50 foreign vehicles denied entry into Singapore for unpaid fines as of Wednesday morning
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has denied entry to 50 foreign vehicles at both of Singapore’s land checkpoints as of 8am on Wednesday (3 April), after a new initiative to turn away foreign vehicles with outstanding fines kicked in on Monday.
The move was announced in February, targeted at foreign vehicles with outstanding fines for traffic, parking or vehicular emissions offences. It was aimed at strengthening the enforcement of such offences, and was publicised through local and foreign media, as well as flyers and billboards at the land checkpoints, to give foreign motorists enough time to settle unpaid fines.
Clearance time not affected
The ICA said in a media statement on Wednesday that it had planned ahead to deal with such a scenario, and clearance time for incoming vehicles has not been affected even as ICA personnel are turning away the foreign vehicles with outstanding fines.
It added, “All vehicles to be turned away are diverted to separate parking spaces to be processed, and as such it does not affect the flow of other traffic.
“We will continue to monitor the implementation of the new policy on the traffic situation at the land checkpoints, and seek the cooperation of foreign motorists to settle all outstanding fines promptly.”
Malaysian newspapers, however, have reported motorists complaining of long queues on the Causeway and Tuas Second Link after the ban began on Monday.
Addressing the situation, the ICA said in its statement, “Traffic at the land checkpoints is dynamic and can be affected by many different factors, including peak hour travels, school holidays, and events like the ongoing Qing Ming festival.
The ICA monitors arrival and departure traffic conditions in real-time across the different conveyance modes, and adjusts our deployment of resources accordingly.”
Where to check and settle fines
To avoid being denied entry into Singapore, foreign motorists are strongly advised to check if they have any outstanding fines for vehicle-related offences, and settle them promptly. They can check this at www.axs.com.sg.
Payment for fines can be made through the following channels: AXS kiosks, AXS website and AXS mobile app, respective agencies’ websites and customer service counters, and SingPost post offices (applicable for all agencies except Traffic Police).
Foreign motorists who wish to seek clarifications on their offences may contact the following agencies:
HDB – tel: 1800-2255432, email: hdbcarparks@mailbox.hdb.gov.sg
LTA – tel: 1800-2255582
NEA – tel: 62255632
SPF (Traffic Police) – tel: 65470000
URA – tel: 63293434
Related story:
Foreign vehicles with outstanding fines may be denied entry into Singapore from 1 April
