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Beginning the end of this year, Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ), or The Road Transport Department of Malaysia (RTD), will oversee the implementation of the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) against all foreign vehicles entering Malaysia through the Johor Bahru-Woodlands Causeway and the Tuas Second-Link Expressway.
RTD director-general Datuk Seri Saharuddin Khalid revealed to Bernama that the permit system is currently undergoing its final round of tests prior to its finalisation by the Ministry of Transport.
“I am waiting for the final report which I expect to receive this October before getting a decision from the ministry."
“This implementation does not put pressure on the neighbouring countries as it only involves our business and our borders,” said the RTD director-general.
The VEP, issued by the Road Transport Department under s.66H Road Transport Act 1987, was originally scheduled to come into effect early this year. However, it was pushed to the end of this year to allow time to rectify certain issues regarding the standardisation of its implementation at Malaysia's borders with Singapore and Thailand.
The RTD website on the VEP states that the vehicle ownership categories that will be affected by the implementation of the permit are as following:
- Private (vehicles owned by individuals, companies or organizations for private usage);
- Commercial (vehicles owned by companies and used for business purposes); and
- Embassy / Government (vehicles owned by governments, consulates or embassies).
VEP-registered vehicles will be issued non-transferrable RFID tags, which contain "pertinent information" that uniquely identifies the vehicles.
The VEP will have a validity period of 5 years, and vehicle owners are "strongly encouraged" to renew their VEP Tag at least 2 months before its expiry date.