SINGAPORE – A total of 119 Malaysia Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) tags have been collected and installed in vehicles at the Woodlands VEP information counter since the option to pick up the tags from the Singapore office began on Sept 12.
Mr Ng Poh Heng, manager of the information centre on the third floor of 186 Woodlands Industrial Park E5, said on Sept 18 that the team has been, and will be, installing 30 VEPs in vehicles every day until Sept 30, before increasing the number to 50 VEPs each day from Oct 1 to Oct 4.
He plans to hire one more person to meet his target of installing 100 to 150 VEPs per day by mid-October.
This comes after news of the opening of the collection point in Singapore surfaced on Sept 3, when the VEP portal allowed motorists, for a $39 fee, to opt to get their tags at the Woodlands counter – instead of from Danga Bay in Johor or by post.
From Oct 1, foreign-registered vehicles entering Malaysia from Singapore by land must have a valid VEP, which acts like an “identity card” for these vehicles in Malaysia.
This is because each permit has a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag which allows the Malaysian authorities to identify a foreign-registered vehicle.
A VEP can be used to pay toll fees on Malaysian highways, as well as the RM20 (S$6) road charge levied on foreign vehicles when they enter Malaysia.
Owners of non-Malaysia-registered vehicles can be denied entry into Johor or fined up to RM2,000 if found without a valid VEP.
The Woodlands counter was set up on Aug 19 initially to answer motorists’ queries, including those with pre-existing applications and those who want to learn more about the requirements for a successful application. Motorists were not allowed to install or collect their VEPs at the counter then.
Since Aug 30, visits to the information counter are strictly by appointment-only and walk-ins are not allowed.
When The Straits Times visited the Woodlands VEP information counter at around 2pm on Sept 18, most people who showed up had appointments, although there were a handful of walk-in visitors lingering outside.
Some visitors did not know that walk-ins were no longer accepted at the counter. Staff outside the centre directed them to make their appointments online, and tried to briefly address some of their queries.
The staff also suggested that motorists with “very urgent queries” try going to the counter in Danga Bay in Johor Bahru, but warned them about the long queues there.
Nearly 120 Malaysia VEP tags collected, installed at Woodlands counter since Sept 12
