Crossing Between Singapore and Malaysia: Do You Need Both SGAC and MDAC?

TL;DR: SGAC and MDAC are independent arrival declarations from two different governments, and neither replaces the other. Entering Singapore requires the SG Arrival Card (SGAC), submitted within 3 days including the day of arrival, unless you are transiting without immigration clearance or are a Singapore citizen, permanent resident, or long-term pass holder crossing at the Woodlands or Tuas checkpoints. Entering Malaysia requires the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) unless you fall within an official exempt category, and your trip must be within 3 days including the submission date. A round trip between the two countries usually means completing both forms, one for each direction.

Direct Answer: Which Form for Which Border

Form	Run by	You need it when	Submission window	Cost
SGAC (SG Arrival Card)	Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), Singapore	Arriving in Singapore by air, land, or sea, unless exempt	Within 3 days including the day of arrival	Free
MDAC (Malaysia Digital Arrival Card)	Immigration Department of Malaysia	Arriving in Malaysia as a foreign visitor, unless in an official exempt category	Trip must be within 3 days including the date of submission	Free

One submission does not cover both countries. SGAC data goes to Singapore's ICA; MDAC data goes to Malaysia's Immigration Department. If your trip enters both countries, you complete both forms, each within its own window.

1. Two Governments, Two Systems

The similarity of the names causes real confusion, but the systems share nothing: different portals, different agencies, different exemption lists, and different submission windows. There is no combined "Singapore-Malaysia arrival card", and submitting one form does not register you with the other country.

SGAC is submitted on the official ICA website and covers arrival in Singapore only.
MDAC is submitted on the official Immigration Department of Malaysia portal and covers arrival in Malaysia only. The official portal describes it as a card for foreign visitors.

2. Typical Trips: Who Fills What

Flying from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore: submit the SGAC before arrival.
Singapore to Johor Bahru (bus, train, or car): foreign travelers submit the MDAC before crossing, unless they are in an official exempt category. The current official MDAC eligibility infographic exempts Singapore citizens, among other categories; recheck the portal before each trip because these categories can change.
Returning to Singapore from Johor Bahru: foreign visitors submit a new SGAC for that arrival. Singapore citizens, permanent residents, and long-term pass holders are exempt from the SGAC when travelling through the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints; arriving by air, they submit it like everyone else.
Transiting Changi without immigration clearance: no SGAC is required.
A weekend round trip Singapore → Malaysia → Singapore therefore usually means two forms for a foreign tourist: one MDAC for the Malaysia leg and one SGAC for the return into Singapore.

The "Last Port of Embarkation before Malaysia" Field

The official MDAC form includes a dropdown field named Last Port of Embarkation before Malaysia. It asks where you departed from before arriving in Malaysia, so for a Singapore–Johor Bahru crossing that is Singapore, regardless of your nationality or where your trip originally began. For a field-by-field walkthrough of the MDAC form, see Malaysia MDAC Form: Fields, Timing, Autogate, and Common Fixes.

3. The Two 3-Day Windows Count Differently

Both windows are "3 days", but they anchor on different dates:

MDAC: the official registration page states that your trip must be within 3 days including the date of submission. Submitting on the 1st covers an arrival on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.
SGAC: the official ICA page states that you must submit within 3 days including the day of arrival. For an arrival on June 30, submission opens on June 28.

For a multi-leg trip, anchor each form on the date you cross that specific border, not on the date your trip starts. If you enter Singapore on the 1st and cross into Malaysia on the 5th, submitting the MDAC together with your SGAC on the 1st would put your Malaysia arrival outside the MDAC window.

4. Common Mistakes

Assuming one form covers both countries. Each border needs its own declaration.
Submitting outside the window. Both portals enforce their 3-day rules; early submissions do not carry forward.
Passport typos and name-order mistakes. Enter names exactly as in the passport's machine-readable zone on both forms. If you have already submitted with a mistake, see SGAC or MDAC Mistake: Officially Verified Correction Steps.
Confusing visa questions with arrival-card questions. Whether you can enter visa-free is a separate policy from whether you must file the arrival card; for Malaysia, see Malaysia Visa-Free Entry: Do You Still Need the MDAC?.

If you make this crossing regularly or handle both forms for a family, eVisaFlow Southeast Asia can fill saved passport, trip, stay, and contact details on the official SGAC and MDAC websites with one click; final review and submission happen on the official sites.