VEP deadline: Singapore drivers can enter Malaysia without a tag from Oct 1 but will get warning

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s Road Transport Department (JPJ) announced on Sept 27 that foreign-registered vehicles which have yet to install Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) tags by the Oct 1 deadline will still be allowed to enter the country from Singapore.

The announcement comes amid

complaints in Singapore of delays and snags in the application process,

and just three days ahead of the VEP requirement being implemented.

“From Oct 1, 2024, the VEP enforcement will be implemented in phases. All Singapore-registered vehicles without a VEP may still enter Malaysia as usual,” JPJ director-general Aedy Fadly Ramli said in a statement on Sept 27.

However, vehicle-owners entering Malaysia may receive reminders at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex in Johor Bahru and Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ Complex at the Second Link to immediately register, install and activate their VEP and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.

They will also be issued warnings on exiting Malaysia, if the tags are not installed.

“Please be reminded that warning notices will be issued to owners of Singapore-registered private vehicles without VEPs before they leave Malaysia,” Datuk Aedy said.

He also said in the statement that a total of 62,635 Singapore-registered private vehicles had activated their VEPs as at Sept 25.

In May, Malaysia’s Transport Ministry had announced that from Oct 1,

foreign-registered vehicles entering Malaysia from Singapore by land must have a valid VEP,

which acts like an “identity card” for these vehicles.

Each permit has an RFID tag that allows the Malaysian authorities to identify a foreign-registered vehicle on the country’s roads. This will also enable them to track the vehicle’s traffic offences and outstanding summonses, which must be settled before exiting the country.

A VEP can be used to pay toll fees on Malaysian highways, as well as the RM20 (S$6) road charge levied on foreign vehicles when they enter Malaysia.

Under the rules, owners of non-Malaysia-registered vehicles can be denied entry into Johor or fined up to RM2,000 if found without a valid VEP.

The VEP application process has been dogged by complaints, such as applicants not receiving confirmation e-mails even after waiting a month, and long queues and insufficient staff to handle demand at VEP centres in Singapore and Johor. Those still struggling to secure their permits are urging the Malaysian Transport Ministry to prioritise improving the application process.

To deal with the high volume of applications, JPJ

opened two centres in Johor Bahru on Sept 22

for vehicle owners to collect and install VEP tags, in addition to the existing one in Danga Bay. They are located at the Road Transport Department in Taman Daya and the Southern Region Road Transport Academy in Larkin. The fourth centre, in Woodlands in Singapore,

operates on an appointment basis.

An estimated 18,000 Singapore vehicles cross the Causeway into Malaysia daily, making it one of the busiest land border crossings in the world.

The VEP was first announced in 2017. Its implementation was postponed twice, in 2019 and 2020, due to issues with the VEP-RFID tag’s installation and registration.