Border bottleneck: Massive crowds on motorcycles are seen waiting to clear immigration outside BSI in Johor Baru in this filepic from last month.
PETALING JAYA: The Home Ministry is speeding up efforts to improve immigration facilities at Johor Baru’s land border checkpoints.
The ministry said it will be installing 40 additional National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe) eGate units and 145 MyNIISe QR Code scanners at Johor motorcycle, car and pedestrian border crossings by Dec 31.
The eGate units and QR Code scanners will be installed at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) in Johor Baru and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) in Iskandar Puteri.
The improvements aim to double the processing capacity at both entry points and strengthen the digital immigration system to make travel smoother, faster and safer for Malaysia-Singapore users, especially during peak times, the ministry said.
“The upgrade of the MyIMMs (Malaysian Immigration System) and NIISe systems is being accelerated through close coordination with vendors.
“This step ensures the system is more stable, responsive and able to accommodate the increasing number of users,” it said in a statement.
The ministry said immediate and medium-term improvement measures will continue to enhance entry point infrastructure and automation systems.
It added that it will also upgrade user traffic flows, strengthen digital systems and ensure all facilities are at optimum capacity, especially on motorcycle routes, which record the highest traffic volumes every day.
Internet access for automation systems at critical locations will also be improved in collaboration with telco service providers by ensuring the use of MyNIISe QR Codes is not disrupted during peak hours.
The integration of the MyNIISe and MyBorderPass systems will allow local users and foreign travellers to move through immigration checks more smoothly and easily.
“To ensure the smooth implementation of all these improvements, the ministry has established a Special Task Force to monitor the upgrade work every week until all systems are fully operational by the end of December.
“We also encourage Malaysian citizens to download the MyNIISe application and use the eGate automated route, which not only speeds up immigration but also helps to optimise traffic flow at the country’s entry points,” they said.
With the integrated implementation of these upgrade measures, the ministry expects improvements to the travel experience at both Johor-Singapore entry points by the end of this year.
Following the rollout of the system on Sept 22, many users expressed frustration within days of the new QR code’s implementation, as registered users experienced lag or delays when attempting to use it.
MyNIISe is Malaysia’s official digital immigration mobile app, designed to expedite border crossings by utilising a personal QR code instead of manual passport stamping.
Travellers from 63 countries may use the QR code to enter Malaysia, while citizens of 71 countries can use it for departure.
It is part of a trial programme which will run until Feb 28, 2026 at Johor’s land border crossings.
The trial will be expanded in stages to five international airports, namely KLIA (Terminals 1 and 2), Penang International Airport, Kuching International Airport and Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
