SINGAPORE – In just one minute and eight seconds, a team of five from The Straits Times travelling in a car cleared immigration at Woodlands Checkpoint at 8am on March 19, using the new QR code system.

It is the first day of the initiative, which aims to allow those travelling by car to clear immigration at Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints quicker without having to present their passports.

This system applies only to those two land checkpoints for now. The ST team still had to present their passports at Malaysia’s Customs before entering and leaving Johor Bahru.

Before the trip, I had downloaded the MyICA mobile application and filled in my passport details using Singpass.

To generate a group QR code for quicker clearance, I also filled in my colleagues’ details in the app by scanning the characters at the bottom of the biodata page of their passports.

Details of up to 10 passports can be included in a group code, and they must be submitted through one person’s smartphone. The details can be saved and given labels such as “Family” or “Friends” in the application.

First-time visitors, including foreigners, and those re-entering Singapore using a different passport from the one used in their last visit to the country, will still need to present their passports for immigration clearance. But they can use QR codes for immigration clearance on subsequent trips.

Those who prefer to present their passports instead of scanning a QR code can also choose that option.

When my colleagues and I arrived at Woodlands Checkpoint at about 7.50am, there was a queue of about five cars ahead of us. As it was a weekday morning, we avoided being stuck in a jam.

When it was our turn to clear immigration, my colleague in the front passenger seat wound down his window and scanned our group QR code.

The immigration officer read out our names and we identified ourselves. Two of my colleagues were asked their birth dates. And we were soon on our way into Johor Bahru.

From scanning the QR code to the immigration officer letting us through, it took just 68 seconds.

I found it quick and hassle-free, and wished I was going for a foot massage and seafood dinner instead of having to work.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) estimates time savings of around 20 seconds for cars with four travellers and about one minute for those with 10 travellers.

After clearing Malaysian immigration, we went to a nearby car wash in Johor Bahru and spoke to Singaporeans who drove across the border.

A retired civil servant, Mr Thomas Tan, 60, who was on a day trip with three friends, said the system was seamless.

“We filled in our details in the app two minutes before reaching the immigration counter to generate a group QR code. All we had to do was scan the code and show our faces for verification.”

Mr Tan said it probably saved each passenger seven to eight seconds.

He added: “This is a good improvement. We hope the Malaysian side can also implement such a system so we can go on such trips passport-free.”

Ms Suryanti Ali Brown, 52, who was with her parents and daughter, said they used their passports instead.

“I forgot about the QR code. I was also travelling with two seniors who are unfamiliar with the system, so it was easier to use our passports,” said the housewife, adding that her family cleared immigration fairly quickly.

Car dealer Spencer Goh, 44, who was on a road trip to Melaka with his mother, wife and daughter, said using the QR code took under a minute.

“I recommend using it, especially if you are travelling in a group because it really speeds up the process,” he said.

“The passport method takes more time as the immigration officer needs to go through our particulars one by one, whereas the QR code shows everything at one go.”

The QR code initiative is the first step towards the Automated Passenger Clearance System (APCS), to allow travellers to perform self-clearance in their cars with minimal intervention by officers.

In 2026, APCS lanes are expected to be introduced at Tuas Checkpoint, where travellers will scan a QR code generated from their MyICA app, and present their biometrics for verification. This removes the need to station an officer at every car lane.

Such lanes will be introduced at the redeveloped Woodlands Checkpoint in 2028.

ICA said it plans to progressively extend QR code clearance to other vehicular clearance zones at the land checkpoints, so it can be used by travellers in other types of vehicles.

Mr Shamir Feroz, 38, a podcaster, generated a group QR code for his wife and two children for their shopping trip to Johor Bahru.

He said: “The system is quicker (than showing your passport) but it doesn’t remove the queues at immigration counters. You still have to set aside time to queue, like I did today, though I noticed the queue moving faster.”

• Additional reporting by Gracia Yap