Sabah and Sarawak arrivals: immigration in Malaysian Borneo

Sabah and Sarawak, the two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo, surprise many visitors. You can land in Kuala Lumpur, clear immigration, spend a week on the peninsula, then board a domestic flight to Kota Kinabalu or Kuching and find yourself queueing at an immigration counter again. Nothing has gone wrong: Borneo runs its own immigration checks inside Malaysia.

This guide explains why, what it means if you fly in from abroad or from Peninsular Malaysia, and where the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card fits. It reflects the official pages as we read them on 6 October 2026.

Why Sabah and Sarawak have their own checks

Sabah and Sarawak joined the Federation of Malaysia when it was formed in 1963. The Immigration Department's own history of the department explains that a transitional immigration law was passed that year to protect the interests of both states, and that their immigration offices controlled the entry of non-citizens and also of Malaysians coming from the peninsula.

That arrangement continues today through Part VII of the Immigration Act 1959/63, which holds special provisions for East Malaysia. The Sarawak government describes its control over who enters the state as a right protected by the Federal Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963, in a statement published by the Premier's Department in November 2024.

The checks are real even for Malaysians. Citizens from the peninsula who travel to Sabah or Sarawak without a passport can use a Document in Lieu of Internal Travel Document, issued free at the immigration counters in the arrival halls of Sabah and Sarawak airports. It allows a stay of up to three months on a social or business visit.

Flying straight in from abroad

If your international flight lands in Kota Kinabalu or Kuching, that airport is your point of entry into Malaysia. You go through the same steps as at any other international arrival: immigration, then baggage, then customs.

• The MDAC applies. The official MDAC website says the card is for foreign travellers arriving at KLIA and at all gazetted international checkpoints. Submit it within the three days before you land.
• Visa rules are national. Whether you need a visa is decided by Malaysia's list of visa requirements by country, the same list that applies in Kuala Lumpur. Our guide to entry requirements by nationality shows how to check it.
• Your address goes in Borneo. The MDAC form asks for the state of your accommodation, and Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan are all on its list. Enter the place you will stay on your first night.

Flying in from Peninsular Malaysia

This is the case that catches people out. You entered Malaysia at KLIA, Penang or a Johor checkpoint, and now you are taking a domestic flight to Borneo. Expect your passport to be checked again when you arrive in Sabah or Sarawak, and keep it in your hand luggage, not in a checked bag.

The checks run in the other direction too. The Immigration Department's page on domestic travel (in Malay) says that anyone leaving Sabah or Sarawak for another part of Malaysia must show a passport or another recognised document, hold a valid pass, and show a boarding pass. For a foreign visitor, that means three things on every domestic flight out of Borneo:

1. your passport,
2. the pass you were given when you entered Malaysia, which must still be valid,
3. your boarding pass for the flight.

Look at your passport or entry record each time you are processed in Borneo, so you know exactly how long you are permitted to stay, and plan your departure from Malaysia within it.

Between Sabah and Sarawak

The same rule covers anyone leaving Sabah or Sarawak on a domestic journey, so a flight from Kota Kinabalu to Kuching, or the other way, involves a passport check as well. Allow a little extra time at the airport and keep your documents together until you are through.

Where the MDAC fits

The MDAC is a declaration of your arrival in Malaysia from abroad. The form asks for your date of arrival, the flight or vessel that brings you in, and your last port of embarkation before Malaysia. A domestic flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu is not an arrival from abroad, and the official MDAC guidance we read does not describe a second card for an internal journey to Borneo.

So if you enter at KLIA and fly on to Sabah a few days later, your card is the one you submitted for KLIA, with your first night's address on the peninsula. Keep its confirmation with your passport for the whole trip. If your plans are unusual and you are not sure what applies, ask the Immigration Department through the enquiry link on the MDAC website before you travel.

Arriving overland

Borneo also has land crossings into Malaysia, and the MDAC applies there as well unless you are exempt. On the form, choose "land" as your mode of travel. Three of the published exemptions matter mostly in this region:

• holders of Brunei's General Certificate of Identity,
• holders of the Brunei Malaysia Frequent Traveller Facility,
• holders of the Indonesian cross-border travel document (PLB).

Sarawak's land immigration posts include Sungai Tujuh and Tedungan, which the Immigration Department lists among Malaysia's land entry points. Ordinary visitors on a passport submit the card like anyone else.

Working or staying longer

A tourist visit is one thing; working is another. Sarawak has its own authority over non-resident workers, and the state government says employers must have its approval under the Sarawak Labour Ordinance before hiring someone from outside the state. If you are going to Borneo for a job, a placement or anything beyond a holiday, ask your employer or host to confirm the permits you need before you book.

Before you fly checklist

• If you fly straight to Kota Kinabalu or Kuching from abroad, your MDAC is submitted within the three days before you land.
• Your passport is in your hand luggage on every domestic flight to, from or between Sabah and Sarawak.
• You know how long your pass allows you to stay, and your trip ends inside it.
• You have your boarding pass ready for each domestic flight out of Borneo.
• Your MDAC confirmation stays with your passport for the whole trip.

We are an independent private service offering optional paid assistance, and we are not affiliated with the Government of Malaysia or the Malaysian Immigration Department. The arrival card is free on the official MDAC website, and our guide to arriving at KLIA and other entry points covers the rest of the country.

Last reviewed on 6 October 2026. Entry rules change, so always check the official MDAC website and the Immigration Department of Malaysia before you travel.