SEPANG, Dec 5 — Foreigners wishing to enter the country are given the flexibility until December 31 to fill in the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) at the country’s checkpoints, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Speaking at a press conference after inspecting the implementation of the Visa Liberalisation Plan at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 here today, he said that from January 1, 2024, foreigners will be required to fill in the digital card two or three days before arriving in the country.

"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.

"Filling this MDAC is important to ensure that security control is not compromised even though we relax the conditions for the entry of tourists,” he said, adding that MDAC has security features.

MDAC is one of the five main initiatives for the improvement of the Immigration Department’s service facilities, in line with the implementation of the Visa Liberalisation Plan (PLV) which exempts tourists from China and India from December 1 from visas for 30 days.

He said foreign tourists to Malaysia do not have to face the rather complicated visa application process by filling out the MDAC.

"We can monitor the movement or find out the residential address if they enter our country through MDAC,” he said.

In the meantime, Saifuddin said relaxation and MDAC exemptions are given mainly to individuals who are repeat travellers at the country’s borders.

"This is also to ensure there is no congestion at our international entry points,” he said.

Besides Singaporeans, also exempted from filling MDAC are holders of permanent Malaysian passports and Malaysian long-term passes, holders of Brunei common identification certificates (GCI) and Brunei Malaysia Frequent Traveller Facility, holders of Thai border passes and Indonesian Cross-Border passes.

Meanwhile, he said a total of 14 new Immigration Department counters were opened at KLIA in conjunction with the implementation of the visa exemption from December 1.

This brings the total number of immigration counters operating at KLIA to 60, to facilitate and speed up the movement of foreign visitors or tourists. — Bernama