KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will require all foreign-registered vehicles entering the country by land from Singapore to use Vehicle Entry Permits (VEPs) from Oct 1, said Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Action will be taken against any foreign motor vehicle without a VEP entering or in Malaysia from that date, he said at a press conference on May 28 (Tuesday).
Anyone found guilty of the offence can be fined up to RM2,000 (US$425) or jailed for up to six months.
Vehicles that have been registered will be fitted with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that costs RM10.
Mr Loke added the VEP has been implemented since 2019 but has not been enforced. The system was put on hold in 2020 as the government said it was looking at ways to make installation of the RFID tag easier.
Based on current records, Mr Loke said there are about 70,000 Singapore-registered motor 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.
The RFID tags, which uniquely identify each vehicle, are non-transferrable.
Mr Loke said the tags will be sent to vehicle owners for installation. “If previously, they had to come to Johor Bahru to get it fixed … now it will be sent to their address and they can fix it themselves according to the guidelines provided,” he said.
“The system is ready and the registration commenced in 2019 but we had not enforced it for five years. If we don’t enforce it, the system is not being utilised,” he added.
The VEP will enable the government to track foreign vehicles that enter or leave the country, he said. “When they leave, if they have any summonses, they will have to settle them before they are allowed to leave.”
Currently, all foreign-registered cars entering Malaysia by road via Johor need to pay a levy.
Singapore-registered vehicles are required to pay a road charge of RM20 (S$5.75) for entering via the Woodlands Causeway and Tuas Second Link checkpoints, which are among the busiest in the world.
Motorcycles are excluded from these charges.
During the same press conference, Mr Loke said that the government intends to expand the VEP and Road Charge (RC) system to the Malaysia-Thailand border.
More information about the VEP can be accessed at vep.jpj.gov.my.
