JOHOR BARU: Private companies in Singapore are providing unauthorised "hassle-free" Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) registrations, charging motorists up to RM500.
Transport Ministry secretary-general Datuk Jana Santhiran Muniayan said the ministry did not authorise any company in Singapore to offer the services.
"We appointed TCSens Sdn Bhd to manage VEP registrations and RFID tag distribution.
"There is a centre in Woodland, Singapore, where Singaporean motorists can make enquiries and collect their RFID tags.
"The other two centres operated by the Johor Road Transport Department are in Taman Daya and Larkin," he told the New Straits Times today.
From Oct 1, Singapore-registered vehicles must be fitted with the VEP RFID tag when they enter Malaysia through the Sultan Iskandar Building's Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex or the Tuas Second Link in Gelang Patah.
It is learnt that private companies are helping Singaporean motorists register for the VEP, amend their personal details, deregister their existing permits and collect and install the RFID tags.
Some companies even offer door-to-door and online services.
Their fees range between RM100 and RM500. Self-registration on the RTD website costs less than RM40.
Authorised VEP registration centres charge RM10 for tag processing. The collection agent fee is RM29.50.
Motorists who want the RFID tags mailed to them need to pay for the courier fee.
Johor RTD director Azmil Zainal Adnan said the department's VEP registration and RFID tag installation centres in Larkin and Taman Daya operate from 9am to 9pm daily.
He said Singapore-registered vehicles without the VEP RFID tag could still enter Malaysia, but the motorists would be issued a written warning.
He said out of 200 Singapore-registered vehicles that enter the country by land through Johor, about 80 per cent have the VEP RFID tags.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the VEP system was implemented in 2019, but not fully enforced.
He said enforcement would be rolled out in phases, starting with issuing warning notices to motorists who have not registered for the VEP.
Up to Sept 30, RTD has issued 112,658 VEP RFID tags to Singapore-registered private and commercial vehicles.
Of the figure, 75,412 tags had been activated, while 37,246 remain inactivated.
Loke said there was currently no deadline for full enforcement, urging Singaporean motorists to swiftly register, install and activate the VEP RFID tags to avoid complications when entering or exiting Malaysia.