MALAYSIA MDAC TRAVEL GUIDE
Planning to enter Malaysia by plane, car, bus, ferry, or cruise ship? The Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) is generally required for foreign visitors who are subject to the MDAC requirement, regardless of their method of arrival. Learn how the requirement applies to different entry methods and what information to prepare before traveling.
Travelers arriving at Malaysian airports are generally required to complete an MDAC if they fall within the applicable visitor categories. This includes visitors arriving on international flights, subject to relevant exemptions.
Before traveling, prepare your passport details, expected arrival and departure dates, flight information, and accommodation details in Malaysia.
Entering Malaysia through a land border does not automatically exempt a traveler from the MDAC requirement. Foreign visitors traveling by car, bus, or other land transportation may still need to complete an MDAC, depending on their nationality, travel documents, and immigration status.
This is relevant to travelers using road border crossings, including routes between Singapore and Malaysia or Thailand and Malaysia.
Foreign visitors arriving in Malaysia by ferry, cruise ship, or other sea transportation may also be subject to MDAC requirements. Traveling by sea does not automatically remove the requirement to complete an arrival declaration.
Travelers should prepare their relevant transportation details, expected arrival information, and accommodation details before completing an application.
IMPORTANT TO KNOW
The MDAC requirement is generally determined by the traveler's circumstances, including nationality, travel document, and immigration status, rather than simply whether they arrive by air, land, or sea.
Travelers who are required to complete an MDAC should prepare their arrival declaration for the relevant journey. Changing from air travel to a land or sea crossing does not, by itself, remove the requirement.
Certain travelers may qualify for exemptions. Travelers should consider their applicable immigration status and travel-document conditions before relying on an exemption.
BEFORE YOU TRAVEL
Regardless of your method of travel, having your information ready can make the application process easier.
Your full name, date of birth, nationality, and country of birth.
Your passport number, expiry date, and other relevant passport information.
Your expected dates of arrival in and departure from Malaysia.
Your mode of travel and relevant flight, vessel, or transportation number.
Information about where you will stay in Malaysia, together with your email address and contact number.
The Malaysia Digital Arrival Card is an electronic arrival declaration and does not replace a visa or other entry permission. Travelers who require a visa must meet the relevant visa requirements separately.
Completing an MDAC does not guarantee admission into Malaysia. Entry decisions remain subject to the applicable immigration procedures.
Foreign visitors arriving by air generally need to complete an MDAC if they fall within the applicable visitor categories. Certain exemptions may apply depending on their nationality, travel document, or immigration status.
Entering Malaysia from Singapore by road does not automatically exempt a visitor from the MDAC requirement. The applicable requirement depends on the traveler's nationality, travel document, and immigration status.
Foreign visitors arriving by sea may also be subject to MDAC requirements. Traveling by ferry or cruise ship does not automatically provide an exemption.
Malaysian Permanent Residents and qualifying long-term pass holders are generally exempt from the MDAC requirement, subject to the conditions applicable to their status or pass category.
Traveling to Malaysia by air, land, or sea? Prepare your passport and travel details before starting your MDAC application.
