Before you start

A valid home-country licence plus an International Driving Permit obtained before you leave
A Touch 'n Go card for Malaysian tolls, parking and buses
A vehicle entry permit appropriate to the plate you will drive across, in whichever direction

Step-by-step

1
Pick your crossing deliberately and test it at your real departure time
The Causeway connects JB city centre to Woodlands; the Second Link connects Tuas to the western Johor townships around Gelang Patah and Iskandar Puteri. Which is faster depends entirely on where you live, where you work and when you travel, and the answer reverses between morning and evening. Drive or ride both at your actual times before choosing a neighbourhood. Peak queues of an hour are normal, and the days before a public holiday on either side are far worse.
In personWho: YouDo this before signing a leaseTolls on both sides plus fuel
2
Sort the vehicle entry permits for the plate you will actually drive
A Singapore-registered vehicle entering Malaysia needs a Malaysian Vehicle Entry Permit with an RFID tag fitted, a regime that moved into active enforcement from 2024 with summonses following. A Malaysian-registered vehicle entering Singapore needs Singapore's own vehicle entry permit and an Autopass card for tolls and charges. Additionally, a Singapore-registered vehicle must leave Singapore with at least three-quarters of a tank of fuel — enforced at the checkpoint. Register and fit whatever applies before your first crossing, not on the day.
OnlineWho: You (as the registered owner or authorised driver)Days for registration and tag fittingPermit and toll charges on both sides
3
Consider not driving across at all
Cross-border buses run frequently from JB Sentral and other points to Singapore, and motorcycles have their own faster lanes at both checkpoints. Many long-term commuters park on the Malaysian side and cross by bus or on foot, then use Singapore's public transport — it avoids the car queue, the permits and Singapore's parking costs entirely. Walking the Causeway is possible and is genuinely faster than the car queue at peak.
In personWho: CommutersImmediateBus fares and Singapore transit fares
4
Convert your licence at JPJ once you hold a long-term pass
Bring your foreign licence, International Driving Permit, passport, pass endorsement and photographs to a JPJ office. Whether you convert straight across or must sit the theory paper and possibly a practical test depends on your issuing country — several Commonwealth countries have long-standing reciprocal recognition. Ask JPJ which applies before booking a driving-school course, because the course is the expensive path and is not always required.
In personWho: Long-term pass holdersOne to four weeksModest for a straight conversion; several hundred ringgit if a school course applies
5
Get a Touch 'n Go card and plan for the RTS
Touch 'n Go covers Malaysian tolls, most council parking and bus fares. Separately, keep an eye on the RTS Link: passenger service between Bukit Chagar and Woodlands North is targeted for January 2027, with immigration for both countries cleared once at the departure station and a crossing of about five minutes. It will change which JB neighbourhoods are realistically commutable — but do not commit to a lease on the strength of a service that has not opened.
In personWho: EveryoneCard: minutes. RTS: targeted January 2027Card price plus load

Documents you’ll need

Home-country driving licence (original)
International Driving Permit, obtained before departure
Passport with valid pass endorsement
Vehicle entry permit and RFID tag or Autopass, as applicable to the plate
Vehicle registration and insurance documents valid for cross-border use

Things most newcomers don’t know

The RTS Link's real advance is that you clear both countries' immigration once, at the station you leave from.

Today a crossing means two separate checkpoint stops, which is where the time actually goes. The RTS Link uses co-located border facilities: at Woodlands North you clear Singapore departure and then Malaysian arrival in the same building before boarding, and nothing further on arrival at Bukit Chagar. That is a structural change to the commute rather than a faster version of it. Passenger service is targeted for January 2027 and construction passed ninety per cent in 2026 — close, but not something to sign a lease against yet.

Source: RTS Link co-located border control arrangements; MRT Corp project status

Motorcycles and buses queue differently from cars, and that is the cheapest fix available today.

Both checkpoints separate motorcycle lanes from car lanes, and buses have their own arrangements, so the queue you experience depends on the vehicle class as much as the hour. A large share of experienced commuters do not drive across at all — they park on the Malaysian side and cross by bus or on foot. It costs less, skips the permits, and avoids Singapore parking, which is expensive by design.

Source: Causeway and Second Link checkpoint operations

Both directions have a vehicle permit regime, and Singapore adds a fuel rule people learn the hard way.

Malaysia requires foreign-registered vehicles to hold a Vehicle Entry Permit with an RFID tag, which moved into active enforcement from 2024 with summonses following in 2025. Singapore requires its own vehicle entry permit plus an Autopass card for Malaysian-registered vehicles. Separately, Singapore-registered vehicles must depart with at least three-quarters of a tank — a rule aimed at cheaper Malaysian fuel, enforced at the checkpoint, and a genuinely common cause of being turned back.

Source: Malaysian VEP requirements; Singapore vehicle entry and three-quarter tank rules

As a foreigner you pay unsubsidised pump prices in Malaysia, which changes the fuel arbitrage everyone talks about.

Subsidised RON 95 under the BUDI95 scheme is verified by MyKad at the pump, so only Malaysian citizens get it. Foreigners pay the market float, which is reset weekly by the Ministry of Finance. The famous Malaysia-Singapore fuel price gap is therefore smaller for you than for your Malaysian neighbours, and there is no registration route in. Budget at the unsubsidised rate from the start rather than at whatever headline figure you saw quoted.

Source: BUDI95 programme rules (Ministry of Finance Malaysia)

Common mistakes to avoid

Choosing a neighbourhood without driving both crossings at your real departure time, in both directions
Crossing before the permits and RFID tag are sorted for the plate you are driving, and being turned back
Forgetting Singapore's three-quarter tank rule when driving a Singapore-registered car out
Arriving in Malaysia without an International Driving Permit — you cannot obtain one here
Signing a lease near Bukit Chagar on the assumption the RTS Link is already running, when passenger service is targeted for January 2027

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.

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