Entry permits for Malaysian vehicles extended until September

The validity period of Vehicle Entry Permits (VEPs) for Malaysian-registered vehicles will be further extended until the end of September, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on 11 June 2020.

This adds another three months to the initial extension to June 30.

The move was first announced for the benefit of Malaysian workers who had chosen to remain in Singapore after the movement control order across the Causeway was announced in a bid to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. The LTA said the extension will be automatically applied.

Foreign vehicles in Singapore would usually be required to have time-limited VEPs. They would also have to pay daily fees, but that was waived for Malaysian vehicles from 18 March 2020 to 14 April 2020.

In a Facebook post, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the further automatic extension of VEP was in response to Malaysia extending its Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) to end-August. "This avoids the Malaysian motorists crowding into LTA office to extend their VEPs," he added. "Many Malaysian motorists have decided to send their vehicles home to save on VEP fees. This is the sensible thing to do."

Malaysians are still barred from travelling overseas during the RMCO period from 10 June to 31 August 2020. This means that if a Malaysian worker in Singapore chooses to return home now, he risks being unable to exit Malaysia for more than two months.

National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said on 9 June 2020 that the Singapore authorities are still working out the details with their Malaysian counterparts on how travel between both countries can be safely resumed. This includes discussions on the number of people who will be allowed to travel between the countries and the industries in which workers will be allowed to travel for work.

The LTA said VEP fees incurred before 18 March 2020 and after 14 April 2020 will continue to apply. It suggested that motorists who wish to avoid accumulating VEP fees and who are unable to personally drive their vehicles out of Singapore may engage cross-border towing or transport services to transport their vehicles back to Malaysia.

Those who choose to continue staying in Singapore are reminded to update their Malaysia road tax and vehicle insurance validity dates on the LTA's OneMotoring website.