Driving across the Causeway to JB: a checklist for both sides

Driving across the Causeway or the Second Link into Johor, the checklist is short, and someone checks every item on it. Leaving Singapore you need at least three-quarters of a tank and a NETS or CEPAS stored-value card with enough on it for the Woodlands or Tuas toll, and everyone in the car needs a passport or a MyICA QR code. Entering Malaysia you need an activated VEP RFID tag linked to a Touch 'n Go eWallet with balance for the RM20 road charge, plus a way to pay the Malaysian toll. Malaysia also wants passports valid for more than six months, and insurance and road tax that are valid on the day you cross.

Coming home, the stop that catches people out is Singapore Customs, because there is no duty-free liquor when you arrive from Malaysia and no concession on cigarettes at all. Below is a table that puts the two sides next to each other, then each item in turn with what happens if you get it wrong. The documents for applying for the VEP itself are in our SG to JB VEP requirements checklist, so this page sticks to the drive across and back.

Key takeaways

• Fill up before Woodlands or Tuas and aim above the three-quarter line. Singapore Customs offers a car driver a composition of S$100 for a first offence, rising to S$500 by the third, and can turn the car back to refuel.
• Singapore's checkpoint toll for a car is S$0.80 leaving by Woodlands and nothing coming back, or S$2.10 each way at Tuas. It is paid by stored-value card at the immigration booth, and since neither checkpoint has a top-up machine, the card needs its balance before you leave home.
• Malaysia's RM20 road charge is a separate payment from the toll. It comes out of the Touch 'n Go eWallet linked to your VEP tag, and the tag must be activated: without that, JPJ issues a RM300 compound and the car stays in Malaysia until it is paid.
• The MyICA QR code clears you out of Singapore only. Malaysia wants a passport valid for more than six months, and anyone in the car on a non-Singapore passport should check whether they need the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card.
• On the way home there is no duty-free liquor if you are arriving from Malaysia, nothing duty-free on cigarettes, and GST relief of up to S$100 if you were away for less than 48 hours.

The checklist, side by side

Each side runs its own checks and takes its own money, in its own currency. This is what each one looks at when a Singapore-registered car goes into Johor and comes back. The figures are for a car.

The two sides' tolls move together. LTA said in its release of 16 March 2023 that matching Malaysia's toll rates is Singapore's long-standing policy, and it moved Tuas to a single all-day rate from 31 March 2023 after Malaysia changed the toll at Tanjung Kupang. When one side changes its toll, expect the other to follow.

Leaving Singapore: the three-quarter tank rule

The 3/4 tank rule is Singapore's, and Singapore Customs enforces it. Every Singapore-registered vehicle leaving Singapore by land must have a fuel tank at least three-quarters full. The Customs rule page covers petrol and diesel cars and CNG ones too, and a hybrid that runs on both petrol and CNG needs both tanks at three-quarters. LTA's OneMotoring page says the rule applies to all vehicles, hybrids and CNG vehicles included. Neither page mentions fully electric cars, so if you drive one, ask Customs rather than trust a forum thread.

The check happens at Woodlands and Tuas on the way out. Customs does not publish how often it checks or which cars it stops, so plan every trip as if yours will be the one.

What happens if you fail it

These are the composition amounts Singapore Customs lists for leaving with less than three-quarters of a tank:

The money is only part of it. The rule page says you will also be made to U-turn at the checkpoint, which means refuelling in Singapore and joining the queue again from the back. Customs can prosecute instead of offering a composition, and a driver whose fuel gauge has been tampered with can be charged in court.

Customs says forgetting to refuel or not knowing the rule is generally not enough to win an appeal, and neither is being stuck in traffic. For tank offences an appeal also does not remove the need to attend court unless the composition has been paid. That traffic line matters on a Friday evening. An hour crawling towards Woodlands with the air-con on burns fuel, and what counts is the gauge at the booth, not the reading you had at the pump. Fill up properly before you join the queue and aim above the line, not on it.

