JOHOR BARU: From tomorrow, Singaporean vehicles entering Malaysia without a valid Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) will face an immediate RM300 compound, as full enforcement at the Malaysia-Singapore land border kicks in.
The enforcement was in line with Section 66H(7) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333), which states that it is an offence for anyone to drive a foreign-registered vehicle without a permit when entering or being present in Malaysia.
According to Transport Minister Anthony Loke on June 4, the implementation of the VEP system was crucial not only for cross-border traffic control but also for enhancing the enforcement of road laws on foreign vehicles.
Failure to comply with the requirement may result in the vehicle being barred from exiting Malaysia until the fine was settled and the VEP tag was activated.
All foreign vehicles entering Malaysia via the Johor Causeway and the Second Link are required to register through the portal https://vep.jpj.gov.my, pay a RM10 fee for the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) VEP sticker, which is valid for five years and settle a RM20 Road Charge for each entry.
According to information on the official website https://vep.jpj.gov.my, vehicles registered under the VEP system would receive a non-transferable RFID tag with a unique identification code for each vehicle, valid for five years.
For individual private vehicle owners who have only completed pre-registration, a summons will be issued, and the vehicle will not be allowed to leave Malaysia until payment is made.
For company-owned vehicles, a notice will be issued if only pre-registration has been completed, while penalties will be imposed for those with no registration at all.
Compounds can only be paid via cashless methods at Road Transport Department (JPJ) counters, mobile JPJ trucks, or online platforms such as MyEG.
The Transport Ministry said that since Oct 1, 2024, the VEP implementation has been carried out in phases through an advocacy approach, with reminder notices issued to Singaporean vehicle owners who have not registered.
As of June 2, a total of 231,018 VEP stickers had been issued to private and company-owned vehicles from Singapore, but only 194,507 were installed and activated, while 36,511 or about 15.8% remained inactive.
Between Oct 1, 2024 and May 31 this year, a total of 52,012 vehicles were inspected, with 2,245 reminder notices issued to owners who had yet to complete the activation process.
Meanwhile, checks by Bernama at a shopping mall in Skudai that also serves as a VEP registration centre on Monday (June 30) found that many Singaporean vehicle owners were making last-minute efforts to complete their registration.
A private sector employee from Singapore, Jia Hui, 34, said she understood the need for Malaysia to implement the VEP system for safety and cross-border traffic management.
"As a Singaporean vehicle owner who frequently travels to Johor for family matters and shopping, I do hope the verification and tag installation process can be made more convenient, especially for those who work in Malaysia," she said.
Another Singaporean, Amira Natasha Osman, 26, expressed relief that more VEP centres had been opened at various locations.
"At least now we have more options to register and get the tag without overcrowding or having to wait too long," she said. – Bernama
