Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook announced a significant rise in applications for Foreign Vehicle Entry Permits (VEP), which soared to 23,649 between May 28 and June 29 this year. This figure surpasses the total applications received for the entire previous year, which amounted to 15,424.
During this period, 6,120 VEP tags were issued to applicants, with 1,080 tags activated. Minister Loke emphasized the importance of activating VEP tags promptly after receiving them, reminding recipients to upload their vehicle registration numbers alongside the tag. Failure to activate the VEP tag renders it invalid.
Loke assured the public that applications for VEP can still be submitted after the enforcement deadline of October 1. The Ministry of Transport (MOT) has recently streamlined the VEP registration system, initiating improvements on the VEP portal as of last Friday. These enhancements aim to reduce reliance on email or counter-transactions.
Key improvements include online cancellation or deregistration of VEP, and automatic cancellation of VEP tags that reach a five-year expiry from the registration date. Additionally, VEP renewals can now be processed online without waiting for the current tag to expire. Vehicle owners will receive notifications 60, 30, and 10 days before their VEP expires to facilitate timely renewals.
Loke also announced plans to enhance the Open Toll Payment System (OPS), enabling credit and debit card payments as an alternative to Touch N’ Go for Road Charge payments. The OPS functionality is scheduled to launch on August 1. Users can download the MDGS application from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store to familiarize themselves with its features.
Effective October 1, the full enforcement of Foreign VEP Regulations at the Malaysia-Singapore land border aims to ensure compliance among foreign vehicle owners with Malaysian road regulations. Non-compliance, under Section 66H (7) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333), may result in fines up to RM2,000 or imprisonment for up to six months, as stipulated under Section 119(2) of Act 333.
