Malaysia - Anyone register for the e-gates
 

Has anyone from the ten countries that you are permitted to register for the immigration e-gates on arrival managed to register? If so, how did it go?

Edit October 2024

An update as most of this thread is redundant. 63 countries are now included in the program. See:

https://www.fragomen.com/insights/ma...-autogate.html

You need to complete a Malaysia Digital Arrival Card before arrival. Ignore all the stuff below about registering with an immigration agent on your first arrival - experience suggests that is ancient history, (but things can change so do check the end of the thread for latest experiences).

Also in the link above, it says you need to register for your Malaysia Digital Arrival Card at least three days before arrival. My experience is you can't register until there is three days or less to go, and I have on one occasion registered while taxing to the gate! But by all means give it a go at more than three days!

Was pretty easy at KLIA T1.
You can only register for the autogates at a couple of counters. Look out for a very small sign for registration to the right side of the autogates as you approach the immigration counters.
Once you've been successfully registered, make sure you fill up the MDAC before arrival on your next trip. Use the "Check Egate Eligibility Status" tab on the MDAC website to confirm that you can use the autogates upon entry. If you don't fill up the MDAC, it will show that you are not eligible. Once you fill it up, it should give you the green light to use the autogates. I had no issue using the autogate in KUL on subsequent trips.

Sorry, I'm probably being slow.

Is this registration counter on the arrival side or departure side of the gates? If arrival side, do I have to go and register before I go to the main immigration counter to enter?

The registration doubles up as the entry process. Last time I went through, the desks dealing with registration were over on the right as you approach the array of immigration desks. Just ask, but do not go through the regular immigration procedure first: search out the dedicated desks for registration.

Many thanks for this.

All done now as per post 4 above.

Painless. Registered at desk and then sent to e-gate.

In general, the procedure for registering for the immigration e-gates upon arriving in Malaysia is simple; however, I'm not sure about the particular countries. At the designated registration counter, you will normally be required to present your biometric information and any pertinent travel documents. Using the e-gates for immigration clearance can greatly speed up the process once registered. That being said, it's a good idea to inquire about the most recent developments and experiences with e-gate registration from other travelers or the Malaysian immigration authorities.

There's like a small maybe A4 sized blue color paper directing you to the registration counters (we don't make it easy for visitors here ;) ). If you are facing the immigration counters at KUL T1, it will be on your right. There should be a small queue just to the right of the e-gates for Malaysians + other eligible foreign citizens. That's where you should go.

Update on this - they are no longer requiring a pre-registration on arrival for the e-gates
I went looking for the counter on Sunday afternoon on arrival to KLIA
A roving immigration officer explained that they had done away with this requirement - and asked if I had filled out the MDAC. I showed him, he said that's all that's needed - and walked me over to the e-gates - took my passport, scanned it - and I was through

So if you have filled out the MDAC, then you're good for the e-gates!

Arrived yesterday and followed the directions on the website. I don't think the officer did register me for the e-gates despite me asking him to do it.

It's not visible on the website under "Check e-gate eligibility" and as always, he barely spoke a word, let alone in comprehensible English. Malaysia is really one of the worst countries in SEA to arrive at. At least the Business Class lane works relatively ok and is rarely busy.

If you'd filled out and submitted the MDAC form AND your passport is on the long list of those approved, then you shouldn't have to interact with an immigration officer. Just go directly to the e-gates.

PS There's an entire thread dedicated to the ins and outs of this:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia...ne-2024-a.html

According to everything that's written, you need to register your fingerprints the first time you arrive.

Anyway it was good that I got the stamp this time as I was asked for it when dealing with a government office to apply for a tax id.

Which happens whether you go to a manned immigration counter, or the e-gates. There is no separate registration for fingerprints on first arrival. If you have an eligible passport, and the MDAC, you can go straight to the e-gates

If you fill out the MDAC form you should be good to go with the e-gates. There's no reason why you shouldn't choose to enter via the manned immigration desks, but there your fingerprints will be taken: it's what they do. What they won't do is register you for the e-gates as that's now an automated process linked to MDAC submission.

OK, I guess it's possible the MDAC process searches for a record of fingerprints previously recorded (they've got trillions of copies of mine), so that a virgin visit might require fingerprint recording before e-gate use becomes facilitated for future visits. But that's maybe a charitable view of the sophistication of the IT system employed by the MCBA, the new(ish) checkpoints and border agency.,,,

If you’re one of the eligible countries, so long as you have done the MDAC you can use the e-gates. I’ve just arrived (having done the MDAC prior to departure) and went straight through the e-gates (first time doing MDAC and using e-gates). No finger-printing was necessary at the e-gates. Immigration took 5 seconds - if that. Very quick indeed.

There were also some computer terminals on the right hand side if you needed to do the MDAC form online. At no point was I asked whether I had completed the form (at check-in / boarding…etc).