Singapore made world headlines final 12 months when the federal government introduced that biometric processing will substitute journey doc verifications at Changi Airport within the first half of 2024.
However the city-state goes “passport-free” in one other space: its land border with Malaysia.
From Tuesday, folks touring by automobile between Singapore and Malaysia can present self-generated QR codes slightly than handing over their passports at two checkpoints.
The new rule, which applies to these touring by way of the nation’s Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, will expedite immigration clearance “with out compromising on safety,” in line with Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority.
Who’s eligible
Singapore residents and overseas vacationers can generate QR codes by way of the federal government’s MyICA cell app. Group codes for as much as 10 folks will be generated for passengers touring in the identical automobile too.
Like earlier than, vacationers are then topic to a face-to-face test by immigration officers.
Nevertheless, the QR-code clearance will not be obtainable to 2 teams of vacationers: these getting into Singapore for the primary time and people utilizing a special passport from earlier visits.
The brand new process is anticipated to cut back immigration processing time by greater than 30% — saving round 20 seconds for vehicles touring with 4 passengers and as much as one minute for vehicles with 10 folks, in line with authorities.
One in all world’s busiest border crossings
The checkpoint linking the Malaysian metropolis of Johor Bahru to Woodlands in Singapore is without doubt one of the busiest worldwide border crossings on this planet.
From March 7 to 10, greater than 1.8 million vacationers crossed Singapore’s two checkpoints that hyperlink the island with Malaysia, in line with its Immigration & Checkpoints Authority.
Motorists coming from Malaysia wait to cross the immigration checkpoint to enter Singapore on March 31, 2023.
Roslan Rahman | Afp | Getty Photos
On March 8 — the Friday previous a week-long break for Singapore public colleges — a record-breaking 495,000 folks crossed the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, exceeding the 485,000 vacationers recorded on August 2019, it mentioned.
Singapore plans to roll out the QR code clearance to extra vacationers crossing checkpoints by way of different modes of transport at a later date.
Half of a bigger push
The QR clearance program is an element of a bigger push to modernize border management and safety procedures within the city-state to handle larger traveler quantity amid the crunch of its growing old workforce.
Changi Airport’s “passport-free” immigration clearance, which relies on biometric verification, is present process trials, a consultant of Changi Airport Group instructed CNBC Journey.
A launch date for this program has not been launched.