Singapore and Malaysia are only separated by a 1.05km causeway in Woodlands and 5km in Tuas 2nd Link, traveling to Malaysia has become a favorite pastime for many Singaporeans. Some would take a short trip to Johor Bahru over the weekends while others would drive further up north to Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Genting Highland, Cameron Highland, and even Penang during the long school holidays.
This blog is to help you prepare yourself for the trip especially if you are a first-timer and have always wanted to do a self-drive trip up to KL and bring your children to Genting Highland.
We would also like to share the fun and joys we experienced during the trip and allow you to make informed decisions regarding your upcoming trip.
See our blog for our recent trip to Malaysia.
Here are the things you need to prepare and do before and during the trip.
Before the trip
Passport
Ensure that all passports have a validity of more than 6 months. For those under 6 months, you may renew and apply for a new passport with a validity period of 10 years. For Singaporeans, go to the ICA website to apply online and make arrangements for the passport to be delivered to the post office nearest to you. It’s so easy and convenient nowadays.
Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP)
A Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) is a permit issued by the Road Transport Department (under Section 66H of the Road Transport Act 1987) that allows the entry of foreign vehicles into Malaysia. All foreign-registered vehicles entering Peninsular Malaysia must be registered online for VEP through this portal.
The affected vehicle ownership categories are:
- Private (vehicles owned by individuals, companies, or organizations for private usage)
- Commercial (vehicles owned by companies and used for business purposes); and
- Embassy / Government (vehicles owned by governments, consulates, or embassies)
VEP-registered vehicles will be issued non-transferrable VEP-RFID tags which contain pertinent information that uniquely identifies the vehicles. You will be contacted by email on how to collect your VEP-RFID tag when you have registered for the VEP.
To register for your VEP, please visit their official website.
Driving license
Remember to bring along your driving license for whoever will be driving in Malaysia. For Singaporeans, your local license will be accepted by the local authorities. For others, you may need to apply for an International Driver’s License.
Road Tax
For Singapore-registered cars, print out and bring along a valid road tax slip and keep it in the car for inspection by the Malaysian authorities when required. You can go to the one-motoring website to print out your road tax.
Car Insurance
Make sure that your car insurance is up to date. Renew it as soon as possible.
Travel Insurance
This is a must whenever you are traveling abroad, even if it is to JB for a day. The premium will depend on where you are traveling to and the duration. However, the price is low compared to what you may fork out if you are involved in some incident. Never save on this.
Touch ‘n Go (TNG) card
This is the one item that will give you the most headaches if you do not own one. You might have to climb mountains or swim across oceans to get one.
A Touch ‘n Go (TNG) card is required for many instances when you are traveling to Malaysia. From paying the Malaysia road charge (RC) at the immigration counter to expressway tolls.
It’s not the end of the world or the trip. There are still many ways you can get one.
Ask a friend who is going to Malaysia to buy one for you. However, your friend will need to top up its value at selected outlets. Recommended is to top up at least RM200 if you plan to go up Genting Highland. RM20 will be deducted when you cross the Malaysian checkpoint. As you move up north, toll charges will come into play and you would have to pay around RM50 or more to reach Genting Highland. As you come back, another RM50 or so toll charge will be charged. That would leave you around RM80 on the card. This is for you to pay the checkpoint charges the next time you come back to Malaysia if you do not have time to reload the value of the card during this trip.
You can also visit Malaysia by bus or train and sign up for membership at Watson or Tesco. Then top up its value.
Buy it from Carousel. However, some of them do not have any value in them. You may need to go to Malaysia to top it up. Getting one that has values in it is the easiest solution but it’s more costly.
Buy a EZ-Link x Touch ‘n Go at 7 eleven. This card allows you to use it in both Singapore and Malaysia. Likewise, it does not have any value in it, you will still need to go into Malaysia to top it up. Unless you can get someone to go in and top it up for you.
If you are going in via Tuas 2nd Link, you may be able to buy and top up a card with the vending machine just before the immigration counters. Best of luck with that. It may be sold out.
The latest enhanced Touch ‘n Go Card is fully equipped with NFC technology to enable reloads via Touch ‘n Go eWallet, allowing you convenient and easy reloads wherever you are, whenever you want.
The card is only valid for 10 years. It would be deactivated if the card is not used for more than 365 days.
Cash Card
Don’t forget to bring your Cash Card with you. You will be required to pay a small fee on the Singapore Customs side during the outgoing journey. The fee is SGD2.50 at the 2nd Link.
Google Maps/GPS
Planning before the trip is one of the most important tasks you have to do before the trip. Do your homework or research diligently and mark all the places that you plan to visit on a Google map or on a GPS that you can access during the trip. You can go to “How to prepare a Google My Map” to learn how to do it.
Data Roaming Plans
Regardless of how many technologies you bring with you on the trip, it will not work if you do not have a data plan with roaming services activated. Buy a plan before the start of your journey.
Check with your local telco companies about the roaming data plan available from them. You can also purchase plans when you arrive in Malaysia.
Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance
A few days before your journey, sending your car to your trusted mechanic for an inspection is important. Ensure that the tires, brakes, and any other moving parts are serviced and checked. Replace them when necessary.
Local currency
You should prepare some Malaysian currency before the trip. Although there are many money changers available in Malaysia, the rates are still better if you change them in your home country.
Although many places accept credit cards as payment, many small or family-run stalls and businesses will only accept cash payments.
