What is the  Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC)?

The MDAC is a free online registration every foreign visitor to Malaysia submits within 3 days before each arrival, by air, land, or sea. It is not a visa, and seven groups are exempt. Fill it in on the Immigration Department’s portal or MyNIISe app, and show it with your passport at the immigration counter.

Is the MDAC a visa?

No. It is Malaysia’s online arrival registration for foreign visitors, completed before you arrive.

  • It is separate from any visa and visa-free travelers still submit it
  • At the immigration counter you show your MDAC registration and your passport

Do I need to fill in the MDAC?

Required

  • All foreign citizens traveling to Malaysia
  • Arriving by air, land, or sea

Not required

  • Citizens of Singapore
  • Diplomatic and official passport holders
  • Malaysian permanent residents and long-term pass holders
  • Brunei General Certificate of Identity (GCI) holders
  • Brunei–Malaysia Frequent Traveller Facility holders
  • Thailand Border Pass holders
  • Indonesia Cross-Border Travel Document (PLB) holders

That list is the Immigration Department’s own, in force since 1 January 2024. If you are not on it, you register whether or not you need a visa.

When do I submit the MDAC?

3 days

Within 3 days before you arrive in Malaysia. The day you submit counts as one of the three.

On the official website, the Date of Arrival calendar only offers today, tomorrow, and the day after. If your date isn’t there yet, it’s too early to register.

What is the official MDAC website?

imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac/main

If the address bar does not say imigresen-online.imi.gov.my, you are not on the Immigration Department’s MDAC site. The department’s MDAC announcements and FAQ are on www.imi.gov.my.

The Immigration Department’s MyNIISe app is a second official way to fill in the MDAC. Questions go to the department’s own inquiry system at eapp.imi.gov.my.

How do I fill in the MDAC?

Step-by-step guide to the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card

Is the MDAC free?

Yes. The official portal charges nothing.

What changes if I arrive in Malaysia by land or sea?

The MDAC applies at land and sea checkpoints as well as airports: the official form’s Mode of Travel box offers AIR, LAND, and SEA.

  • “Last Port of Embarkation before Malaysia” is a list of countries, not ports. Crossing from a neighboring country, pick that country. For example THA - THAILAND.
  • Coming by ferry, the vessel number goes in the Flight / Vessel / Transportation No. box.
  • Four entries on the exemption list above are for Brunei, Thailand, and Indonesia: holding one of those exempts you, but a Bruneian, Thai, or Indonesian passport on its own does not.

Crossing from Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, or Indonesia? Find your passport in the list below for what applies to you.

Official sources: Immigration Department: MDAC registration form · Immigration Department: “Who is eligible” infographic

What if something went wrong with my MDAC?

Not sure it went through
Use “Check Registration” on the official portal: it asks for your passport number, nationality, and a PIN
A detail was wrong
Submit a new MDAC with the correct details. That is what the Immigration Department’s FAQ says to do

Never pay a third party to “fix” it.

FAQ

Do I need an MDAC if I’m only transiting?
If you stay airside in the same KLIA terminal, the Immigration Department highly recommends filing one anyway, in case you need to enter Malaysia in an emergency. If you land at one terminal and fly out from another terminal or airport, you must file it.
Do I fill in anything when I leave Malaysia?
Not for the MDAC: its steps stop at arrival, and nothing in the Immigration Department’s MDAC material asks you to file anything when you leave. The departure date you enter is part of your arrival registration.
I’m crossing for the day. Do I need an MDAC?
Yes, unless you are on the exemption list. Each entry needs its own MDAC, and the official form lets your departure date be the same day as your arrival.
Does one MDAC cover more than one trip?
No. Each registration has a single arrival date, and the Immigration Department’s e-gate infographics tell travelers to submit it “FOR EVERY VISIT”.
Can I fill in the MDAC for my family?
Yes. The Immigration Department’s FAQ puts no restriction on filling it in for someone else, though each traveler still goes through the immigration check at the counter. On the website, the form takes one person per page, with no button to add another traveler, so each traveler gets their own registration.
Can I use the MyNIISe app instead of the website?
Yes. Malaysia’s Immigration Department says the MDAC can be filled in directly in its MyNIISe app, within the same 3-day window. We found no official guide to signing up as a foreign visitor; reporters who registered describe scanning your passport’s photo page, holding the passport to your phone so it can read the chip (NFC), and taking a selfie. The website form needs none of that.
How do I avoid a fake MDAC website?
Check the address bar for imigresen-online.imi.gov.my. Malaysia’s Immigration Department has publicly warned travelers about a fake MDAC website and tells them to use only that official address. Submitting there costs nothing.
How current is this?
We last checked this guide against the official sources on 19 Sep 2026. The last change we recorded on the official MDAC portal was 16 Sep 2026.

What do I need to do before arriving in Malaysia?

Unless you are on the Immigration Department’s exempt list, register each traveler for free on imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac/main or in the MyNIISe app within 3 days before every arrival, then show the registration and your passport at the immigration counter.

What’s different for your passport: Singapore · India · Brunei · Thailand · Indonesia

Does your passport need the MDAC?