The Foreign Digital Identity (FDID) system will assign each visitor a unique official record linked to Malaysia's centralized biometric database, the Home Ministry said in a written parliamentary reply last week.

"Each visitor will have a unique official record, making it difficult to falsify or manipulate. This system also allows the entry and exit of foreign nationals to be tracked effectively," the ministry explained, The Straits Times reported.

Officials said the FDID will form part of Malaysia's broader push to automate immigration processes and reduce human discretion at checkpoints, following a series of corruption scandals involving "counter setting," a practice where foreigners allegedly paid to bypass proper entry checks.

Alongside the FDID, Malaysia will roll out an Advance Passenger Screening System (APSS) this month to screen airline passenger information up to 72 hours before departure, according to Travel and Tour World. The system will initially cover 10 airlines before expanding nationwide in 2026.

According to the ministry, the APSS will use a risk evaluation engine to flag high-risk travelers even before they board flights, allowing authorities to conduct stricter checks upon arrival. "This system will function as an efficient and first layer of border control," it said.

Data collected through the APSS will feed into a Risk Assessment Engine (RAE), part of the National Integrated Immigration System, which will analyze information "scientifically and transparently" through command centers in Putrajaya, Sabah and Sarawak.

"Through the RAE system, any decision on the entry of a visitor will no longer depend on human discretion but on a smart and consistent analysis instead," the ministry said, adding that this would help curb misuse of power and corruption.

Malaysia is also expanding the use of auto-gate systems to all major entry and exit points, allowing automated checks for overstayers, blacklisted individuals, or those with arrest warrants.

"If a visitor is found to have overstayed, have an arrest warrant or (have been) blacklisted, the auto-gate system will immediately halt the exit and the visitor will be referred to the Immigration Department office for further action," the ministry said.

To further enhance transparency, immigration officers will soon be required to wear body cameras, while counters will be monitored by smart CCTV systems.

Malaysia to track all foreign visitors using fingerprints and facial recognition - VnExpress International