KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has announced enhancements to the process of getting a Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) after feedback from motorists and a deluge of applications received in the past month.
The country has received over 23,000 applications since May 28, when it announced that foreign-registered vehicles entering the country by land from Singapore must use VEPs from Oct 1.
The 23,649 VEP applications received from May 28 to Jun 29 exceeded the 15,424 applications for the whole of 2023, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said at a press conference on Monday (Jul 1).
For applications made in the past month, a total of 6,120 VEP tags have been issued and 1,080 of them have been activated, Mr Loke added.
Since the May 28 announcement, many motorists have posted on social media about difficulties in renewing existing permits or registering for VEPs for second-hand vehicles.
Mr Loke confirmed that issues involving second-hand vehicles have drawn the most complaints to his ministry as he announced tweaks to the process.
Those getting a VEP for a second-hand vehicle may now apply to deregister a pre-existing VEP for that vehicle online instead of going to a physical counter.
“They only need to email us to make a change. This is to solve the problem faced by second-hand car owners. They do not need to come to our counter. They just need to request the deregistration through email. This is to ease the process,” he said.
Any VEP that has expired for over five years will be automatically deregistered, Mr Loke said.
The renewal of the tags can be done online before they expire, he added. “Notifications will be sent out to vehicle owners 60 days, 30 days, and 10 days before it expires,” he said.
New functions have been incorporated into the VEP portal since June 28 that would minimise the need to write in via email or go physically to any counters, he added.
More personnel have been added to manage the increase in applications. The number handling email enquiries has increased from five to 15, while at the VEP collection centre, there are now 12 people instead of seven.
From Aug 1, VEP holders may also link their credit or debit cards to their radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, which uniquely identify each vehicle.
“BACKLOG MUST BE CLEARED BEFORE OCT 1”
Asked how long it would take to get a tag after registering online, Mr Loke said that the normal duration was three to five days.
“We are trying our best to solve the backlog,” he said. “We have asked the company involved to add more resources and to ensure that all applications will be processed within the next few weeks … We have to make sure that before Oct 1, all this backlog must be cleared.”
Going forward, more improvements will be made. Malaysia will introduce a new open toll payment system (OPS) that will allow VEP holders to use their credit or debit cards as another payment option besides the Touch N Go system currently used.
VEP holders will have to download the MDGS application through the Google Play Store or Apple App store to link their RFID tag to their payment cards. The MDGS app streamlines toll and road charge payments for travellers between Singapore and Malaysia.
The VEP, implemented since 2019 but not enforced, will enable the Malaysian government to track foreign vehicles that enter or leave the country and get motorists to settle summonses before they leave.
Mr Loke previously said there were about 70,000 Singapore-registered vehicles that have activated VEP tags.
More than 200,000 motor vehicles have been registered but have not completed the process of installing and activating their VEP tags.
From Oct 1, action will be taken against any foreign motor vehicle without a VEP entering or in Malaysia. Anyone found guilty of the offence can be fined up to RM2,000 (US$425) or jailed for up to six months.
