Ultimate Singapore Malaysia Land VTL (Vaccinated Travel Lane) Guide: Bus Ticket Prices, PCR Tests Costs & More!

Good news for those looking to travel between Singapore and Malaysia and who don’t want or need to fly into Kuala Lumpur.

On Tuesday (14 December 2021), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) announced that the existing Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) between Singapore and Malaysia via the Causeway or VTL (Land) will soon be extended to citizens of both countries.

From Monday (20 December 2021), Singapore Citizens will be able to enter Malaysia, and similarly, Malaysia Citizens will be able to enter Singapore via the Singapore Malaysia VTL (Land).

Before this expansion of the VTL (Land), you were only allowed to travel via the VTL (land) if you were either a citizen, permanent resident or long-term pass holder of the country you are visiting.

If you can’t wait to travel to Malaysia to shop for groceries at Johor Bahru (JB), take a staycation or visit your family and friends up North.

We got you!

Check out our comprehensive guide to the Singapore-Malaysia VTL (Land)!

TL;DR: Ultimate Malaysia-Singapore Land VTL (Vaccinated Travel Lane) Guide: Bus Ticket Prices, PCR Tests Costs & More!

Singapore Malaysia Land VTL Eligibility

The Singapore-Malaysia VTL (Land) is only open to:

• Singapore or Malaysian citizens, permanent residents or long term pass holders
• Fully vaccinated adults above the age of 12 who have gotten a World Health Organisation Emergency Use Listing approved COVID-19 vaccine
• Unvaccinated children under 12 who are escorted by a fully vaccinated adult
• Those who have not travelled to any other countries save for Singapore, Malaysia and other VTL countries in the past 14 days.

By now, you should know if you are eligible or not.

With that said, I will be walking you through the whole process and the costs involved.

Singapore to Malaysia (Pre-Departure)

According to Malaysia’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), you will need to do the following if travelling from Singapore to Malaysia.

1) Register With MITI

The next step will be to register with Malaysia’s MySafeTravel Portal at least seven days before the date you are travelling to Malaysia.

During the registration process, you will need to upload your proof of vaccination.

If you were vaccinated in Singapore, you could head over to Notarise.gov to obtain your Vaccination Health Cert.

2) Prepare Digital Soft Copies of Digital Vaccination Certificate and Print Out Vaccination Certificate With QR Code

You will also need to prepare digital soft copies of the Digital Vaccination Certificate, which can be found on the MySejahtera app for Malaysians and the TraceTogether app for Singaporeans.

The next step would be to print your vaccination certificate with a QR code if you were vaccinated overseas.

3) Purchase Travel Insurance (From S$19.20)

After printing out your vaccination certificate, MITI is advising that:

Travellers in Malaysia entering Singapore should ensure they have sufficient insurance coverage for COVID 19- related medical treatment and hospitalisation costs (minimum coverage of S$30,000)

A good option to consider will be Chubb Travel Insurance which you can find on Klook. 

The insurance covers up to S$150,000 for overseas hospitalisation and medical costs:

• Covers overseas medical expenses
• Covers travel inconveniences, including cancellation and delays
• Covers loss of or damage to your belongings and baggage
• 24-hour overseas emergency travel and medical assistance
• Optional add-on for COVID-19 Cover and be protected against trip cancellation, curtailment, medical expenses etc., due to COVID-19.

With the COVID-19 travel insurance coverage, the travel insurance will cost this much according to the trip duration: (inclusive of first & last day)

• One Day: S$19.20
• Two Days: S$23.20
• Three Days: S$27.40
• Four Days: S$36.30
• Five Days: S$39.90
• Six Days: S$42.30
• Seven Days: S$50.10
• and so on.

Do look out for these things when purchasing your travel insurance. In addition, you will need to prepare your passport and ensure it is valid for more than six months from the trip.

Travellers should also consider downloading the MySejahtera app (think Malaysian TraceTogether) to help the Malaysian authorities with contact tracing while you are there. 

4) Purchase Singapore to Malaysia Bus Tickets (S$21.40 For Adults S$11.20 For Children)

The next step would be to purchase your return bus tickets at least three days before the date of departure.

But we think you should book your tickets as soon as possible as we foresee that the demand for the tickets will be high.

Two operators provide the buses: Handal Indah’s Causeway Link and Transtar Travel.

Bus Company	Departure Location	Arrival Location	Ticket Cost/Pax
Handal Indah's Causeway Link	Queen Street Terminal	Larkin Sentral Bus Terminal	Adults: S$15 Children S$8
	Larkin Sentral Bus Terminal	Queen Street Terminal	Adults: RM20 (S$6.44) Children: RM10 (S$3.22)
Transtar Travel	Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange	Larkin Sentral Bus Terminal	Adults: S$15 Children S$8
	Larkin Sentral Bus Terminal	Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange	Adults: RM20 (S$6.44) Children: RM10 (S$3.22)

Thus, a return ticket for adults will set you back ~S$21.40 for adults and ~S$11.20 for children.

