How to Fill Out Malaysia Digital Arrival Card – Step by Step Guide
Filling out the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) is a straightforward process that takes about 10-15 minutes when you have the right information ready. This step-by-step guide walks you through every field on the form, explains what each section requires, and highlights the details that travellers most often get wrong. Whether you are visiting Malaysia for the first time or returning for another trip, this guide ensures your MDAC submission goes smoothly.
Before You Start – What to Prepare
Gather these items before opening the MDAC portal to avoid interruptions mid-form:
- Valid passport – open to the biographical page with your photo and details
- Flight booking confirmation – showing your arrival date, flight number, and airline
- Accommodation details – hotel name, full street address, city, and postal code in Malaysia
- Active email address – you will receive a confirmation PIN at this address
- Phone number with country code – a number reachable during your trip
- Stable internet connection – the form will time out if your connection drops
Pro tip: Open your passport to the biographical page and your hotel booking confirmation in separate tabs or windows before you begin. This prevents switching back and forth while filling the form.
Step 1 – Access the Official MDAC Portal
Navigate to the official Malaysian Immigration Department MDAC website at https://imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac/main.
Important reminders for this step:
- Use only the official government portal – avoid third-party websites that charge fees for this free form
- The portal works on desktop, tablet, and mobile browsers
- Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge are all supported
- The site is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Once on the homepage, you will see two main options: “Register” for new submissions and “Check Registration” for verifying existing submissions.
Step 2 – Click “Register” and Enter Personal Details
Click the “Register” button to begin your MDAC application. The first section asks for your personal information:
Passport Information
| Field | What to Enter | Common Mistakes |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Exactly as shown on passport, including middle names | Using nicknames, shortened names, or different order |
| Passport Number | Alphanumeric code from passport bio page | Mixing up O/0, I/1, missing digits |
| Nationality | Country of citizenship matching your passport | Dual citizens selecting wrong passport country |
| Date of Birth | As shown on passport | Wrong date format or transposed numbers |
| Gender | As indicated on passport | – |
| Passport Expiry Date | Must be valid 6+ months beyond arrival | Entering issue date instead of expiry |
Contact Information
- Email address: Use an active email you can access immediately – the confirmation PIN is sent here
- Phone number: Include your country code (e.g., +44 for UK, +1 for US, +91 for India)
- Home address: Your residential address in your home country
Critical: Your name must match your passport exactly. If your passport shows “JOHN WILLIAM SMITH,” do not enter “John Smith” or “J.W. Smith.” Even a single character mismatch can cause problems at immigration.
Step 3 – Enter Travel Information
The second section captures your travel plans for entering Malaysia:
Arrival Details
- Arrival date: The date you will physically arrive in Malaysia (not your departure date)
- Port of entry: Select the specific airport, land checkpoint, or seaport where you will clear immigration
- Flight number: The flight number for the segment arriving in Malaysia (e.g., MH1, AK6253, SQ108)
- Mode of transport: Air, land, or sea
Common mistake: If you have connecting flights, use the flight number of the segment that arrives in Malaysia, not your first flight from home. For example, if you fly London to Singapore on BA15, then Singapore to Kuala Lumpur on MH602, enter MH602.
Purpose of Visit
Select the category that matches your trip:
- Tourism / Leisure
- Business
- Education
- Family Visit
- Medical
- Transit
Choose accurately – immigration officers may ask questions based on your declared purpose.
Step 4 – Enter Accommodation Address in Malaysia
This is one of the most error-prone sections. You need to provide your accommodation details in Malaysia:
What to Enter
- Hotel or residence name: Full name as it appears on your booking (e.g., “Hilton Kuala Lumpur” not just “Hilton”)
- Street address: Complete street name and building number
- City: The city where you are staying
- State: Malaysian state (e.g., Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang)
- Postal code: 5-digit Malaysian postal code
What to Put for the Postcode
The postcode field refers to your address in Malaysia. Enter the 5-digit postcode of the hotel or home where you stay after arrival. If you fly from Phnom Penh to Penang, for example, enter the postcode of your Penang accommodation – not a Cambodian postcode and not your home postcode. You can find it on your booking confirmation or on the hotel’s website.
Special Situations
If you are staying at multiple locations, enter the address of your first accommodation – the one where you will stay immediately after arrival.