Tolls on each side and how they are paid

Singapore: the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoint tolls

The Woodlands checkpoint toll for a car is S$0.80, charged when you leave Singapore, and there is none when you come back. The Tuas checkpoint toll is S$2.10 when you leave and another S$2.10 when you return. Those are LTA's figures on OneMotoring, last updated 28 May 2025. Woodlands has charged S$0.80 since 2 March 2020, and Tuas has charged S$2.10 all day since 31 March 2023, when LTA dropped the off-peak rate. Other vehicle classes pay different amounts, listed on the same page.

You pay by putting a NETS CashCard, Motoring Card or CEPAS card into the card reader at the immigration booth. There are no top-up machines at either checkpoint, so top up before you set off. LTA is blunt about the barrier: you still owe the toll if it lifts after immigration clearance, and driving off without paying on the way out can bring a fine of up to S$1,000 or up to three months in jail for a first offence.

Malaysia: Bangunan Sultan Iskandar and Tanjung Kupang

The Malaysian toll plazas sit at the two checkpoint complexes: Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) at the Causeway end, and Tanjung Kupang on the Second Link, the expressway PLUS runs as Linkedua. PLUS's toll fare calculator lists the Class 1 car toll at RM2.37 at BSI and RM6.14 at Tanjung Kupang (checked 1 November 2026). The Tanjung Kupang rate dates from 1 March 2023, when PLUS ended the off-peak rate there, as The Star reported on 16 March 2023. LTA's own page calls these Malaysia's entry and exit tolls and sends drivers to the Malaysian authorities for the details.

PLUS takes the Touch 'n Go card at its toll plazas, along with SmartTAG and RFID. If you cross often, one card can cover the booths on both sides. The EZ-Link x Touch 'n Go Motoring Card carries a Singapore dollar purse and a ringgit purse, and Touch 'n Go says it pays checkpoint tolls in Singapore and toll fees entering Malaysia. Its help centre gives Singapore top-up points for the dollar purse and Malaysian ones for the ringgit purse.

Do not plan a crossing around a Malaysian holiday toll discount. When Malaysia gave Class 1 cars 50% off tolls on 18 and 19 October 2025 for Deepavali, PLUS's statement excluded both border plazas, BSI and Tanjung Kupang.

The road charge is a separate payment

On top of the toll, Malaysia charges foreign private cars a road charge of RM20 per entry. JPJ's VEP FAQ says plainly that the road charge is not a toll: it is set under the Road Transport Act 1987, and failing to pay it when entering Malaysia is an offence. It is paid from the Touch 'n Go eWallet linked to your VEP tag, which is why that eWallet needs a balance before you leave Singapore. Commercial vehicles and motorcycles are exempt, JPJ says, and so are government vehicles on official duty and embassy cars. How much to keep in the eWallet is on our Touch 'n Go top-up page.

Passports and QR clearance for everyone in the car

Singapore: the MyICA QR code

Since 19 March 2024, car travellers at Woodlands and Tuas can clear Singapore immigration with a QR code from the MyICA app instead of handing over passports. You generate the code in the app before you reach the checkpoint, and it works offline, so a weak signal in the queue does not matter. ICA's release of 12 March 2024 says one group QR code can hold the passport details of up to 10 travellers, which means the driver scans once for the whole car. Singapore residents and foreign visitors can both use it, with one exception: a first-time foreign visitor, or anyone re-entering Singapore on a different passport from last time, shows the passport instead.

The QR code only works at Singapore's land checkpoints. ICA says the passport is still the official travel document overseas, so everyone needs one for Malaysia, and ICA may ask to see it anyway. If the group code does not match who is in the car, officers will guide you through the next step, and that takes longer than getting it right at home.

Malaysia: passport validity, MDAC and stamps

Singapore's foreign ministry (MFA) lists what Malaysian immigration expects. A Singapore passport must be valid for more than six months on the day you enter, and a torn or water-damaged passport may be refused. Singaporeans do not need a visa for stays of up to 30 days.

Singapore passport holders are exempt from the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) at all entry points, and MFA says other foreign nationals must complete it before arrival. That matters if someone in the car holds a different passport, a permanent resident or a domestic helper for example. Check whether the MDAC applies to them before you leave home, not in the queue. A Singaporean who wants to enrol fingerprints for Malaysia's e-gates should submit the MDAC three days before arriving.

