Singapore-Malaysia land VTL to be extended to more travellers

According to Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) (2-page, 42.7KB PDF), there is no change to existing test protocols in the two countries. All travellers entering Singapore are required to comply with the current testing protocols and safe management measures, including the post-arrival seven-day Covid-19 antigen rapid test (ART) regime.

Travellers to Malaysia must be fully vaccinated. Children under the age of 12 who are not vaccinated may enter Malaysia if they are accompanied by a fully-vaccinated parent or guardian.

On 29 November, the two countries launched their first land VTL and an air VTL between Changi airport and Kuala Lumpur international airport. Under the initial land VTL arrangement, travellers had to be citizens, permanent residents or long-term pass holders of the country that they were entering.

With the updated land VTL policy effective, Singaporean citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders will be able to enter Malaysia and vice versa.

Mayumi Soh of Pinsent Masons MPillay, the Singapore joint law venture between MPillay and Pinsent Masons, said: “There are likely to be leisure travellers from Singapore and Malaysia who will now travel via this VTL, whereas under the prevailing VTL rules, many of the travellers were likely to be individuals who were citizens of one country who were working in the other.”

Currently the land VTL is limited to travel by bus only. MTI minister Gan Kim Yong said the authorities would review the arrangements to see if they could be expanded to other modes of transport, according to a Singaporean local report.