5) Take Your Professionally Administered Pre-Departure Antigen Rapid Test (ART) or Polymerase Chain Reaction Test (S$15 or S$130)

Next, you will need to take either an ART or PCR test two days before departure.

Here’s how it works.

For example, you took your pre-departure test on 18 December 2021. The test will be valid for departure up to 20 December 2021, 11.59pm.

Naturally, you would want to take the more affordable ART test at a Ministry of Health (MOH) approved Quick Test Centres (QTCs), which cost $15 (inclusive of GST).

Note that children two years old and below are will not need to take this test.

Singapore to Malaysia: Departure Day

On the day of your trip, arrive at the boarding or disembarkation point at least two hours earlier with:

• Proof of VTL (Land) registration)
• Proof ART or PCR test results
• Bus tickets
• A valid passport and identity card
• Digital Vaccination Certificate OR
• Printed vaccination certificate with QR code if you were vaccinated overseas
• TraceTogether and MySejahtera apps on your phone
• Vaccinated Travel Pass (for long term pass holders).

The bus from Singapore to Malaysia operates from 9.30 am to 7.30 pm.

Whereas the bus from JB to Singapore operates departs from JB from 7.30 am to 6.45 pm.

Arrive in Malaysia: On-Arrival RTK Test [RM90 (~S$29)] 

Once you’ve boarded the bus and arrived in Malaysia, you will need to take an on-arrival Antigen Rapid Test Kit (RTK) test at the Larkin Sentral Bus Terminal that will set you back another RM90 (~S$29).

Afterwards, you will need to fill up the Electronic Health Declaration Card (eHDC) on the MySejahtera app and present all your documents at immigration for clearance.

While in Malaysia: Six Days of ART Tests (S$92)

In addition, as of 9 December 2021, all VTL (Land and Air) travellers arriving in Malaysia must undergo a six-day ART test regime.

For the first six days in Malaysia, you are required to take a self-administered ART test on days two, four and six and submit results directly to the MySejahtera app.

This will set you back S$14.70 ($4.90X3) if you buy the more affordable Flowflex ART kits in Singapore, which go for S$4.90 per kit.

On days three and five, you will need to take two professionally administered ART tests in Malaysia, setting you back RM240 (S$77.25), as each test costs about RM120.

These tests set you back S$92 in total.

Returning to Singapore: Pre-Departure ART Test [RM120 (S$38.60)]

According to the Immigration Checkpoint Authority (ICA) of Singapore:

All travellers, including Singapore Citizens (SCs)/Permanent Residents (PRs), must comply with the requirements stated in the traveller checklist, which summarises the VTL (Land) Conditions. Failing which, the prevailing health control measures will apply, which may include serving a Stay-Home Notice.

Also, Singapore-issued Long-Term Pass Holders should click here to apply for a vaccinated travel pass (land)

Malaysian Citizens who do not hold a Singapore-issued long-term pass or are not Singapore PRs may only apply for a VTP Land from 17 December 2021, 8am.

Please note the following before applying:

1. Applicants do not need to rush to apply as there is no quota for VTPs, and are advised to secure their bus tickets first (see Criterion 4). VTPs will be issued immediately if your application is in order, and vaccination records can be verified by the application system.
2. VTP applications are open for travellers entering Singapore 3-9 days after today, and VTPs are valid for up to 14 calendar days from the traveller’s chosen date of entry. Travellers not travelling during this date range can apply for a VTP later.
3. Accompanying children aged 12 and below and are unvaccinated do not need to apply.
4. Travellers must comply with the VTL (Land) conditions; details can be found on this travel checklist. Failing which, they may be denied entry to Singapore.
5. VTP (Land) and VTP (Air) are not interchangeable; a separate application for VTP (Air) is required if travelling by air.

Travellers who are eligible for VTL (Land) and have already obtained their bus tickets and Vaccinated Travel Pass (Land) if needed should refer to this traveller checklist for the full list of requirements to complete VTL (Land) travel. This list includes:

1. Negative pre-departure COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test or Antigen Rapid Test (ART) taken within two days before departure for Singapore;
   1. We are choosing the ART test as it is more affordable, although it still costs RM120 (S$38.60)
2. Filling up the SG Arrival Card (replaces the physical “White Card”). Travellers must complete this up to 72 hours before arrival in Singapore to avoid delays at the checkpoint.

Arriving in Singapore: On Arrival Test (S$15)

After having fun in Malaysia and arriving in Singapore, you will have to take an on-arrival ART test at either Queen Street Terminal or the Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange.

This on-arrival ART test will set you back another S$15.

Post Arrival in Singapore: Post Arrival Supervised and Self Administered COVID-19 ART Tests (S$49.60)

That’s not all.

Once you have arrived in Singapore, you will have to take ART tests for the next seven days.

Here is how much the tests will cost:

1. Post-arrival supervised COVID-19 ARTs on Days three and seven: $30 (S$15X2)
2. Post-arrival self-administered COVID-19 ARTs on Days two, four, five and six: S$19.60 (S$4.90X4)

So in total, you will be spending S$49.60 on the post-arrival ART tests in Singapore.

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