Malaysia exempts Singaporeans from filling in digital arrival card

The Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) will not be required for those who travel to the country frequently, said Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on Tuesday.

“This is also to ensure there is no congestion at our international entry points,” he told members of the media at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Besides Singaporeans, the following categories of travellers are also not required to complete the MDAC: Malaysia long-term pass holders, those with Brunei common identification certificates and Brunei Malaysia Frequent Traveller Facility, holders of Thai border passes and Indonesian Cross-Border passes.

The announcement on Tuesday comes days after the country’s Immigration Department said on Facebook that the digital arrival card would be compulsory for all foreign nationals.

This sparked discussion among some travellers, with confusion over whether this would be required of all arrivals, including those driving from Singapore. Some also said it was unclear whether this was compulsory for entry via both manual immigration counters and e-gates.

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At the time, the department’s official website only specified exemptions for permanent residents, Malaysia Automated Clearance System (MACS) holders, and those “transiting or transferring through Singapore without seeking immigration clearance”.

A grace period is currently in effect until December 31.

“They can still fill out the digital card once they get here because some visitors only knew about this implementation upon arrival, so flexibility is given,” said Saifuddin.

From January 1, travellers who are required to fill in the form must do so two to three days before arrival, he added.

“Filling this MDAC is important to ensure that security control is not compromised even though we relax the conditions for the entry of tourists,” the minister said.

The MDAC is one of Malaysia’s five initiatives to improve the services of its Immigration Department. It is in line with the implementation of its visa liberalisation plan, which exempts tourists from China and India from December 1 from visas for 30 days.