Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC): how to fill it in before you fly

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The arrival card sounds like extra admin, but it is a ten-minute job if you have the right details to hand. Here is the order to do it in.

What the MDAC is

It is an online arrival declaration used by Malaysian immigration. It replaces the paper form most older guides mention. Airlines may ask to see that you have done it when you check in, so do not leave it to the airport.

What you need before you start

• Your passport (check the six-month validity first)
• Flight number and arrival date
• The name and address of your first hotel or accommodation
• An email address and a mobile number

Step by step

1. Open the official government arrival card site. Type the address carefully or follow the link from the Malaysian immigration or GOV.UK page, because paid lookalike sites exist.
2. Enter your passport details exactly as printed, including your full name order.
3. Add your flight and accommodation details.
4. Answer the declaration questions truthfully.
5. Submit and save the confirmation as a screenshot and a PDF if offered.

Common mistakes

• Paying a third-party site. The official form should not charge you.
• Typos in the passport number. Check twice.
• Leaving it until the airport. Mobile signal and queues make it stressful.
• Forgetting that every traveller, including children and babies, needs their own details entered.

Rules change. Check GOV.UK Malaysia entry requirements and your airline before you book or fly.