Indian holiday-makers heading to Malaysia received welcome clarity this week after MalaysiaVisa.org—in line with guidance from the Immigration Department of Malaysia—confirmed that the temporary tourist-visa waiver for Indian passport holders has been extended through 31 December 2026. The waiver, first introduced in January, allows Indians to enter Malaysia for short-term leisure trips without obtaining an e-Visa. However, travellers must still submit the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) online within three days of travel. The MDAC is an arrival-information form similar to India’s own Air Suvidha, capturing itinerary, accommodation and health details. Failure to file the card has led to secondary inspections and, in a few cases, on-arrival fines, according to Kuala Lumpur-based business-travel agencies. For Indian corporates, the extension removes an administrative layer during peak festival-season travel to Kuala Lumpur and Penang, both popular MICE hubs. Travel managers should nevertheless build MDAC completion into pre-trip checklists; unlike the e-Visa, the MDAC is free but mandatory. Airlines are being instructed to verify MDAC receipt at check-in starting 1 October, a move that could cause counterside delays for unprepared passengers. The visa-free window is explicitly limited to tourism; travellers entering Malaysia for work, study or long-term assignments must still obtain the relevant passes. Malaysian authorities have hinted that the waiver could convert into a bilateral multiple-entry e-Visa regime if inbound numbers from India and China meet tourism-recovery targets. Until then, Indian businesses can leverage the waiver for offsites and incentive trips but should continue to budget one business day for MDAC processing.
Source: MalaysiaVisa.org blog post
