Malaysia’s QR code immigration clearance trial: Some S’poreans unable to register on new app

JOHOR BAHRU - Teething issues cropped up on the first day of a trial which allows travellers to pass through immigration clearance at Johor land checkpoints using just QR codes.

Some Singaporeans faced technical issues when trying to register on Malaysia’s MyNIISE app, which is needed for the QR code clearance.

Singaporean private-hire driver Aloysius Tang, 32, told The Straits Times in Johor Bahru that he tried thrice to register for an account on the app on the morning of Sept 22 but failed to do so.

Another Singaporean private-hire driver, Mr Meganathan Megarajan, 45, tried to register on the app while using a Malaysian mobile network after entering Malaysia but ended up getting stuck on a loading page.

“Maybe my network is slow or lagging. But after 10 minutes of waiting, I gave up,” he said.

From Sept 22 to Feb 28, 2026, Malaysia is trying out a system which allows for both individual and group immigration clearance using QR codes instead of passport checks at selected car lanes at Johor Bahru’s two land checkpoints: Bangunan Sultan Iskandar in downtown Johor Bahru and Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar at the Second Link.

First-time users of the QR code clearance feature have to register an account on MyNIISe, Malaysia’s National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe) mobile app – pronounced “my nice” – by scanning their identity documents, which will be passports in the case of foreigners, including Singaporeans.

Singaporean users who successfully registered an account on the MyNIISe app said they did so only after using a Malaysian mobile network.

After scanning their passports, users will be led to a page where they are required to register an account using a valid e-mail address. Once logged in, users can generate a QR code for immigration clearance that will be valid for 360 minutes, or six hours.

The Straits Times managed to enter Johor on Sept 22 at 10.30am using the app’s QR code at Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar via the Second Link, after registering an account while using a Malaysia-registered mobile line on data roaming in Singapore.

At the immigration booth in Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar, an officer told this reporter to scan the QR code at a scanning device fixed at the window of the immigration booth. There was no need for a physical passport check or a stamp on the passport. The officer also asked this reporter for his vehicle’s registration number.

Malaysia’s Home Affairs Ministry said on Sept 20 that in the first phase of the trial, only 16 car lanes at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar and 12 car lanes at Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar are equipped to recognise the app.

The ministry said the QR code trial will be expanded to motorcycle lanes and the commuter arrivals and departure hall “the following month”.

More than 10,000 people have downloaded the app as at Sept 19, it added.

Facebook user Daing Z DK said on Sept 22 that he was able to register an account on the MyNIISe app while he was in Johor Bahru using a Malaysian network.

“Maybe you need (a) Malaysian network to do it,” he said, showing a screenshot of his profile in the app.

Malaysian Mohamed Farid Yaacob, 37, a customer service officer from Kuala Lumpur, said he was able to register an account on MyNIISe after “five hours of staring at the app”.

“Imagine how long this will take for families, and that is if the app is working well,” he told ST.

On its Facebook page, the NIISe team said the app is still in its trial-run phase and apologised for any inconvenience faced by users, while the Home Affairs Ministry had said on Sept 20 that it is encouraging users to submit their feedback to the Immigration Department.

The ministry previously said that during the trial, the NIISe system will be rolled out in stages to five airports in Malaysia, including Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s Terminals 1 and 2, and those in Penang, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.