The Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC), explained

The MDAC is run by the Immigration Department of Malaysia (Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia) on its own online portal, imigresen-online.imi.gov.my. It's a digital arrival declaration you complete online before you travel.

The same portal also lets you check your registration and your e-gate eligibility by entering your passport number and nationality — useful to confirm everything is in order before you fly.

Source: Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia — Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC), e-gate user eligibility, read 8 October 2026.

The most practical reason to submit your MDAC on time is the e-gates — the automated immigration lanes that save queueing at the counter. The Immigration Department's eligibility notes list:

• Foreign business and social travellers from 63 countries can use the e-gates
• travellers from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia and Timor-Leste are eligible for the e-gates on departure only
• the traveller must have submitted the MDAC within 3 days before arrival — except Malaysian permanent residents (PR) and long-term pass holders
• an e-passport is required

The portal's checker lets you look up your status by category: social visit, permanent resident or long-term pass holder.

A few habits make the first landing easy:

• Use the official portal — imigresen-online.imi.gov.my — and type the address yourself rather than following ads
• Submit in the 3-day window before your arrival date, so the e-gates are open to you
• Check your status on the portal after submitting, using your passport number
• if you're moving on a long-term pass, note that the MDAC condition for the e-gates doesn't apply to you

For enquiries, the MDAC portal directs applicants to the Immigration Department's online complaints and enquiries channel.