PUTRAJAYA: Immigration authorities are seeking the help of airlines to inform their Malaysia-bound passengers to complete the Malaysian Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) prior to arrival, as some visitors are still unaware of this latest requirement.
Immigration director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh (pic) said it was also seeking assistance from foreign missions here to inform their citizens back home of the need for the pre-arrival registration.
“We need cooperation from airlines and embassies to inform those travelling to Malaysia of the requirement.
“(This is) to avoid crowding at our entry points due to passengers not having filled up the MDAC beforehand,” he said in an interview.
Ruslin said despite the MDAC having been a requirement for the past three months, there were still travellers who did not know about it.
“When our officers queried them on why they did not register, these travellers said they were unaware of the policy and that airlines did not inform them of the requirement during check-in.
“We will talk to the airline operators committee so that they can advise airlines accordingly,” he said.
Ruslin said the number of those who arrived without registering was relatively small.
“Nevertheless, this needs to be rectified and travellers need to adhere to the requirement.
“Pre-registration is also important to ensure there are no disruptions to the flow at our entry checkpoints,” he said.
The department, he said, had informed Wisma Putra on MDAC’s implementation so that the information would be disseminated by Malaysia’s missions abroad.
“We want to ensure that those travelling to Malaysia are aware of this so that it will not inconvenience them when they arrive,” he added.
Beginning Jan 1, all foreigners travelling to Malaysia are required to complete the MDAC three days prior to arrival.
Exemptions are given to Singaporean citizens, diplomatic and official passport holders, Malaysian permanent residents and long term-pass holders, as well as Brunei general certificate of identity holders.
Holders of the Brunei-Malaysia frequent traveller facility, Thai border pass holders as well as Indonesia cross-border travel document holders are also exempted.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was reported to have said that the MDAC was important to ensure that security was not compromised even though Malaysia had relaxed entry conditions for tourists.
