JOHOR BARU: A trial run for the QR code Immigration clearance system at the two Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complexes in Johor will start on June 1, says Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the proof-of-concept (POC) will run for three months and only involve Malaysians.
"We will start with motorcycles and buses first before expanding it to other vehicles.
"This is expected to reduce waiting time for Immigration clearance by about 50% at both the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB)," he said at a press conference after chairing the special inter-agency meeting on the Johor Causeway and Second-Link congestion issue at BSI CIQ on Monday (May 27).
Also present at the meeting was Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
Earlier, Fadillah made a surprise visit to the BSI CIQ, one of the busiest checkpoints in the world.
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In a statement on Facebook, Fadillah said he also spent some time checking the auto gate facility, Immigration counters, Customs scanners, the mBike system and the bus lanes.
It was previously reported that the QR code Immigration clearance system would be implemented by the middle of June.
In March, Singapore started rolling out an initiative allowing motorists arriving and departing from its Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints to use QR codes instead of passports for Immigration clearance.
Travellers must generate their QR code via a mobile app before arriving at the Immigration counters.
During the signing of the memorandum of understanding for the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone on Jan 11 this year, both Malaysia and Singapore agreed to explore initiatives to make things as seamless as possible.
This included the adoption of a QR code system on both sides to speed up Immigration clearance.