Traveller Facility.
• Thailand Border Pass holders.
• Indonesian Cross Border Pass (PLB) holders.
• Travellers who do not pass through immigration, such as those transiting within the same airport.

Fake websites: how to spot them

The Immigration Department of Malaysia has warned foreign tourists about fraudulent MDAC websites. It named one at malaysia-arrivalcard.vercel.app and said: "Always visit the official MDAC website at https://imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac/main to avoid scams and safeguard your personal information".

• The real form is on imigresen-online.imi.gov.my, part of imi.gov.my, the Immigration Department's own site. The department published this address as the official MDAC portal.
• Check that the address matches the official one before you type anything.
• Fake MDAC sites ask for a fee and credit card details, and card data entered there may be misused, according to the Consulate-General of Japan in Kota Kinabalu. Do not pay a fee or enter card details for the MDAC.

Common mistakes

• Submitting too early. Your trip must be within 3 days, counting the day you submit.
• Using a look-alike site instead of imigresen-online.imi.gov.my.
• Paying a fee or entering card details on a fake MDAC site.
• Assuming you do not need an MDAC when moving between KLIA Terminal 1 and KLIA2. This means passing passport control and leaving, so you need one.
• Using symbols in the Malaysian address field. The form accepts letters and numbers only.
• Leaving it until the airport. Airlines may ask for it at check-in.
• Expecting to use the autogate without an e-Passport or without submitting the MDAC 3 days before arrival.
• Not keeping your visit pass after an autogate entry. Take a snapshot and keep it on your phone.