Singapore citizens, and other nationals, with valid electronic passports are able to use the auto-clearance system (a.k.a. "ACS", "auto-gates" or "electronic gates") for immigration clearance at Malaysia checkpoints under the Malaysia Automated Clearance System 2.0 (MACS 2.0) programme since February 2023.
The equipments used at Malaysia's auto-clearance gates are similar to those used in Singapore customs, except that Malaysia uses facial recognition whereas Singapore uses both facial and iris scanners. The fallback when visual scanning failed is the fingerprint scanner. It is really a breeze to use the auto-gates and took just couple of minutes to go through, especially during non-peak hours.
Singapore passport holders can use the auto-gates at the following checkpoints:
Sultan Iskandar CIQ (Johor Bahru) - via Woodlands Checkpoint
Sultan Abu Bakar ICQS (Johor) - via Tuas Checkpoint
Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1 & 2
For SINGAPORE passport holders, note these:
Effective from January 2024: It is not necessary to submit the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) form when entering Malaysia, except the state of Sabah — I was asked to show the MDAC confirmation email at Kota Kinabalu Airport's immigration in May 2024.
Effective from June 2024: There is no need to enrol at the manual counters of Malaysia immigration to use the auto-gates. Just use your Singapore passport, including newly-issued ones, at the auto-gates like you will do at Singapore customs.
For NON-SINGAPORE passport holders, read these:
To use the ACS, a one-time enrolment is required. Follow these steps to enrol:
Within 3 days before the planned date of arrival, fill up and submit the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) registration form online.
On arriving at Malaysia Immigrations at any of the above checkpoints, proceed to the manual counters for clearance and enrolling for MACS 2.0 at the same time. The officer-on-duty will be able to retrieve your MDAC from their computer system and automatically enrol you.
After your trip, you will be able to use the auto-gates to exit Malaysia.
On every subsequent trip to Malaysia, fill up and submit the MDAC within 3 days of arriving in Malaysia to use the auto-gates. Otherwise, you will need to queue at the manual counters. Few minutes of filling and submitting the MDAC will save you hours of queuing, especially during peak hours.
A few more things to note:
Validity period for Singapore passports to enter Malaysia will be at least 3 months at land checkpoints when using the auto-clearance system — instead of 6 months. When arriving at any of the seaports or airports in Malaysia, passport validity requirement must be at least 6 months.
When using the auto-clearance gates to enter Malaysia, do use the auto-gates again to exit — unless the auto-clearance system is down or other reasons. When the auto-gates are operating normally, customs officers at the manual counters will turn away those who entered Malaysia using the ACS.
Minimum height to use the auto-gates is 120cm. For families with children below the height requirement, do use the manual counters.
Three attempts from MAY to SEP 2023 to register fingerprints at the JB Customs failed because immigration officers said their finger registration system was down indefinitely. They didn't know when the system could be used. How to register? I don't think JB is serious about this.