Countless People Still Headed to VEP Info Counter at Woodlands Even When It Doesn’t Provide VEP Application

From 1 October onwards, you’ll need a Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) to drive your Singapore-registered vehicle into Malaysia. If not, you risk being fined up to RM2,000 or jailed up to six months.

Recently, an information counter about the VEP was set up at Woodlands to answer any questions that you might have about the VEP application process. And it seems like the information counter was a hit — countless people were headed to the VEP information counter on its opening day.

Hundreds of People Swarm Woodlands VEP Information Counter; Only First 100 People Managed to Get Queue Numbers

On Monday (19 August), the long-awaited VEP information counter finally opened to the public. The information counter, which serves to answer any queries motorists have about the VEP, is located on the third floor of 186 Woodlands Industrial Park E5.

Yes, you read that right. The information counter is located at the most ulu of places — in an industrial park.

In fact, it’s so ulu that it’s a 26-minute walk from the nearest MRT station, Admiralty MRT Station. But that hasn’t stopped Singaporeans from heading down to the information counter — even though the application counter opened quietly, with hardly any information about its exact location or opening date.

By 2 pm on the information counter’s “grand” opening day, nearly 200 people swarmed the VEP information counter, which was only manned by two counter staff and three technical support staff.

However, many were eventually turned away from the information counter. Only the first 100 people who arrived managed to get queue numbers at the counter, while the rest were turned away and advised to return the next day for a queue number.

Sometimes, it’s not very worth it to be kiasu lah.

To cope with the visitor traffic, the information counter will be implementing an online appointment system by next week. This way, scheduling at the information counter can be improved, and motorists keen on heading down to the information counter won’t have to risk a wasted trip or long waiting times.

VEP Information Counter Only Provides Information About the VEP; Does Not Assist Motorists in Applying for a VEP 

With the number of people who took time out of their day to head down to such an ulu place for the sake of the VEP, you might have thought that the VEP information counter provided more services than just rendering information.

But, surprisingly enough, the VEP information counter truly doesn’t do much else aside from providing information to its visitors. Here’s what the information counter offers — information on the status of your pre-existing VEP applications alongside guidelines and requirements for submitting a successful VEP application.

So, for instance, if your VEP application is still pending, you can visit the VEP information counter in Woodlands to find out why it’s still pending.

If you’re looking to visit the VEP information counter to apply for the VEP, we suggest that you save yourself the trouble of heading down to the information counter, as the counter does not assist motorists in applying for a VEP. If it did, it wouldn’t have been called the VEP information counter, but instead, the VEP application counter.

And, even if your VEP application has been accepted and you’re due to collect your VEP-radio frequency identification (RFID) tag to be pasted on your vehicle, you should also know that the VEP information counter does not provide collection services.

To install or collect your VEP-RFID tag, you must head down to the Danga Bay collection centre in Johor. Alternatively, you can opt for delivery by post to your address in Singapore or Malaysia. This is what the tag looks like:

So, to save yourself a disappointing trip to the information counter, be clear on what you’re there for. And once the online appointment system is out, you should book an appointment before heading down to the information counter.

To find out more about the VEP, you can read this or watch this video: