Very heavy traffic expected at Woodlands & Tuas checkpoints during CNY, from Feb. 13 to 23

Very heavy traffic is expected at the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints this Lunar New Year, from Feb. 13 to 23, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said.

Travellers crossing the border will likely experience longer waiting times to clear immigration.

This is partly because ICA will be intensifying checks against the smuggling of contraband, such as e-vaporisers, firecrackers, and bak kwa, during this peak period.

For smoother travel

The ICA advised travellers to check the traffic situation at the two checkpoints before embarking on their journey.

Checkpoint traffic updates can be found on various platforms, including the Land Transport Authority (LTA)’s One Motoring Website, and ICA's Facebook and X accounts.

For more convenient passport-less immigration clearance, travellers can use QR codes generated from the MyICA mobile app.

Those who choose this option still need to bring along their passports, ICA reminded.

The agency also advised travellers to consider taking the cross-border bus services to avoid congestion.

Bus operating hours and timings are available on LTA’s MyTransport.SG app, or the bus operator’s website.

The ICA asked for travellers to cooperate with its officers, observe traffic rules, and maintain lane discipline during this period.

Previous holiday traffic

The most recent peak travelling period was the year-end school holidays, between Nov. 21, 2025, and Jan. 1, 2026.

More than 22 million travellers crossed the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints during that time.

Just on Dec. 19, a record high of more than 588,000 travellers cleared immigration through both checkpoints, surpassing the previous peak of more than 578,000 crossings on Jun. 20, 2025.

Those who crossed via car during the peak hours had to wait up to three hours for immigration clearance, due to traffic tailbacks from Malaysia.

Top images from Lawrence Tan/Facebook and Dennis Ng/Facebook