Malaysia and Singapore open Causeway for fully vaccinated residents from 29 November with daily quota

Malaysia and Singapore are opening up the vaccinated travel lane (VTL) for land travel between Johor and the island republic simultaneously with the VTL between KLIA and Changi on 29 November. The VTL for land travel is open to Malaysian and Singaporean citizens, permanent residents and long term pass holders who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. At the moment, the VTL by land is only via the Causeway and both countries are still working on restoring quarantine-free travel through the Tuas Second Link.

With the VTL arrangement, eligible individuals can travel between Malaysia and Singapore without quarantine while adhering to health, security and immigration protocols. According to Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the VTL arrangement will allow Malaysian and Singaporean residents to reunite with their loved ones.

The VTL for land travel between Johor and Singapore has a limited quota of 2,880 travellers per day. Up to 1,440 Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders in Malaysia can cross the Causeway and up to 1,440 Malaysian citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders in Singapore can travel to Johor Bahru. According to the Straits Times, long-term pass holders include work pass holders, student pass holders and long-term visit pass holders. Depending on the public health situation, the VTL for land travel will be expanded progressively to include general travellers.

Only designated bus services are permitted under the VTL and tickets will be available for purchase starting tomorrow, 25th November at 8am. The VTL-Land designated buses will operate from 7.30am to 6.45pm from Johor and between 9.30am to 7.30pm from Singapore. There will be a total of 64 bus trips daily (32 in each direction) with a maximum capacity of 45 passengers.

The bus tickets from Singapore will cost SGD 15 (about RM46.20) for adults and SGD 8 (about RM24.60) for children, while bus tickets from Malaysia will cost RM20 for adults or RM10 for children.

How to apply for Vaccinated Travel Pass for travel between Singapore and Malaysia?

Travellers from Malaysia to Singapore must submit an online application on Singapore’s SafeTravel portal and download Singapore’s Trace Together App (Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Huawei App Gallery). Meanwhile, travellers from Singapore to Malaysia can register on the MySafeTravel portal and they must download the MySejahtera app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Huawei App Gallery).

Individuals are required to print out their vaccination certificate with QR code and prepare other relevant travel or insurance documents. The bus tickets for the VTL can be purchased online via CausewayLink or Transtar.

Travellers are also required to take an Antigen Rapid Test (ART) or Rapid Testing Kit (RTK) or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test at an accredited lab or testing centre two days before the departure date.

If you’re planning to make a trip to Singapore, you can refer to the official guide by MITI.

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