Malaysia’s QR code immigration clearance trial for foreigners at Johor land checkpoints gets a mixed start

SINGAPORE/JOHOR BAHRU: The first day of a pilot trial by Malaysia’s home ministry – which allows Singaporeans and other foreign travellers to clear Johor land checkpoints using just QR codes without needing to show their passports – got off to a mixed start on Monday (Sep 22). 

My colleague Ahmad Zamzahuri Abas, who is a Malaysian, and I, a Singapore citizen, wanted to try crossing the borders on the first day of the pilot – both by car as well as by bus. 

We want to give readers a glimpse into how the process works, with our journey starting from the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) customs, immigration and quarantine complex in downtown Johor Bahru. 

On the one hand, we managed to download the mobile application and generate QR codes for travel with minimal fuss, and also entered Johor Bahru from Singapore with no issues. 

However, we faced problems using the app when first exiting Johor during morning rush hour, as we were informed by immigration officers manning the booth that the system was not yet in operation.