Wait of about 7 weeks for vehicle entry permits to Singapore after 6-fold jump in applications

SINGAPORE — Motorists intending to enter Singapore in a foreign-registered vehicle face a wait of about seven weeks for their vehicle entry permit (VEP) to be processed due to the surge in applications since the re-opening of the land border, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA). 

As of Friday, LTA had received around 76,000 VEP applications since the re-opening of the border on Friday last week (April 1).

This is more than six times the weekly average before the land borders were closed due to the pandemic, LTA said in a press release on Friday.

“Based on current volume, the processing time is about seven weeks. Applicants are notified of the processing time at the point of application,” said LTA. 

LTA advised travellers to plan ahead and strongly encouraged leisure travellers to defer their plans so that those with essential travel needs, such as for employment or to reunite with their families, can make their trips.

Application for a VEP must be done online via VEP Digital Services on LTA's OneMotoring website and will no longer be accepted at Singapore’s land checkpoints to facilitate traffic flow. 

When applying for a VEP, applicants should ensure they have clear copies of the following documents: 

• Identity card or passport
• Immigration pass card (e.g. work permit — front and reverse sides)
• Vehicle registration certificate (geran, VOC, “perakuan pendaftaran kenderaan” in Malay Language) (front and reverse sides)
• Vehicle certificate of insurance (COI, “sijil insurans” in Malay language)
• Vehicle road tax disc (required for update of road tax and insurance validity for VEP applications)

Drivers of foreign-registered vehicles must also have LTA’s VEP approval email and autopass card before they travel. 

Those without autopass cards must collect their cards at LTA’s Johor Bahru Service Centre before entering Singapore.