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Arriving at KLIA and other entry points

What to expect at KLIA Terminals 1 and 2, Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and the Johor land checkpoints, including autogates and the Sabah and Sarawak check.

6 min read Last reviewed

Most visitors to Malaysia arrive through Kuala Lumpur International Airport, but plenty land in Penang, fly straight to Borneo or cross from Singapore by road. The arrival card is the same wherever you come in. What changes is the layout, the queues and, in Sabah and Sarawak, an extra layer of immigration that surprises many first-time visitors.

This guide walks through what to expect at the main entry points. Airports and checkpoints change their procedures from time to time, so the details here describe things at the time of writing.

What is the same everywhere

Whichever entry point you use, the order of things is broadly the same:

  1. Immigration. An officer or an autogate checks your passport, and the officer may ask about your trip. Your MDAC should already be submitted; the system links it to your passport.
  2. Baggage. At airports, you collect checked luggage after immigration.
  3. Customs. You walk through a green channel if you have nothing to declare, or a red channel if you do.

Keep your passport, your MDAC confirmation and your accommodation details within easy reach until you are through. Our guide to what to carry at immigration has a full list.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)

KLIA has two separate passenger terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Terminal 2 is the one many people still call klia2. Which one you land at depends on your airline, and it is printed on most booking confirmations. The two terminals are some distance apart and are linked by the airport rail line, so check your terminal before you arrange a pickup.

From the gate to immigration

Both terminals are large. Depending on where your plane parks, you may walk for a good ten minutes or take a short internal train before you reach the immigration hall. Follow the signs for arrivals, not for transfers, unless you are connecting airside to another flight.

Autogates and counters

At the time of writing, e-passport holders from 63 eligible countries can use the immigration autogates at KLIA Terminals 1 and 2, provided they have submitted the MDAC, under an expansion that started on 1 June 2024. Citizens of several neighbouring ASEAN countries can use the autogates only when leaving. The official MDAC website publishes the current list and has a page where you can check your own eligibility. The Immigration Department's guidance says that on your first visit you enrol and have your passport verified at a staffed counter, after which you can use the autogate when you leave; on later visits you can use it on arrival and departure, as long as you submit the MDAC for every trip.

If you are not eligible for the gates, or you are travelling with young children, join the counter queue. Have the passport open at the photo page and remove any cover.

Into the city

After customs, the airport rail link runs to KL Sentral, the city's main transport hub, in around half an hour. Buses, metered taxis and ride-hailing pickups are also available from both terminals. If someone is meeting you, tell them the terminal and the flight number rather than just the time.

Penang International Airport

Penang's airport, in the south of the island, is much smaller than KLIA. International arrivals are mostly from elsewhere in Asia, and the walk from the plane to immigration is short. Queues can still build when several international flights land together, especially in the evening, so it is worth having your documents ready as you leave the plane. George Town is roughly half an hour away by road, depending on traffic.

Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and the Borneo states

Sabah and Sarawak, the two Malaysian states on Borneo, keep their own immigration control. This is a long-standing arrangement and it means two things for visitors:

  • If you fly into Kota Kinabalu or Kuching from abroad, you go through immigration there as your entry into Malaysia, and you need an MDAC just as you would at KLIA.
  • If you enter Malaysia at KLIA and then fly on to Sabah or Sarawak on a domestic flight, you pass through immigration again when you land in Borneo, and again when you fly between Sabah and Sarawak. Keep your passport with you on domestic flights.

The MDAC declares your arrival in Malaysia from abroad, and the official MDAC guidance does not describe a second card for a domestic flight to Sabah or Sarawak. What those flights do need is your passport and a valid pass: the Immigration Department says anyone leaving Sabah or Sarawak for another part of Malaysia must show a passport or recognised document, a valid pass and a boarding pass. Look at your passport or entry record each time you are processed in Borneo, so you know exactly how long you may stay. Our guide to Sabah and Sarawak arrivals covers the Borneo checks in more detail.

Johor land checkpoints

Most people crossing from Singapore by road or rail enter at one of two checkpoints in Johor:

  • The Causeway leads to the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar complex in Johor Bahru city centre, next to JB Sentral station.
  • The Second Link leads to the Sultan Abu Bakar complex at Gelang Patah, in the west of Johor.

Both get very busy at peak times. Singapore citizens are exempt from the MDAC at the time of writing, but other nationalities, including foreigners who live or work in Singapore, need a card. Our guide to Singapore to Malaysia by land covers buses, trains, driving and timing.

Other ways in

  • Northern land border with Thailand. Crossings such as Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah are used by buses and cars between southern Thailand and Malaysia. Choose "land" as your mode of travel on the MDAC.
  • Ferries. Ferries link Malaysia with Indonesia and southern Thailand, and some arrive at Langkawi or other ports. Choose "sea" and enter the vessel details as the form asks.
  • Cruise ships. Cruise lines often send their own instructions for arrival formalities. Ask the cruise line whether they expect you to submit your own MDAC before the port call.
  • Regional airports. Langkawi, Johor Bahru's Senai airport and others receive some international flights. The arrival process is the same, only smaller.

Tips for a smooth arrival

  • Submit your MDAC in the three days before you land, not at the arrival hall.
  • Save the confirmation where you can open it without mobile data.
  • Keep the address of your first night's stay in your phone's notes and on paper, in case an officer asks.
  • Be polite and brief with the officer. Simple, honest answers about your trip are all that is needed.
  • Declare anything you need to declare at customs, such as large amounts of cash or restricted goods.

Before you fly checklist

  • You know which KLIA terminal, or which airport or checkpoint, you will arrive at.
  • Your MDAC is submitted and the confirmation is saved offline.
  • If you are flying on to Sabah or Sarawak, your passport stays in your hand luggage.
  • Whoever is meeting you has your flight number and terminal.
  • You have the address of your first night's stay written down.

The arrival card itself is free on the official MDAC website, which also lists the current autogate eligibility rules.

Last reviewed on . Entry rules change, so always check the official MDAC website and the Immigration Department of Malaysia before you travel.