VEP application rush subsides, quicker collections now possible

The days of snaking queues and frustration for Singapore's motorists at Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) collection centres in Johor Bahru are now over as the number of applications for the permit to enter Malaysia by road has fallen.

Drivers can now collect their VEPs and have the tags affixed to their foreign-registered cars in an hour at the centres located in Danga Bay and Sunway Big Box in Iskandar Puteri, unlike the hours-long wait in the early months after the permit became mandatory in October 2024.

A spokesperson for TCSens, Malaysia's appointed vendor handling the permits, told The Straits Times that "most motorists" have applied for the VEP and have successfully affixed the radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on their vehicles.

He said the company tagged between 1,500 and 1,700 cars a day in October and November 2024. But the numbers have now dropped to between 300 and 400 cars a day over January and February 2025.

"Most private motorists have applied and fixed the VEP on their vehicles. But we understand some motorists may not be encouraged to fix the VEP as enforcement action has yet to be implemented," said the spokesperson.

"We strongly encourage motorists to take advantage of the current availability of slots to get their VEP fixed as soon as possible."

Some Singaporean motorists told ST they had put off applying for the permits because the Malaysian authorities have not strictly enforced the requirement after an initial phased enforcement exercise kicked off on Oct 1.

In May 2024, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that foreign-registered vehicles entering Malaysia from Singapore must have a VEP tag from Oct 1, 2024.

Anyone driving a foreign-registered motor vehicle without a VEP can be fined up to RM2,000 (S$610) or imprisoned for up to six months.

But on Oct 4, Mr Loke told journalists that enforcement action against motorists without a VEP had yet to be implemented and that those without the tag would receive a warning when they exited Malaysia, reminding them to apply for the permit.

Mr Loke also said then that 112,658 VEP tags had been issued, of which 75,412 had been installed and activated. An estimated 18,000 Singapore vehicles cross the Causeway into Malaysia daily.

The tag allows the Malaysian authorities to identify foreign-registered vehicles using the country's roads. It also enables them to track if there are any outstanding fines for traffic offences, which must be settled before they exit the country.

At an event in Johor Bahru on Feb 13, Mr Loke reiterated that the Malaysian government will not begin any enforcement action on Singapore motorists without first notifying them.

However, some motorists are holding off from applying for a VEP due to the lack of a clear enforcement date.

Comments in a Facebook group on VEP matters show that some motorists are unconcerned about getting the permit.

"Nobody bothers now," said one user named Alan Leong.

Another user, Raymond Mahmood, who claimed he had yet to apply for the VEP, said: "I just came back (a) few hours ago... totally no checking at all."

Other motorists ST spoke to said they would comply with the law, especially now that the technical snags and long delays have been resolved.

Self-employed Dyna Lim, 40, said she was initially hesitant about applying for a VEP when the exercise began in October 2024, as the current system of using Malaysia's prepaid Touch 'n Go card - similar to Singapore's CashCard - to pay road charges at the border and highway tolls, was sufficient.

But she eventually applied and fixed the VEP in November, as she was afraid of breaking the law.

"It's because the government threatened to give a fine. A fine works wonders, right?" she quipped.

Mr Azfar Hisham, 40, finally decided to have his VEP fixed on Feb 26 at the TCSens collection centre in Danga Bay, more than four months after he applied for it in October.

He delayed collecting the tag as he was put off by the hiccups when applying for the permit. "In fact, I actually came here (Danga Bay), but the queues were too long, and I told myself... maybe next time," he said.

Singapore-based businesses which offer VEP application services are also experiencing the downturn.

Mr Jason Koay, director of accounting and secretarial firm Bizwise Management, said he handles only about 100 VEP inquiries a month, a drastic drop from the 50 inquiries a day back in October.

Mr Derrick Heng, company director of Radiant VEP, received up to 70 enquiries a day in October and November 2024, but that figure has dropped by 80 per cent.

"I think Singaporeans are still quite sceptical about the VEP issue, but we don't blame them," said Mr Heng.

The VEP was first announced in 2017.

But its implementation was postponed twice, in 2019 and 2020, due to issues with the VEP tag's installation and registration.