JOHOR BAHRU — Starting Friday, Singaporeans can use the electronic gate (e-gate) facilities at the two land entry points in Johor Bahru, said Malaysia’s Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
“Previously, the e-gate facilities were only limited for the use of local Malaysian passport holders. From today, we are providing access to the e-gate facilities for Singaporeans who use e-passports,” Datuk Seri Saifuddin was quoted as saying in the Malay Mail.
He added that the new measure is one of the short-term solutions aimed at relieving human congestion at both checkpoints.
Mr Saifuddin was speaking to reporters after chairing a meeting on tackling congestion at the Causeway at the Sultan Iskandar Building’s Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex on Friday.
Singaporeans who want to use the e-gate facility must hold e-passports with a validity period of at least three months, said the minister.
“In addition to that, Singapore visitors need to submit the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) online three days before travel,” he said, adding that first-time users also need to verify their biometrics at the immigration counter.
Mr Saifuddin was accompanied by other government officials when he visited the Johor Causeway at 5am on Friday.
He said the immigration department will also expand the use of e-gates to travellers from other low-risk countries such as Brunei, Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Japan.
Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) also provides automated lanes for eligible Malaysians who may be enrolled on the spot.
Since May 2022, the ICA has implemented the Automated Clearance Initiative which allows eligible Malaysian citizens to be enrolled for the use of automated lanes at all checkpoints in Singapore.
Enrolment is done automatically during immigration clearance at the manual counters. Travellers who are enrolled will be notified via their electronic visit pass (e-Pass) sent to their e-mail address provided in their SG Arrival Card submission.
Previously, eligible Malaysian citizens needed to approach the enrolment centres separately to be enrolled for the use of the automated lanes.
- Additional reporting by Jessie Lim
