Everything You Need to Know About Traveling from Singapore to Johor Bahru via the Causeway Link Cross-Border Shuttle - Less Than S$3 Return Trip with No Testing Requirements

International travel is resuming at an accelerated rate but for those of you in Singapore who prefer a completely fuss-free travel experience, visiting Johor Bahru is probably your best bet as it does not require any pre-departure or on-arrival testing. In fact, vaccinated Singapore residents and long-term pass holders arriving from the causeway will no longer need to submit an SG Arrival Card (effective from 15 April 2022). If you have not been out of Singapore since the pandemic and do not know where to start - this is everything you need to know in order to travel from Singapore to Johor Bahru via the causeway on the Causeway Link Cross-Border Shuttle which will cost you less than S$3 for a round-trip.

1. Notarise Vaccination Certificate

Travellers who have completed their primary vaccination series or booster should notarise their vaccination certificate - this can be done online for free and you should receive your notarised vaccination certificate almost instantaneously. For the sake of clarification, travellers are not required to take a booster shot for quarantine-free travel between Singapore and Johor Bahru.

Once this is done, you should receive an email stating the successful issuance of Vaccination HealthCert - you should save a copy of this document for easy access and it is also highly recommended that you print out a physical copy of this document and carry it on your at all times during your visit just as an extra layer of precaution.

2. Download and Set-up MySejahtera

All visitors to Johor Bahru should also download the MySejahtera app (Android or iOS) on their mobile phones prior to the trip - if possible, try to download it and set it up at least 2 or 3 days prior to the intended date of departure so your vaccination status can be updated on the app. Now if you are planning a spontaneous trip and do not have enough time for the vaccination status to be reflected on the app, you should carry a printed copy of your notarised vaccination certificate with you.

Once you have MySejahtera installed on your mobile device, you should click on the Traveller icon to set up your profile and traveller declaration form first, before moving on to 'Overseas Vaccination Details'. If you prefer, you may also choose to submit proof of your 'Overseas Vaccination Details' online via the website - your COVID-19 Vaccination Status should reflect 'Fully Vaccinated' within 48 hours or so.

3. Travel from Singapore to Johor Bahru

Once MySejahtera has been successfully and properly set up on your mobile device, you should try to ensure that you have a working 4G or LTE connection in Johor Bahru if possible - otherwise, most of the places offer free WiFi but it is just a lot more convenient when you have a mobile data plan.

3a. Head to Woodlands Checkpoint

In order to take the Causeway Link Cross-Border Shuttle, you will have to make your way down to Woodlands Checkpoint in Singapore - this is the same place as the train checkpoint but it is not exactly near an MRT station. For those of you taking a cab or a Grab ride, you should put 'Woodlands Checkpoint' (11 Woodlands Crossing Singapore 738103) as your destination. You will not need to make any reservation or booking - simply show up with your passport, a hardcopy of your notarised vaccination certificate and a mobile device with MySejahtera installed to travel. With that being said, you should try to avoid long weekends and peak periods (e.g. Friday evening), if you are taking the Causeway Link Cross-Border Shuttle as that, is when large crowds are expected.

3b. Clear Singapore Immigration

It is probably a three- to five-minute walk from the entrance of Woodlands Checkpoint to Singapore immigration - eligible residents can use one of the automated lanes to get through immigration quickly. When asked to remove your mask for facial recognition, you should remove it completely (rather than to have it hang under your chin) as that will speed up the facial recognition process.

3c. Take the Causeway Link Cross-Border Shuttle

Once you clear immigration on the Singapore side, you can proceed to the boarding area for the Causeway Link Cross-Border Shuttle - a single trip from Singapore to Johor Bahru will cost you S$2 or RM 6 and this is payable by cash or Manjalink. At the time of writing, the first bus starts at 6:30 AM and the last bus departs at 11:59 PM. The buses come really regularly (less than 15-minutes per bus) and I honestly did not have to wait at all to board it - payment has to be made directly to the bus driver on the bus and a receipt will be provided to you. For the sake of clarification, you do not need to purchase a ticket for this bus ride ahead of time; simply show up, make payment to the bus driver and take the bus.

3d. Clear Malaysia Immigration

The bus ride from Woodlands Checkpoint to Johor Bahru should take a couple of minutes with smooth traffic. You may wish to check out the Woodlands Causeway traffic condition ahead of time, or if you are savvy enough to use Telegram, the Checkpoint Jam bot is also a great tool to use. Once you get off the Causeway Link Cross-Border Shuttle, you will have to proceed to the immigration counter in Malaysia - make sure you have your passport and the hardcopy of your notarised vaccination certificate ready. Depending on the date and time of arrival, this may take only a couple of minutes - I took less than 20-minutes to get to Johor Bahru City Square from Woodlands Checkpoint.

4. Enjoy Johor Bahru

Once you get through the immigration counters, you are free to explore Johor Bahru (and the rest of Malaysia) - simply have the MySejahtera app ready when you enter shopping malls and hotels (much like how TraceTogether works in Singapore) and you are good to go. If you are planning to stay a couple of nights in Johor Bahru, check out my review of the Holiday Inn Johor Bahru City Centre - this property is conveniently located on top of Komtar JBCC, and it is only a few minutes’ walk away from the Sultan Iskandar Building (CIQ). Over the years, I have also taken the time to review a couple of other hotels in Johor Bahru if you are looking for alternatives:

• Amari Johor Bahru

• Capri by Fraser, Johor Bahru

• DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Johor Bahru

• Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel

• Thistle Johor Bahru

Traveling from Singapore to Johor Bahru is incredibly easy and requires no testing at all for vaccinated travellers. If you are planning to travel to Kuala Lumpur, you may also consider driving from Singapore as that will take approximately 4-5 hours which is almost the same amount of time it takes if you were to fly (since you will technically need to arrive two hours prior to departure at the airport and take an hour to get to the city in KL), and you will not need to go through any testing upon arrival. Planning to take the Causeway Link Cross-Border Shuttle back to Singapore? It will only cost you RM 2 and the first and last bus departs at 6:00 AM and 11:45 PM respectively.