SINGAPORE: On Monday (Jan 20), the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) announced that it expects there to be very heavy traffic at the land checkpoints, Woodlands and Tuas during the upcoming Chinese New Year holidays, specifically from Jan 24 (Friday) to Feb 2 (Sunday).
The ICA also noted that more than 24 million travellers crossed the checkpoints at Woodlands and Tuas on the year-end school holidays from Nov 14, 2024, to Jan 1, 2025, marking a 20 per cent increase from the same period the year before.
On Dec 20, a record number of over 562,000 crossings were made in a single day. This overtook the previous record of more than 553,000 crossings the week before; on Dec 13, ICA said that the individuals who travelled by car needed to wait as long as three hours to get clearance through immigration because of traffic tailback from Malaysia.
Previous to this, ICA had said on Sept 6, the number of Woodlands and Tuas checkpoint crossings had surpassed 543,000, the highest number for a single day. On Aug 8, during the National Day long weekend, the number of crossings had been at around 540,000 travellers, which shows that more and more people are using the checkpoints at Woodlands and Tuas every holiday.
The authority wrote that as an alternative to travelling by car, people might consider taking the cross-border bus services.
“With the ongoing enhanced checks, travellers should expect delays and factor in additional time for immigration clearance. We seek travelers’ understanding to cooperate with ICA officers, observe traffic rules, and maintain lane discipline. ICA will not hesitate to take stern action against travellers who do not comply with officers’ instructions and commit offences at the checkpoints,” ICA said.
Everyone travelling through the checkpoints should have a passport valid for at least six months. Permanent Residents with renewed passports should ensure their Re-Entry Permit has been transferred to the new passport. Long-term pass holders must inform the ICA or the Ministry of Manpower of changes in their passport particulars before they re-enter Singapore.
Short-term visitors, including those holding an in-principle approval for a long-term pass, must submit their Singapore Arrival Card (SGAC) with health declaration via the MyICA mobile application within three days before arriving in Singapore.
Travellers are advised not to bring in controlled or prohibited items, including vapes and Bak Kwa. A list of these items may be found on the ICA website.
ICA is also asking motorists to check the traffic situation at the land checkpoints before starting their travels and warning drivers not to cut queues, which can make traffic worse and unsafe for other drivers.
Individuals who travel by bus are encouraged to use QR codes for faster immigration clearance. The ICA is also asking motorists to ensure that their vehicle’s Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) is valid. /TISG
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