Some recent visitors to Johor Bahru have claimed on social media that Singaporeans are now able to use the automated gates at the land checkpoint without prior registration.

This has yet to be confirmed by the Malaysian authorities.

The arrangement so far has been for Singaporeans who wish to use the e-gates at immigration to submit a copy of the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) at least three days prior to arrival.

First-time users would additionally have to verify their biometric data at the immigration counter before using the gates.

Some changes noticed by travellers?

Recently, however, pictures circulated on social media showing new signages put up at an immigration counter at the Sultan Iskandar CIQ Complex in JB after crossing from Woodlands.

They read, "No more registration. Just walk into the e-gate."

Just use the e-gate: Users

A number of recent visitors also claimed on social media that both manual registration and submitting an MDAC are no longer required for Singaporeans before they can use the e-gates.

A user who is supposedly the administrator of the "“Malaysia-Singapore Border Crossers 马新过境者” Facebook group posted about the simplified process of using a Singapore passport to access the e-gate.

From the pictures shared, the user proceeded directly to the e-gates without first manually registering at the counter.

Former presidential hopeful Tan Kin Lian also chimed in, apparently from his personal experience of using the e-gates.

"You only need to go to the e-gate, scan your Singapore passport, show your face and the gate opens. It works just like Singapore," he wrote.

Doesn't always work upon exit: Other users

Some users said they managed to enter via the e-gates without an MDAC, but the system did not let them exit the same way.

A few claimed they were told by JB customs officers that they had to use specific e-gates for entry and exit.

One user wrote that Singaporeans without MDAC should use "the egates on the extreme left".

Mothership previously asked a JB checkpoint officer on Apr. 19 about the process for Singaporean passport holders to use the e-gates.

The officer said the e-gate could be used without having to register at the counter.

S'poreans exempted from MDAC to enter M'sia

Singaporeans were officially exempted from having to submit an MDAC to enter Malaysia, from Jan. 1, 2024.

Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had explained that some Singaporeans enter Malaysia on an almost daily basis, and so “it is more realistic for us to exempt them”, The Star reported.

Other travellers exempted include diplomatic passport holders, Malaysian permanent residents, Brunei General Certificate of Identity holders and Thailand Border Pass holders.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) website still states that MDAC is a pre-requisite for first-time Singaporean visitors wanting to use the e-gates.

Mothership has contacted both the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Malaysian Immigration Office in Johor for comment, and have yet to receive more information on the matter.

Top image from China Press & Chee Keen Wong/Facebook