Travellers heading from Singapore into Malaysia are facing heavy departure traffic at Woodlands Checkpoint, with authorities warning motorists to expect longer waiting times as cross-border travel remains busy.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has repeatedly warned of congestion at Singapore’s land checkpoints, particularly during peak travel periods. Recent heavy traffic at Woodlands has resulted in queues stretching back toward the Bukit Timah Expressway, with some motorists previously facing waits of two hours or more.
The congestion is linked to high traveller volumes crossing the Singapore-Malaysia land border. During the September school-holiday period, ICA recorded significant traffic at both Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints and advised travellers to allow additional time for immigration clearance.
Motorists are being urged to check traffic conditions before setting off and, where possible, travel during less busy periods such as early mornings or late evenings. ICA also encourages travellers to use QR codes generated through the MyICA mobile application to speed up immigration clearance.
The QR clearance system forms part of Singapore’s New Clearance Concept. ICA said the measures, including QR clearance and facial recognition for motorcyclists and pillion riders, have increased departure-period clearance throughput by more than 35% compared with pre-COVID levels.
Drivers are also being reminded to maintain lane discipline and follow instructions from ICA officers and traffic marshals. Queue-cutting is subject to enforcement, with motorists caught jumping queues potentially being required to make a U-turn and rejoin the line from the back.
The warning comes as Singapore continues redevelopment and improvement works around its land checkpoints. Motorists are advised to follow temporary traffic diversions and road signs while travelling through the Woodlands area.
Travellers driving foreign-registered vehicles should also take note of upcoming changes. From Oct. 6, 2026, foreign-registered cars entering Singapore through Woodlands or Tuas will need a valid Vehicle Entry Permit before their Singapore Arrival Card can be submitted. Vehicles without a valid VEP may be turned back to Malaysia.
With traffic conditions capable of changing quickly, motorists crossing the Causeway are being encouraged to check live traffic updates before departure, allow extra time for immigration and cooperate with checkpoint officers to help keep traffic moving.
