Traveling from Singapore to Malaysia? Here's how VTL works

While the government continues to trademark the word ‘soon’ on promises to reopen travel borders, more vaccinated travel lanes (VTL) will be set up to allow those who are vaccinated to travel across borders. But what and how does the VTL work?

Currently, Malaysia only has a VTL for both land and air set up with Singapore. The VTL Land and Air were first introduced in November 2021 to allow vaccinated travellers to enter Singapore without needing to observe mandatory quarantine and vice versa.

Meanwhile, Thailand has also started talks with Malaysia to initiate a VTL to the Land of Smiles too.

So, you know the existence of VTL but now how does the system work? Purchasing a VTL (Air) ticket is a straightforward affair, the same cannot be said about the VTL (Land). There are more steps and important notes to take rather than just packing up your passport and jumping on a bus.

The following guide is accurate at the time of writing.

What you need to know about VTL (Land) tickets

Currently, there are only two companies that allows you to purchase a VTL ticket: Transtar Travel and Causeway Link VTL Bus.

The Transtar Travel service plies between Johor Bahru Larkin Sentral to Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange (WTBI) while the Causeway Link VTL service drops off at Singapore Queen Street Bus Terminal.

Note that you will have to purchase a separate ticket if you’re travelling to Singapore from, say, Kuala Lumpur or Penang as there are no longer bus services that bring you straight into Singapore.

Likewise, if you wish to travel to other states after returning from Singapore, you are required to purchase another bus ticket.

Previously, tickets sold are one-way tickets to and from Singapore, however, Transtar Travel recently introduced a two-way ticket in partnership with Raffles Medical Group.

Where to purchase the tickets

You can purchase a VTL ticket straight from Transtar Travel’s website, their official Shopee store or via Raffles Medical Group.

From what we understand, Transtar and its partner Raffles Medical Group will offer an on-site swabbing service located at WTBI boarding berth 4.

It is important to note that VTL (both land and air) tickets have a limited quota. Transtar releases ticket sales a month from the travel date weekly. For example, the company recently released travel tickets for 22-March-2022 to 4-April-2022 on 22-February-2022.

You can keep track of the ticket release on Transtar’s official Facebook page as they frequently update the terms and conditions of purchasing the tickets.

As for the Causeway Link VTL, you can purchase a ticket on the company’s website. The travel dates are often listed below the ‘new feature’ update the bus company has released.

Things to note:

The first thing that you must do is to print a hard copy of all your documents including the VTL Ticket. A hard copy ticket is required to easily show the officers on duty as you pass through the checkpoints.

You will also need to register yourself on the MySafeTravel portal and upload your vaccine certificate to the portal before travelling. It is recommended to check if your vaccine certificate is in your MySejahtera two days after you uploaded it to the portal.

According to Rail Travel Station blog, the entire journey through the Johor-Singapore causeway will take roughly 80 minutes. If you are travelling to other parts of the country, it is recommended to book your connecting bus at least three hours after your departure.

The government requires you to conduct a Covid-19 test two days before the departure date. Antigen Rapid Test (ART) or Rapid Testing Kit (RTK) or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests are accepted.

The government also recommends arriving at least two hours earlier than your departure time.

Both Causeway Link and Transtar Travel buses depart every 20 minutes from Johor Bahru Larkin Sentral. Operations start at 7.30 am for the Causeway Link and 9.30 am for the Transtar Travel service.

Make sure that you enter the correct details such as name, passport number, Identification Card number etc. To amend any details will come at a cost.

If you hold a Singapore Long-Term pass and wish to enter Singapore, you are also required to apply for a Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP). Make sure to apply for your VTP after you have settled your travel details.

There is another vaccinated route for those who have recently recovered from Covid-19 known as the Vaccinated-Recovered Travellers lane. The service has no quota and uses the Causeway Link shuttle bus.

If you’ve recently recovered from Covid-19, you can consider taking this lane to free up space for the normal VTL service.

Things you need (hardcopy):

The government has helpfully listed out a checklist for you to follow as below.

At the time of writing, Malaysia has only just initiated talks of a VTL with Thailand. But if a VTL is established between the Land of Smiles and Malaysia, it wouldn’t stray too far from the system set up with the Singapore border.