If staying with friends or family, enter their complete residential address including house number, street, city, state, and postal code.
The system validates addresses strictly. A common error message is “Please enter Address (In Malaysia) properly” – this often means the address format does not match what the system expects. Try entering the address in a different format if you encounter this error.
How to Fix “Please enter Address (In Malaysia) properly”
- Copy the address from your hotel booking confirmation instead of typing it from memory
- Remove special characters such as #, /, & and brackets
- Write words in full instead of abbreviations (for example “Jalan” instead of “Jln”)
- Put the hotel name and the street address on separate lines
- Check that the city, state and 5-digit postcode belong to the same place
- If it is still rejected, try entering just the hotel name and city
Step 5 – Review All Details Carefully
Before clicking submit, you will see a summary page with all your entered information. This is your last chance to catch errors.
Review Checklist
| Check This | Compare Against |
|---|---|
| Name spelling | Passport biographical page, letter by letter |
| Passport number | Top of passport bio page |
| Date of birth | Passport |
| Arrival date | Flight booking confirmation |
| Flight number | Flight booking confirmation |
| Accommodation address | Hotel booking confirmation |
| Email address | Your active email inbox |
Take your time here. Many immigration problems stem from simple typos that could have been caught during review. Check each field twice, comparing it directly against your source documents.
Step 6 – Submit and Save Confirmation
Once you are confident all information is correct, click “Submit.”
What Happens Next
- You see an on-screen confirmation with a reference number
- An email with a PIN code is sent to your registered email address
- You can use the PIN to download your MDAC as a PDF via the “Check Registration” option
How to Save Your MDAC
- Take a screenshot of the confirmation page
- Download the PDF using the PIN and your passport number
- Save the confirmation email
- Store copies on your phone, in cloud storage, and optionally print a copy
Having multiple copies ensures you can access your MDAC even without internet connectivity at the airport.
How to Check Your MDAC Registration with the PIN
After submission, you can verify your registration at any time:
- Go to imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac/main
- Click “Check Registration”
- Enter your passport number and nationality
- Enter the PIN from your confirmation email
- View and download your MDAC
Troubleshooting Common Form Errors
“Please enter Address (In Malaysia) properly”
This error often appears even when the address looks correct. Try these solutions: remove special characters, enter the address without abbreviations, use a different format (e.g., put the hotel name on a separate line from the street address), or try entering just the hotel name and city without the full street address.
Portal rejects my arrival date
The MDAC can only be submitted within 3 days (72 hours) of your arrival date. If you are trying to submit earlier, the system will reject it. Wait until the 3-day window opens and try again.
I did not receive the confirmation email
Check your spam or junk folder first. If the email is not there, the address may have been entered incorrectly. In this case, submit a new MDAC with the correct email address. The MDAC itself may still be valid even without the email – use the “Check Registration” function to verify.
I made a mistake after submitting
You cannot edit a submitted MDAC. Submit a new one with the correct information. There is no penalty for multiple submissions, and the latest submission is what immigration will reference.
“Please key-in alphanumeric only”
This message means a field contains characters other than letters and numbers. Remove symbols, punctuation and accented letters from that field (often the passport number, flight number or address) and submit again.
“Please note that your trip must be within 3 days (including the date of submission)”
The arrival date you entered is outside the 3-day submission window. Check that you entered the arrival date in Malaysia (not your departure date) and, if your arrival is further away, wait until the window opens.
The MDAC website is not working
Try another browser or device, clear the browser cache, switch from mobile data to Wi-Fi (or the other way round) and try again later. Use only the official portal at imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac/main.
Quick Reference – MDAC Submission Timeline
| When | Action |
|---|---|
| 1-2 weeks before travel | Gather passport, flight details, and accommodation address |
| 3 days before arrival | MDAC submission window opens – submit your form |
| Immediately after submission | Save confirmation (screenshot + PDF + email) |
| Before heading to airport | Verify MDAC is accessible on your phone (offline copy) |
| At check-in counter | Airlines may verify MDAC completion before issuing boarding pass |
| At immigration in Malaysia | Present passport – officer verifies MDAC electronically |
The entire process from start to finish takes about 10-15 minutes. The key to a smooth experience is having all your documents ready before you begin and reviewing every field carefully before submission.
