JOHOR BAHRU – Traffic was snarled soon after midnight on July 1 as motorists entered Johor Bahru via the Causeway, with the Malaysian authorities commencing full enforcement action on Singapore-registered vehicles entering the country without a Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP).
As the clock struck 12, 55 officers from the Road Transport Department (JPJ) stationed at the exit road of the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) complex heading toward the state capital started pulling aside cars that did not comply with the new rules.
Drivers of the private individually owned vehicles entering Johor Bahru without a valid registered and activated VEP face a RM300 (S$91) fine before being allowed to leave the country.
“I foresaw it (the VEP enforcement) coming, but I wasn’t really expecting it to be this big,” said 19-year-old Mr Safir Farhan, who was first motorist to be issued a fine.
The third-year Singaporean vocational institute student was driving the family’s BMW car to Johor Bahru for a late supper with his aunt and sister, but the trip was delayed 15 minutes as he had to settle the fine on the spot at a JPJ mobile service van parked on the roadside.
Within the hour, 10 Singapore-registered vehicles were issued summonses, JPJ officers told The Straits Times.
“I had registered for the VEP already and the tag is on its way being delivered to me,” Mr Safir said, showing ST the acknowledgement e-mail from JPJ. “But we’re okay and they’re (JPJ) just doing their job,” he added.
The full enforcement of the rule marks the end of a grace period when vehicles were let off with a warning after the VEP was implemented on Oct 1 2024.
Singaporean Safir Farhan was the first motorist to be issued a fine at midnight on July 1.ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFA
In May that year, Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke had said that foreign-registered vehicles entering Malaysia from Singapore must have a VEP tag starting from October.
Mr Loke then announced on Oct 4 that enforcement action against motorists without a VEP had yet to begin, and those without the the radio frequency identification (RFID) tag would be given only a warning upon exiting Malaysia, reminding them to apply for the permit.
On June 4, 2025, Mr Loke said “ample time” had been given since May 2024 for foreign-registered private vehicles to register for the VEP system before entering Malaysia by land from Singapore.
The day after his comments, waves of Singapore motorists showed up at VEP application and installation centres in Singapore and Johor Bahru.
On June 30, when ST visited the TCSens VEP enquiry centre at Danga Bay in Johor Bahru around 8.30pm, there were dozens of Singaporean motorists in the queue seeking assistance for their VEP registration. TCSens is Malaysia’s ministry-appointed vendor for handling VEP matters.
Singapore-registered vehicles seen parked outside the 24-hour TCSens VEP enquiry centre at Danga Bay at 8.30pm on June 30. ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFA
Singaporean restaurant owner Jenny Chia, 53 who registered for a VEP in November but has had trouble completing the process, said she arrived at 2pm and was given a queue number hours later. “Now… there’s around 70 more people in the queue.”
Truck driver Mr Sasman Isnian, 58, who was 15 numbers behind Ms Chia, said: “I’m not sure if I’ll wait for this as it’s getting late.”
TCSens told ST that the Danga Bay centre will be operating on a 24-hour basis from June 30.
Speaking to the media on July 1, JPJ Director-General Aedy Fadly Ramli said that as of June 29, 248,504 Singapore-registered private individually owned vehicles have signed up for the VEP, with 17 per cent yet to activate the RFID tags. That figure was 231,018 on June 4, according to Mr Loke.
A further 3,765 company vehicles have been issued the tags, said Datuk Aedy, adding that the JPJ has received 19,690 VEP applications for this category of vehicles so far.
On June 4, Mr Loke said that company vehicles that have applied for a VEP but have yet to receive the relevant approvals will not be subject to fines. Instead, they will receive a reminder notice and be allowed to exit Malaysia. This is due to the additional steps involved in submitting corporate documentation.
However, company vehicles that have not registered for a VEP must settle any compound fines and complete their VEP registration before being allowed to exit Malaysia, he added.
“The majority of Singaporeans abide by the rules but for only a small number of them, we have to ensure they follow Malaysia’s rules,” said Mr Aedy.
He added that summonses will be issued to all Singaporean motorists driving privately owned vehicles who have yet to register and install the VEP regardless of excuses, including drivers who claim they are entering Johor Bahru to settle VEP matters.
“We have given enough time, in fact VEP was announced seven years ago, and during that time we have made many efforts to encourage Singaporeans to register for it. So from July 1, if they come in without a VEP registered and fixed (on their vehicles), we will issue summonses,” said Mr Aedy.
All enforcement operations will be conducted away from border entry points – the Causeway and Second Link – to prevent congestion, he added.
Cashless-only payment for the fines can be made at Road Transport Department (JPJ) counters, JPJ mobile counters or online via the MyEG system. The RFID tag enables the Malaysian authorities to identify foreign-registered vehicles on the country’s roads and track any outstanding fines for traffic offences, which must be settled before the vehicles exit the country.
The enforcement move comes eight years after the VEP plan was first mooted in 2017, and implementation of the system was shelved twice, in 2019 and again in 2020.
Singaporean retiree Mr Lee Kim Hock, 70, another driver who was also stopped JPJ officers, said: “My VEP is going to be delivered to me in two days. But it’s okay, I’ll just settle the fine.”
- Harith Mustaffa is a journalist covering Malaysia for The Straits Times, with a focus on Johor.
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