From Tuesday April 2, people traveling via car between Singapore and Malaysia can show self-generated QR codes rather than handing over their passports at two checkpoints.
Authorities of Singapore estimate the new procedure will reduce immigration processing time by more than 30%.
The Southeast Asian nation stood out as truly newsworthy last year when the government announced that biometric handling will replace travel record checks at Changi Airport in the first half of 2024.
The new rule, which applies to those traveling via the country’s Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, will expedite immigration clearance “without compromising on security,” according to Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority.
Eligibility:
Singapore residents and foreign travelers can generate QR codes via the government’s MyICA mobile app. Group codes for up to 10 people can be generated for passengers traveling in the same car too. Like before, travelers are then subject to a face-to-face check by immigration officers.
However, the QR-code clearance isn’t accessible to two groups of travelers: those entering Singapore interestingly and those using an alternate identification from past visits.
The new process is supposed to decrease migration handling time by over 30% — saving close to 20 seconds for vehicles going with four travelers and as long as one minute for vehicles with 10 people, as indicated by authorities.
The checkpoint linking the Malaysian city of Johor Bahru to Woodlands in Singapore is one of the busiest international border crossings in the world.
From March 7-10, a bigger number of than 1.8 million explorers crossed Singapore’s two designated spots that link the island with Malaysia, as per its Migration and Checkpoints Authority.
On March 8 — the Friday preceding a week-long break for Singapore public schools — a record-breaking 495,000 people crossed the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, exceeding the 485,000 travelers recorded on August 2019, it said.
Meanwhile, Singapore plans to roll out the QR code clearance to more travelers crossing checkpoints via other modes of transport at a later date.
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The QR clearance program is part of a larger push to modernize border control and security procedures in the city-state to manage higher traveler volume amid the crunch of its aging workforce.
Meanwhile, a launch date for this program has not been released.
