Most people who spoke to The Straits Times said the requirement, which came into effect last Friday, had led to longer waits for visitors travelling across the Causeway.

'There is so much hassle now,' said administrator Colin Cheong, 60. 'I've got to fill in so many details on a card for just a short visit to Johor Baru.'

Early last month, Malaysia announced that all visitors would have to fill in white immigration cards with information such as their name, nationality and passport number.

The news came just seven months after it scrapped the forms and replaced them with a paperless system that saw Customs officers simply stamp the passports of travellers. The country has not revealed the reasons behind the decision to reinstate the cards.

Most Singaporeans interviewed, especially frequent Johor Baru visitors, said the reversal was bewildering.

'It is very confusing. The Malaysian authorities should make up their minds,' said Ms Denise Ng.

The 43-year-old was halfway through the queue with her daughter at the Malaysian Customs when she realised that an immigration card was needed to enter the country.

'Not everyone is up to date with these frequent rule changes and if people didn't know, they would have to queue up twice,' she said.

The Straits Times visited the border crossing yesterday and saw several people caught in the same predicament.

Many were clustered around ledges, filling in their cards, which were available at a nearby counter. It was manned by Custom officials, who did not hand out the cards or inform travellers of the need for them. There was, however, a makeshift paper sign labelled 'white cards'.

Another traveller, Ms Julia Wang, 28, said: 'I think the Customs officials should clearly indicate there is a change in ruling and actively give out the cards to people in the queues.'

Others said the requirement to fill in the cards slowed the queues noticeably.

'The queue today was at least three times longer than when I last came on a Friday,' said Mr Huynh Trung Dung, a postgraduate student in Singapore. His view was echoed by the majority of other travellers.

Business owner Ismail Ali, 34, who drove into Malaysia yesterday, said: 'It's a good thing I didn't throw away my immigration cards from last time.'

However, at least one, a 60-year-old librarian, had another take on the rule change. 'We're in their country and should respect their rules. Perhaps they want to test both paper and paperless systems and see which works better.'

About 250,000 people enter Malaysia via the Causeway daily, and another 30,000 use the Second Link in Tuas.

tanwz@sph.com.sg