At a manned counter, make sure the officer stamps every passport and that each stamp is clear and correctly dated; MFA warns against passing through unattended booths, and notes that travellers using the e-gates get no stamp at all. Malaysia has also started rolling out QR code clearance through its MyNIISe app, in phases from 31 March 2026 and at selected checkpoints only, so do not assume it is running where you cross.

An activated VEP tag linked to Touch 'n Go

Since 1 July 2025 a Singapore-registered car needs an activated VEP RFID tag to enter Malaysia. JPJ said that day that owners without one get a RM300 compound under Section 66H(7) of the Road Transport Act 1987, and that the car cannot leave Malaysia until the compound is paid and the VEP is activated (Malay Mail, 1 July 2025). Since 15 November 2025 that has applied across Malaysia, company cars included, as Bernama reported on 1 November 2025. If a case goes to court, JPJ's FAQ puts the fine at up to RM2,000 or up to six months in prison. The compound is paid at a JPJ counter or online through the MyJPJ app or the JPJ public portal; MyEG stopped handling JPJ payments on 5 October 2026 (Bernama, 5 October 2026).

Registered is not the same as activated. JPJ said more than 42,000 tags on Singapore cars had not been activated as of 29 June 2025, and cars that are registered but not activated are summoned too. A confirmation slip or a pending application is not a permit either, so a car whose VEP is still processing stays in Singapore. Check the status on the portal before the trip; our VEP status page shows how.

New tags go on the left headlight, and a tag is valid for five years from the day it is activated, which is a separate step from fitting it: on VEPAMS you upload a photo of the fitted tag, and JPJ emails you when the tag is active. If that email never came, sort it out before the trip with our activation guide.

Balance in the eWallet

The tag is linked to a Touch 'n Go eWallet, and the RM20 road charge comes out of it on every entry. JPJ treats failing to pay the road charge as an offence, so an activated tag with an empty eWallet is still a problem. Top up in the app the night before. The documents needed to apply for the VEP in the first place are in our SG to JB requirements guide and are not repeated here.

Insurance, road tax and your licence

JPJ's VEP FAQ says only vehicles with valid road tax and valid insurance are allowed to enter Malaysia. LTA's list of what to carry when you drive out of Singapore goes a step further: a valid printed copy of your certificate of insurance and a printed copy of your road tax validity, because Malaysian officers may ask to see them. LTA asks for paper, not a screenshot on your phone, so print both for the glovebox and print fresh copies when the policy renews.

Valid insurance is one question; insurance that covers Malaysia is another. Open your certificate and look for the geographical area or territorial limits. If Malaysia is not named, or you plan to drive further than Johor, ask your insurer before the trip rather than after a scrape in JB. Our guide to car insurance for Malaysia has more on cover.

Carry your driving licence too. MFA says a valid Singapore licence lets you drive in Malaysia, and suggests considering an International Driving Permit, which also works as identification. JPJ's FAQ says a foreign vehicle can stay in Malaysia for up to 90 days, which only matters on a long trip.

Coming back: what is checked on the way home

Leaving Malaysia

JPJ's check is the one that can stop the car. A car that entered without an activated tag cannot leave until the RM300 compound is paid and the VEP is activated. If the Royal Malaysian Police issued you a traffic summons during the trip, MFA points foreign drivers to the MyBayar website or app to check and pay it. Our saman check page covers looking one up, and our VEP summons guide covers paying a VEP compound before you leave. At a manned immigration counter, check the exit stamp the same way you checked the entry one.

Arriving in Singapore

ICA clears you again, by QR code or passport. Come back through Tuas and the S$2.10 toll comes off your stored-value card at the booth; through Woodlands there is no toll on the way in. The three-quarter tank rule covers vehicles leaving Singapore, so it does not apply on the way back.

Then Customs, which is where most of the bad news is. Arriving from Malaysia, you get no duty-free concession on liquor. That holds even if you spent 48 hours or more somewhere else: if the last immigration you cleared was Malaysia's, Customs treats you as arriving from Malaysia. There is no duty-free concession or GST relief on cigarettes and tobacco from anywhere, including packs bought in Singapore with the SDPC mark, and cigarettes that do not meet Singapore's standardised packaging rules are disposed of at the checkpoint.

