Singapore to stop accepting Malaysian collective travel documents next year

Singapore to stop accepting Malaysian collective travel documents next year

Singapore will stop accepting the Malaysian collective travel document (MCTD) at its international entry points, effective from Jan 1,2021.

“This is to strengthen the security and efficiency of immigration clearance at Singapore’s checkpoints, ” said the republic’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a statement Wednesday (Feb 5).

According to the ICA, the MCTD is a travel document issued by the Immigration Department to groups of five to 20 Malaysian nationals, in lieu of passports.

However, the ICA said the MCTD poses security concerns as it facilitates the sharing of one travel document by multiple unrelated travellers.

Other than the MCTD, the ICA said it does not accept any other countries’ collective travel documents.

The ICA said the MCTD also requires manual data entry of all travellers’ details, leading to longer clearance times as the authority moves towards automation and biometrics clearance.

“MCTD holders are also unable to use our automated lanes. As such, we will no longer accept the MCTD for immigration clearance at our checkpoints from Jan 1,2021, ” it said.

The ICA urged Malaysian travellers currently issued with an MCTD to apply for passports if they plan to travel to Singapore from Jan 1,2021 onwards.

It added that it has informed Malaysia’s Immigration Department of its plans to cease recognition of the MCTD for immigration clearance, and will work with the department on the implementation. – Bernama