Malaysia to introduce QR code passport clearance; pilot for factory workers at Johor land checkpoints
The pilot initiative will only apply to Malaysian citizens travelling in “bas kilangs” and these commuters would still be required to bring their passports along, a representative of the Johor state government told CNA.
File photo of Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine Complex (BSI CIQ) in Johor Bahru. (Photo: CNA/Zamzahuri Abas)
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JOHOR BAHRU: Under a pilot initiative launching in June, Malaysians travelling to Singapore on factory buses will be able to clear immigration through QR codes at both of Johor’s land checkpoints.
The scheme, spearheaded by Malaysia’s Ministry of Home Affairs, follows the successful response to the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA)’s move to roll out a QR code initiative on Mar 19 for those travelling by car on its side of the land border.
Singapore’s rollout has garnered positive feedback from commuters and this has led to increased calls from Johorean travellers and businesses for the Malaysia government to launch a similar initiative.
When contacted on Tuesday night (Apr 23), Johor’s Works, Transportation and Infrastructure committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh told CNA that the pilot will apply to Malaysian citizens who travel to Singapore onboard “bas kilangs” or factory buses. He stressed that travellers with Singapore passports are not yet included in this pilot initiative.
Mr Fazli said these travellers will be able to use QR code clearance at both Bangunan Sultan Iskandar and Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar, the immigration complexes linked to the Johor-Singapore Causeway and Tuas Second Link respectively.
“The pilot test initiative involves only Malaysians who pass through on board bas kilangs,” said Mr Fazli.
“These travellers are still required to bring their passports because at this point the QR code systems for both Malaysia and Singapore function differently and are not yet integrated,” he added.
Factory buses are Malaysian-registered vehicles which transport workers between Johor Bahru and industrial areas in Singapore. Local media estimate that around 500 of such buses pass through the land checkpoints each day.
Mr Fazli further explained that for this pilot, immigration officers will board the factory buses with handheld scanners at the checkpoints.
The officers will then scan the QR codes for each individual traveller. He said that the QR codes are generated by an application on their mobile phone.
Mr Fazli added that the Ministry of Home Affairs as well as the Immigration Department will make further announcements to confirm the details of the implementation of the QR code system.
He said that the overall plan is to “widen the scope of travellers” who will be able to use the QR code system.
Following Singapore’s roll out of its QR code system in March, travellers have reported positive feedback, with some outlining that the system has shaved up to 30 minutes off their journey time as it eases congestion on the Singapore side of the borders.
Johoreans and businesses have also urged the Malaysia government to reciprocate with a similar system, in line with plans for passport-free clearance in the proposed Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
In January, both countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop a framework for a legally binding agreement on the SEZ. A key part of the MOU was exploring passport-free clearance on both sides of the border, and Singapore unilaterally introduced its system in March.
Immigration experts previously told CNA that passport-free travel at the Johor-Singapore border - one of the world’s busiest land crossings - would be a gamechanger to boost economic cooperation between the two countries.
Passport-free travel has been implemented in other parts of the world. For instance, the Schengen area in Europe permits travellers to cross country borders without the need for passport checks.
This includes countries such as Germany, Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
The United Arab Emirates is also set to implement facial recognition at its borders and remove the need to produce a passport at the port of entry.
FACTORY BUS PASSENGERS LAUD MOVE, HOPE MALAYSIA'S QR CODE SYSTEM WILL NOT HAVE GLITCHES
Malaysians who travel to Singapore via these factory buses told CNA that they welcomed the move to implement QR code immigration clearance on the Johor side of the border as it could decrease travel time and ensure smoother journeys.
Mr Meshach Raven Kelvin Suraj, who works as an aircraft engineer at Changi Airport, told CNA he typically takes 90 minutes to travel one way but he hopes that with the implementation of the QR code, this may be reduced to an hour.
"From June, we would not even need to disembark the bus and travel up and down escalators to clear immigration. We just need to sit and wait for the officers to come to us. That saves us time and energy," said Mr Meshach Raven.
"I hope that the initiative will reduce traffic jam at the Causeway and make all our lives easier," he added.
Mr Xi Heng Ching, who boards the factory bus to travel to and from his workplace in Singapore's Clarke Quay, told CNA that it was a relief that the Malaysia government has implemented the QR code initiative.
"When we read that Singapore had implemented it for drivers, we were wondering when it would be offered to us passengers. Thank you, Malaysia government for thinking of us," added Mr Xi.
"Others who have tried the Singapore QR code clearance had good things to say. We hope that Malaysia can also have smooth (implementation) of the system," said the food and beverage executive.
Mdm Nurafiza Nordin, a representative of the firm Best Driver Transport & Travel which offers factory bus services for Malaysian workers commuting to Singapore, told CNA that the company has not received any directive from the federal government on how the initiative will be implemented.
"We hope they will reach out soon so that we can let our passengers know what application to download and how to generate the QR code for themselves," said Mdm Nurafiza.
She also expressed hope that the initiative will be rolled out smoothly so that it will allow bus companies to increase the rate at which they transport workers across the border.
"We don't know how this QR code system will be like. If they implement it but it's not executed properly, there's no point. It will actually worsen congestion and cause bottlenecks," she added.