For other shopping, GST import relief covers up to S$100 of goods if you were away less than 48 hours, and up to S$500 if you were away 48 hours or more. Above that, declare and pay in advance with the Customs@SG web app, or at the Customs declaration kiosks at the checkpoint. If you are not sure whether something needs declaring, use the Red Channel or ask an officer. Undeclared cigarettes are an expensive mistake: the composition for a first offence is S$200 per packet.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the Causeway toll for a car?

On the Singapore side, S$0.80 when you leave by Woodlands and nothing when you return (LTA). On the Malaysian side, PLUS's calculator lists RM2.37 at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, and the RM20 road charge is paid separately.

What is the Second Link toll?

Singapore charges a car S$2.10 at Tuas in each direction. PLUS lists RM6.14 at Tanjung Kupang, the rate since 1 March 2023.

Who checks the 3/4 tank rule, and what is the fine?

Singapore Customs, at Woodlands and Tuas on the way out. For a car the composition starts at S$100 for a first offence and reaches S$500 by the third, and you can be sent back to refuel.

Do I still need my passport if I use the MyICA QR code?

Yes. The QR code only clears Singapore's checkpoints, and Malaysia checks passports, which must be valid for more than six months on entry.

Can I drive into Malaysia while my VEP application is still processing?

No. A confirmation slip or a pending application is not a permit, and a car without an activated tag gets a RM300 compound and cannot leave Malaysia until it is paid.

Does the road charge come out of my toll card?

JPJ says the road charge is not a toll. The RM20 per entry comes out of the Touch 'n Go eWallet linked to your VEP tag, while the plaza toll is paid with the methods PLUS accepts.

Can I bring duty-free alcohol back from JB?

No. Singapore Customs gives no duty-free liquor concession to travellers arriving from Malaysia, and there is none on cigarettes from anywhere.

Sources

• Singapore Customs: Three-Quarter Tank Rule (last updated 23 February 2026, read 1 November 2026)
• Singapore Customs: Travel Rules and Penalties, compositions and appeals (last updated 17 March 2026)
• Singapore Customs: Duty-Free Concession and GST Import Relief (last updated 30 October 2026)
• LTA OneMotoring: Vehicles registered in Singapore, tolls and what to carry (last updated 28 May 2025)
• LTA: Toll Charges at Tuas Checkpoint (16 March 2023)
• LTA: Reduction of toll charges at Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints (9 February 2020)
• ICA: QR Code for Immigration Clearance at Land Checkpoints (last updated 27 October 2026)
• ICA: Car travellers can use QR code for immigration clearance from 19 March 2024 (12 March 2024)
• MFA: Malaysia travel page, entry requirements and driving a foreign-registered vehicle (read 1 November 2026)
• JPJ Vehicle Entry Permit portal FAQ: road charge, insurance, Section 66H(7), 90-day stay (read 1 November 2026)
• PLUS: toll fare calculator, Bangunan Sultan Iskandar and Tanjung Kupang (checked 1 November 2026)
• PLUS: FAQs, accepted toll payment methods
• PLUS media statement: Deepavali 50% toll discount excludes the border plazas (16 October 2025)
• The Star: Singapore to match Malaysia's revised Second Link toll rate from March 31 (16 March 2023)
• Touch 'n Go Help Centre: Where can the EZ-Link x Touch 'n Go Motoring Card be used? (7 December 2021)
• Touch 'n Go Help Centre: Can I use the Motoring Card to pay at the checkpoints? (7 December 2021)
• Touch 'n Go Help Centre: Where do I top up my EZ-Link x Touch 'n Go Motoring Card? (1 March 2022)
• Malay Mail: JPJ: Over 42,000 VEP tags of Singapore-registered vehicles not activated as of June 29 (1 July 2025)
• Bernama: Singaporean vehicle owners, drivers to be barred from leaving Malaysia over unpaid VEP fines (1 November 2025)

Radiant VEP Solutions is not affiliated with JPJ. You can apply yourself for free at vep.jpj.gov.my. If your tag is not activated yet, or you would rather someone else dealt with the portal before your first drive across, our VEP application service takes care of the application and tells you what is still left to do before the trip.