Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC): How to Fill It, Step by Step

If you are flying to Malaysia, there is one form you cannot skip: the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card, or MDAC. It replaced the old paper arrival card and has been required for most foreign visitors since 1 January 2024, including Indian passport holders who now enter Malaysia visa-free. The good news is that it is free, quick and done entirely online.

This guide explains who must submit the MDAC, when to submit it, the details you will need, a step-by-step walkthrough of the form, and the common mistakes that cause problems at immigration.

The Malaysia Digital Arrival Card is an online pre-arrival declaration run by the Immigration Department of Malaysia. It collects your passport details, travel plans and address in Malaysia before you land, which helps immigration process visitors faster. It is not a visa: it does not give you permission to enter, and you still need to meet the entry conditions. But without it, you can face delays at the immigration counter or even be refused entry.

Almost all foreign visitors entering Malaysia by air, land or sea must submit the MDAC, whether they are visa-free or hold a visa. That includes Indian passport holders, children and infants (each traveller needs their own submission) and travellers coming by coach or train from Singapore.

• Exempt: Singapore citizens, holders of diplomatic and official passports, Malaysian permanent residents and a few other specific categories.
• Transit passengers who do not pass through immigration usually do not need it; if you leave the airport, you do.

Submit the MDAC within 3 days before your arrival in Malaysia, counting your arrival day. For example, if you land in Kuala Lumpur on 20 December, you can submit it from 17 December. The system will not accept dates further ahead. Submitting late on the day of travel is possible but risky, so do it the evening before your flight at the latest. On a Dreamland package, we send you a reminder before you travel.

• Full name exactly as in your passport, nationality, passport number and expiry date
• Date of birth, gender and place of birth
• Email address and mobile number (with country code, +91 for India)
• Arrival date, departure date and mode of travel (air, land or sea)
• Flight number, or coach or vessel details, and the last port or city you are travelling from
• Your accommodation type and full hotel address in Malaysia, including state, city and postcode

Keep your hotel voucher open when you fill in the form; the address on the voucher is what you should enter.

1. Go to the official site. Open the Immigration Department of Malaysia's MDAC page at imigresen-online.imi.gov.my. Do not use links from ads or unknown websites.
2. Start the registration. Choose to register a new arrival card. If you are travelling as a family, check whether the group option is offered; otherwise submit one form for each person.
3. Enter your personal details exactly as in your passport: name, passport number, nationality, date of birth and passport expiry date.
4. Add contact details: a working email address and phone number. The confirmation will be sent to this email.
5. Enter travel details: arrival and departure dates, mode of travel, flight or transport number and the last place you are travelling from.
6. Enter your accommodation in Malaysia, with the full address from your hotel booking.
7. Check and submit. Review every field, complete the security check and submit.
8. Save the confirmation. You will receive an email with your MDAC details and a PIN. Save it on your phone and keep a screenshot; carry a printout if you prefer.

Each traveller, including children, needs their own MDAC record. Where a group option is available, you can enter shared travel details once and add each person's passport information; otherwise, fill in one form per person, which takes only a few minutes each. Make sure each child's details match their own passport exactly. Use an email address you can access on your phone during the trip.

• Using a fake or agency website. The official MDAC is free. Websites that look official but charge a fee are not run by the Malaysian government; if you paid, you may not have a valid submission.
• Submitting too early. The system only accepts submissions within 3 days of arrival.
• Typing errors in the passport number, name or dates. If you made a mistake, submit a fresh form with the correct details.
• Forgetting family members. Every traveller needs an MDAC, including infants.
• Forgetting the return trip. On a Singapore, Malaysia, Singapore itinerary, you need a new MDAC each time you enter Malaysia.

If your package includes the express coach from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, you cross into Malaysia at the Johor land checkpoint, and the MDAC is still required. Submit it within 3 days before the crossing, choosing land as the mode of travel and entering the coach details. Read how the journey works in our Singapore to Kuala Lumpur by bus guide. Remember that Singapore has its own arrival card, the SG Arrival Card, for entering Singapore.

With your MDAC submitted, go to the immigration counter with your passport. The officer can see your submission in the system; you may be asked for the confirmation, your return ticket or your hotel booking. Visitors from some countries can use automated gates after registering; Indian travellers should follow the signs and current instructions at the airport. Remember that the MDAC is only one part of entry: Indian passport holders also need to meet the visa-free conditions explained in our Malaysia visa for Indians guide.