Just to make it as clear as mud, I copy the following article from TODAYonline.
I must stress it was announced [but like the idea to abandon then back in Jan...this was done without
any fanfare] that the Immigration Cards would be re-introduced Mid August (for the reasons I mentioned earlier in this thread)
Card or no card (and like most people I hate them...probably because of the repetitive nature of the contents), the one thing to stress is that you
MUST have a stamp of entry/exit in your passport.
At the end of the day that matters mosthttp://www.todayonline.com/articles/233465.asp No white card? Surprise for those visiting M'sia Ng Jing Yng
jingyng@mediacorp.com.sg THIS familiar white card, which once was as essential as your passport to getting you in and out of Malaysia, is now no more — as overland travellers found out to their surprise and confusion at the weekend.
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On Saturday, without fanfare or effort to publicise it, the Malaysia Immigration Department began a trial towards a more convenient "paperless system" at both the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, according to a spokesman from the Malaysia High Commission.
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For travellers, it means no more having to fill up the four-page immigration card every time they enter Malaysia from Singapore — visitors need only produce their passport to be inspected and stamped at the immigration checkpoints.
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While the move was aimed at smoothing the way, however, travellers who were caught unawares reacted with a mix of confusion and wariness.
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Ms Lisa Mohd, 38, who had filled up her white card only to be told by the immigration officer it was no longer needed, said: " I am still confused whether there is an actual need for it, as there is no official notification about it."
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On the Malaysian side of the Causeway, A4-sized notices in English and Malay were placed at the immigration checkpoints and the usual booths for foreign travellers to fill up their immigration cards were closed.
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But some travellers were perhaps less than trusting, following recent scares about unstamped passports.
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Housewife Jane Boo, 41, said her husband was told of the policy change by immigration officers when he returned from Malaysia on Friday night. Even so, yesterday, she had an immigration card all filled up "just in case" as she waited her turn at the checkpoint.
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She cited recent cases of those who had gotten into trouble at immigration: Last year, a Singapore Armed Forces Lieutenant was sentenced to three months in jail, as his passport was found not stamped by Malaysian officials while leaving the country. A 23-year-old store assistant was also remanded for six days as both his passport and immigration card were found to be unstamped.
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Letter-writers to the Singapore press, too, had recounted instances in which Malaysian immigration officers reportedly neglected to stamp their passports.
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Adding to the latest confusion, some visitors who presented their filled-up immigration cards yesterday were not told these were obsolete. In fact, some said immigration officials stamped and collected their cards.
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Clerical officer Aida, who visited Johor Bahru with 30 others on Saturday, said veryone's immigration cards were collected as was usual.
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Said housewife Lee Siew Khang, 45, who was visiting Johor Bahru yesterday afternoon: " It is much more convenient this way. But, card or no card, it is always better to check that your passport has been stamped each time you enter and leave Malaysia."
Topic: Immigration Cards Are Back (Read 1934 times)
March 23, 2009, 09:48:05 PM