The Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) is completely free of charge. There is no government fee, processing fee, or service charge to register the MDAC at the official portal operated by Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia. Any website or agent asking you to pay for MDAC is an unofficial third party – you should avoid them entirely.
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MDAC Fee – RM 0
The official MDAC costs RM 0 (zero Malaysian Ringgit) – free for all nationalities, all travel purposes, and all entry points. This is confirmed by Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia (JIM) policy. The Malaysian government does not charge any fee at any step of the MDAC process:
- Account registration: Free
- Form submission: Free
- QR code generation: Free
- Confirmation PDF download: Free
- Status check: Free
- Re-submission if errors occur: Free
Why Do Some Websites Charge for MDAC?
MDAC scam sites are a significant problem. Dozens of unofficial websites impersonate the official JIM portal and charge fees ranging from USD 10 to USD 80 for a service the Malaysian government provides for free. These sites frequently appear in paid search results above the official portal, which is why many travelers accidentally pay.
These third-party services are:
- Not affiliated with the Malaysian government
- Not faster than the free official portal
- Not offering any additional legitimacy or “priority processing”
- Simply filling in the free form on your behalf and charging for it
If you paid a third-party for MDAC, contact your bank immediately to dispute the charge. Your MDAC itself may be valid if the service actually submitted it through the official portal, but the fee you paid was unnecessary.
How to Identify the Official Free MDAC Portal
The only legitimate MDAC portal has these characteristics:
- URL ends in .gov.my: imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac/main
- No payment requested: At no stage does the official portal ask for credit card details or payment
- Operated by: Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia (JIM), Ministry of Home Affairs
- QR code is instant: Generated immediately after free submission
Red Flags of a Scam MDAC Site
- URL does not end in .gov.my
- Asks for credit card or PayPal payment
- Claims to be an “official MDAC agent” or “authorized service”
- Promises “faster processing” or “priority approval” for a fee
- Charges any amount for MDAC, even a small “service fee”
- Confirmation looks unofficial or poorly designed
Other Malaysia Entry Fees – What You Actually Pay For
While MDAC itself is free, there are other legitimate entry-related fees in Malaysia that travelers sometimes confuse with MDAC:
- Malaysia Visa (eVisa): Required for certain nationalities – this has a legitimate government fee, but it is applied through the separate eVisa portal, not the MDAC portal
- Airport tax: Included in your airline ticket automatically
- Tourism tax: Charged by hotels (RM 10 per room per night) – separate from MDAC
- Visa on arrival: Some nationalities pay for a visa on arrival at the airport – this is not MDAC
What If You Were Charged for MDAC?
If you paid a third-party service for MDAC:
- Contact your bank or credit card company to dispute the charge
- Verify whether your MDAC was actually submitted by checking your registration status at the official portal using your passport number
- If your MDAC was not submitted, complete it yourself for free at the official portal before your trip
- Report the fraudulent site to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC)
Is MDAC free for all nationalities?
Yes. MDAC is free for all nationalities without exception. Whether you are from the US, UK, India, China, or anywhere else, the official Malaysia Digital Arrival Card registration at imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac/main costs RM 0.
Why are some websites charging for MDAC?
These are unofficial third-party websites that act as middlemen, completing the free government form on your behalf and charging for the service. They are not affiliated with the Malaysian government and offer no added value. Always use the official JIM portal directly.
How do I know if a MDAC website is official?
The official MDAC portal URL ends in .gov.my: imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac/main. It never asks for payment. Any site with a different URL or that requests payment is unofficial. When in doubt, go directly to the .gov.my URL rather than clicking on search ads.
