For decades, Malaysian motorists driving their vehicles into Singapore have had to apply for a Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) at the Woodlands or Tuas entry points. The VEP is linked to an Autopass Card which also serves as an electronic payment card for fees charged for parking and tolls (in Singapore).

It’s a system that has worked well although the application has been done manually at the checkpoints and officers have to come and check the vehicles for valid roadtax, and then motorists have to go to a counter to complete the processing and get the Autopass card (if they do not already have one which is specific to each vehicle).

While Malaysia has tried to implement a VEP system in recent years and continues to struggle to get the system to operate smoothly, Singapore has moved ahead with a more convenient way to apply for the VEP and Autopass card: from January 2020, they have to do it online before going to Singapore. Information on their vehicle and details of insurance and roadtax validity must be provided and approval will be notified by the Land Transport Authority (LTA). With the approval reference number, they can then collect their Autopass card at counters at the two entry points.

Click here to go to the above page on the LTA website

Currently, the LTA website shows the one-time charge for the Autopass card as S$10 (around RM30.50), of which S$6 is for the card and the remaining S$4 is stored value. With additional payment (at other top-up locations), the card can have stored value of up to S$500 to pay for parking, travel on public transport and retail transactions at many places in Singapore.

The Autopass card, which has a validity period of a certain number of years, records each entry/exit of the vehicle and the necessary toll is deducted. If there is insufficient balance when exiting, the motorist will be fined. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, be sure to reload at top-up booths on the way to the exit points (along Woodlands Centre Road and along Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim for Tuas).

Certain areas of Singapore have Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) and in earlier years, Malaysian motorists had to rent a temporary In-Vehicle Unit (IU) which all Singapore-registered vehicles have to make payment electronically when crossing the ERP gantries. This was not only troublesome for Malaysians who had to go and collect the IU but they also had to pay a refundable deposit of more than S$100 (which could have been used for shopping!).

The IU rental is still available but to make things easier, the LTA offers the option of paying a fixed rate of S$5 (about RM15.25) to use ERP-priced roads during ERP operating hours, regardless of the number of times the vehicle passes through the ERP gantries within the same day. The fixed ERP fee will be deducted through your Autopass Card when you exit Singapore. Don’t think you can ‘sneak’ through as there are cameras that record numberplates and your vehicle will definitely be marked for issuing a summons.

The Singapore authorities are extremely strict about traffic offences and if you are in the country long enough, there may be a record of your vehicle registration at the exit points and you will be stopped and made to settle the fine. If they miss you and you enter again with the same vehicle, you are likely to be stopped and told to settle the fine (even for parking) otherwise you cannot leave the complex. So be sure to obey the laws otherwise you will discover why Singapore is jokingly called a ‘Fine City’.

Incidentally, don’t be surprised if your passport does not get stamped when you leave Singapore. Since April this year, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority has done away with the process to reduce queues. However, while this may be effective at the airport, you are still likely to find long queues of traffic heading towards the exit points at Tuas and Woodlands due to the high volume of vehicles daily.

For information on driving to Singapore, visit One Motoring, the official website of the LTA.