SINGAPORE: If you find time for a quick getaway to Johor Bahru, you won’t want to wait hours at the immigration counters when crossing the border. So, using the e-gate can get you in within minutes to get to the food trip and retail therapy you badly need.

However, not everyone is allowed to use the e-gate, sorry to say. But you can if you are a Singaporean citizen, a Malaysian Permanent Resident, or a Malaysia Automated Clearance System pass holder with a valid biometric passport for at least three months.

The only caveat is that people allowed to use the e-gate must be at least 120 cm (3.93 feet) and above. Parents need to take note of this if they’re bringing their young children to JB. And if you qualify, here’s your guide for going about it.

  1. Get your Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) and submit it within 3 days before you’re scheduled to arrive at JB. For example, if you’re planning to arrive in JB on Oct 18, you can get your MDAC on Oct 16, 17 or even on the day of your arrival itself (though it’s always better to do things early.
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Fill up the form for the MDAC here. You’ll be asked to provide personal details, including an email address and a valid phone number, and you’ll need your passport information on hand when filling up the form. The date of your arrival and departure will also be asked for.

After some time, you can confirm your eligibility to use the E-gates here.

2. Please note that first-timers will need to go to the manual counter after entering Malaysia for a one-time verification stamp of their passports after submitting the MDAC.

Be sure to tell the immigration officer about your MDAC so entering and exiting next time will be much easier!

3. Also importantly, first-timers must go through manual counters to get their passport stamped when they leave.

Now you can exhale because the whole process just got A WHOLE LOT EASIER! However, you’ll still have to fill up an MDAC form on subsequent visits, but you may go to the e-gates directly.

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The e-gate at JB customs is on the leftmost side. Open up your passport to tap it on the machine, and off you go to enjoy a serious makan session!

Enjoy! /TISG

How to go JB without long queues & traffic jam? Take the ferry!