Skip it and JPJ can turn you back at the checkpoint — here's what the RFID tag actually costs, and the completely separate scheme running the other direction.
Driving a Singapore-registered car into Malaysia without a Vehicle Entry Permit isn't a grey area anymore — it's an offence under Malaysian law, and JPJ has been actively enforcing it since 2025. If you're planning to drive across rather than take a bus or the train, this is the one piece of paperwork that isn't optional.
The VEP is issued by JPJ, Malaysia's Road Transport Department, under Section 66H of the Road Transport Act 1987. Every foreign-registered vehicle entering Peninsular Malaysia needs one — it isn't a Singapore-specific rule, Singapore-plated cars just make up most of the traffic it applies to at Woodlands and Tuas. Once registered, JPJ issues a non-transferable RFID tag fixed to your windscreen; it identifies your specific vehicle, not you as a driver.
The VEP tag itself and the fee you pay every time you cross are two different things, and some third-party guides blur them into one inflated number:
If you've seen a much higher all-in figure quoted somewhere, that's usually a paid facilitator's service fee stacked on top of JPJ's own RM10 — worth knowing before you pay a third party to "handle it for you."
Source: JPJ's official VEP portal (vep.jpj.gov.my, checked 2026-09-03) for the RM10 tag fee, RM20 Road Charge and 5-year validity, cross-checked against Motorist Singapore's VEP guide (published 4 Jul 2025, updated 3 Feb 2026), which independently confirms the same two figures.
Registration happens online at JPJ's own portal — you'll need your Singapore vehicle log card, a motor insurance certificate covering use in Malaysia, your NRIC or passport, and a linked Touch 'n Go account, since the whole system runs cashless. Once JPJ approves the application, it sends a confirmation slip to bring to a collection centre for the physical tag — Danga Bay in JB is the centre JPJ lists on its own portal. Budget a few working days for processing; it isn't instant, and turning up at the checkpoint mid-application doesn't count as having one.
Motorcycles are currently exempt from both the VEP tag and the Road Charge — but Malaysia has signalled it plans to bring them into the scheme eventually. If you're riding across rather than driving, don't assume that stays true indefinitely; check JPJ's portal before you rely on it.
Enforcement isn't theoretical. Since JPJ's "no VEP, no exit" rule took effect in November 2025, a vehicle caught without one faces a RM300 compound fine — and isn't allowed to leave Malaysia until it's sorted out. That's a materially worse outcome than a fine you pay and move on from; it can genuinely strand a trip on the wrong side of the border.
Source: Motorist Singapore's VEP guide (updated 3 Feb 2026) for the RM300 fine and exit-block detail, corroborated by Malay Mail's coverage of the November 2025 "no VEP, no exit" enforcement rule.
Confusingly, Singapore runs its own, unrelated permit also called a VEP — for foreign-registered vehicles entering Singapore, mostly Malaysia-plated cars. It's managed by LTA, not JPJ, charged daily rather than per-tag, and currently costs S$35 a day. From 1 January 2027 that rises to S$50 a day, and the previous free weekday hours and 10 free days a year are being scrapped entirely. None of this applies to a Singapore-plated driver heading into Malaysia — but it's worth knowing the name "VEP" means a different system depending on which direction you're asking about.
Source: LTA news release on foreign-registered vehicle VEP fee changes, February 2026 (checked 2026-09-03).
This is the entry-permit piece specifically — it says nothing about tolls beyond the Road Charge, parking once you're in JB, or driving-licence requirements for a longer trip further into Malaysia. Treat it as one item on the checklist, not the whole list.