Emergency phone numbers
Prepare and store all foreign emergency phone numbers before embarking on your trip. If there is a consulate office there, ensure you have their office numbers. Some of the numbers you should store are:-
- The police
- Ambulance services
- Fire Brigade
- Tow services
Pre-book your hotels
It will be cheaper if you were to pre-book your hotels in advance than paying the board rate on-site. It also assures that you have rooms ready for you as you arrive at your destination. There are many sites that you can book online nowadays, either directly to the hotels or through 3rd party websites.
Your Itineraries
Pre-planning your trip is an important part that you should start as early as you decided to do the trip. This is to ensure your trip is smooth and those going with you enjoy it. Use Google to search for websites and blogs related to your upcoming trip make use of their experience and build yourself a wonderful trip.
Sufficient Rest before the trip
As you will be in the driving seat for an extended period, it may be something new to some drivers. The journey will become monotonous after an hour or so and you will also begin to feel tired. It is of utmost importance that you rest early and do not consume any alcohol the day before the trip. It is for the safety of your loved ones. Please remember that.
Front and back car camera
It is highly advisable to install a front and back camera in your car to record your journey and have the video as proof if you are involved in an incident.
TOWME phone apps
Install the app TOWME. It may come in handy if you need roadside assistance for a flat tire or engine problem.
During the trip
One Motoring/Checkpoint.sg
Being the busiest crossing in the world, your crossing over to Malaysia will be a lengthy one if you get stuck in a jam for hours. However, you can ease the pain by crossing at a less congested period. Make use of One Motoring website or download the app Checkpoint.sg to help you identify the real-time traffic volume of the crossing. I sometimes choose to do the crossing at 4 am and have breakfast in KL. The peak period of the crossing is around 6 am to 11 am and 6 pm to 11 pm. Another option is to choose a weekday or outside the peak timing to do the crossing provided all members of the trip are available. The busiest days to cross into Malaysia are Friday evening, Saturday morning, and evening, the eve of extended long weekends and public holidays.
Three-Quarter Tank Rule
All Singapore cars entering Malaysia must comply with the Three-Quarter Tank Rule. Your car must be at least Three-Quarter Tank full before crossing the checkpoint.
Drivers who do not meet the rule may be issued a composition sum of up to $500, or be prosecuted in court. Drivers are also required to perform a U-turn at the land checkpoints if they are caught committing the offense.
If the vehicle’s fuel gauge is tampered with, the driver may be charged in court for illegal alteration of the fuel measuring equipment.
Petrol
Petrol in Malaysia is generally much cheaper than in Singapore. There are many fuel stations available along the way. But do not wait till you are almost empty before looking for a station. The distance between stations can be a distance away in some areas. Do fill up your tank as soon as you are less than half full. For Singapore vehicles, you are only allowed to fill with Ron97 and above, Ron95 is only available for Malaysia vehicles.
Rest Stations
Rest Stations are available along the Highways during your trip up north of Malaysia. Do make use of them whenever you feel tired or sleepy. Some are just toilets whereas some are complete with eateries and pump stations. Look out for the fork and spoon signs.
Toll Stations
As you drive up north, you will encounter many Toll stations. If you are using the Touch & Go card, drive to the lane indicating T&G, tap your card on the reader and it will open for you. If your card runs out of funds, you can try driving up to the leftmost lane where you may be able to pay cash.
Speed Limit/Speed Cameras
The speed limit on a normal road varies from 40 – 60 km/h. The speed on Highways varies from 80 – 110 km/h. Look out for the speed limit sign and drive accordingly.
Speed cameras are stationed along the Highways. A fine will be compound on you if you are caught speeding.
For the safety of your family and you, please do not speed.
Safeguard your car and belongings
Here are some of the safeguards you should always bear in mind while driving in Malaysia:
- Keep the car doors in a lock position at all times. You do not want some stranger to open your car door and climb inside.
- Remember to lock your car whenever you are stepping away from it.
- Do not display any valuables, for example, your phone, laptop, bags or wallet, on the seats or dashboard.
- Park your car in hotels, popular shopping centers or a secure car park whenever possible.
- Travel on well-lit and popular roads. Do not drive into dark alleys or take shortcuts.
- Do not stop for anyone you don’t know.
- Use a steering lock.
Steps to take after being involved in a car accident
First and foremost, check for any injuries on the occupants within the cars. If someone is hurt, call for an ambulance immediately.
If all is well, you should safely move all of them to the side of the road about 20 meters in front of your car. If there is a side rail along the road, they should go behind the side rail for protection.
This is to prevent any further injury to you or your occupants by oncoming vehicles that are not aware of your stationary vehicle.
Call your insurance companies if you are not familiar with the actions to take after an accident. They will advise you accordingly. Save the numbers on your phone.
Alternatively, you should record the following:
- Photographs/Video of the accident scene.
- The time and date.
- The address of the location.
- The other party’s car plate number.
- The contact number and identification details of the other driver.
- Take a photograph of the other car’s road tax.
Remember to do the photo or video taking in a safe manner and always look out for oncoming traffic. Go to the side of the road and away from your car to exchange personal details.
Make a police report as soon as possible after the accident. Upon your return to Singapore, you need to file an accident report as per the General Insurance Association of Singapore’s requirements.
Do not accept the services of unauthorized tow truck operators or repair workshops. This may complicate your claims process.
Most drivers in Malaysia are courteous and friendly. They give way to you if you signal in advance. As long as you exercise common sense and good driving manners, you should not face any problems driving in Malaysia.
Enjoy your DRIVE…….