Finally, the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) for foreign vehicles entering Malaysia from Singapore will be properly implemented. This was supposed to have been introduced 8 years ago but various ‘issues’ kept causing postponements and it was said that over 200,000 Singapore-registered vehicle owners had registered for the permit in 2016.
Now it seems that the hardworking current Transport Minister, Anthony Loke, has been able to make it actually happen. From October 1, 2024, all foreign-registered vehicles entering Malaysia through the border points at Johor Bahru or the Second Link at Tanjung Kupang will be required to have a VEP with RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) tag on their vehicles.
The RFID tag was introduced in 2020 to complement the SmartTag and Touch’nGo electronic toll collection system on highways.
RM 10 for RFID tag
Owners of vehicles not registered in Malaysia will have to obtain the tag which will cost RM10 and be valid for a period of 5 years. Requiring the motorists to obtain the tag at the entry point would create congestion as processing and installation would take some time so the tag can be delivered to an address they provide in Singapore.
Although the tag is not difficult to install, it has to be done properly and located in the correct spot on the vehicle. Hopefully, there won’t be issues with this as every vehicle which has a RFID tag that cannot be detected will block other vehicles at the entry barrier.
The Transport Minister said that the VEP system with RFID tag will be implemented strictly and any vehicle without it will not be allowed entry to Malaysia. There are also provisions in the law to detain vehicles which have committed offences in Malaysia.
Easier to identify vehicles with summonses
As each tag is linked to a specific vehicle, it will provide the authorities with a way to identify any vehicles which have committed offences in Malaysia. It is known that ‘millions’ of summonses for traffic offences committed by Singapore-registered cars have been unpaid. In one case in 2019 when the police caught one motorist, his outstanding summonses going back to 2000 totalled RM28,000 in fines.
With the RFID tag, it will be easier to identify vehicles with outstanding summonses when they are about to leave Malaysia. This, of course, requires the police and JPJ having good communication with the immigration authorities at the border points and ensuring that the information is posted in the system as quickly as possible.
Singapore’s VEP system
Singapore has had a VEP system for decades and allowed a certain number of days each year where no daily entry fee was charged. When the number of days the vehicle had entered and remained in Singapore exceeded those days, a daily rate would apply. Following the pandemic, the immigration authorities changed the procedure of applying for the VEP which required only applications. Prior to this, motorists could arrive at the Woodlands or Tuas entry points and apply for the VEP on the VEP on the spot which would be valid for 10 years.
Malaysians can use QR code system
In another development to ease congestion at the border crossings, Malaysians travelling to Singapore will be able to use QR codes to pass through the immigration checkpoints, beginning from June 1, 2024.