MACS – Good news for frequent travellers to Malaysia.

The Malaysian Automated Clearance System (Macs) pass will be extended to all Singaporeans, Singapore permanent residents, foreign students studying in Singapore and foreigners who are doing business in Singapore, said Malaysian Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen yesterday. Previously, Macs was available only to Singapore citizens who are frequent travellers.

About 100,000 Macs passes have been issued since its soft launch two years ago, and Datuk Seri Ng said she hopes to see the number jump to two million.

With the pass, those travellers simply need to scan it at Malaysian checkpoints to clear immigration at the Causeway and Second Link at Tuas. They are not required to fill in an immigration card or have their passports stamped. But they still need to carry their passports when clearing immigration.

Dr Ng was here to launch a Malaysian tourism campaign. She said at a press conference at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre that clearing immigration fast plays a big part in ensuring a good travel experience for Singaporeans.

She said: "Fast, easy clearance will encourage them to visit more often, so we would like to see that happen."

Last year, a record 13 million Singapore visitors crossed the border into Malaysia.

To apply for the pass, applicants need to have a passport that is valid for two years or more. The pass will be valid for a year, and costs RM30 (S$12.20).

Currently, Singapore visitors can apply for it only at the Malaysia Customs, Immigration and Quarantine facility in Johor Baru.

Plans to allow applications to be made at places such as malls here are in the pipeline, but details will be revealed at a later date, said Dr Ng.

She also apologised for inconvenience caused to Singaporeans when Malaysia introduced its biometric system on June 1. The move led to delays of up to seven hours for visitors who had to have their index fingers scanned, in order to clear immigration.

The Malaysian authorities are working on overcoming such "teething problems", as well as simplifying the system.

Dr Ng admitted that visitorship numbers "suffered a substantial decline" as a result, but she did not reveal figures.

She said: "We cannot always blame (the) immigration (system) because the load is so big... There are constraints on its side."

Dr Ng said that Singapore visitorship ranks high in priority for Malaysia, with expenditure on promotional efforts in Singapore making up 30 per cent of its total tourism budget for Asean countries.

"A Singapore visitor's complaint about Malaysia is taken very seriously, because you are my client and I must make sure you are happy," she said.