geedee

A couple of weeks ago I went to renew MACS pass at 2nd link.

Advised change in procedure.... I had to get an exit stamp, come back in and get an entry stamp and then get the MACS pass. No biggie, a little more hassle but I u-turned before I had to pay to go into S'pore.

Last week my wife went to renew hers.... it's shut down. No warning, nothing, just closed.

Now you have to get it at Danga Bay (rumour is they will only issue if you have a long-term visa for Malaysia) or go to a company called Third Link near Orchard Road, Singapore, who charge SGD35. And it takes two working days, not 5 minutes like it used to.... OK, 10.

This means my wife will have to spend a fortune on a hotel in S'pore as she can't get back because they take your passport.

Honestly, the whole Iskandar Project is flushing down the toilet.... live in Nusajaya and work in S'pore is becoming less and less viable.

I think we'll go back to Canada or UK... this place is becoming a joke.

bakedbean

Oh dear. Not good.

igster

Sounds like a massive inconvenience. why on earth would they change their procedure?!

Froggybarnacle2000

Heard about the MACS pass not being available on the local news online in late Sept. Put me in a real tizz. Having read up about this Third Link company, i've come to think some Malaysian bigwig is making a killing putting up a third party company ostensibly to free up Malaysian immigration duties and make it convenient for Singaporeans and foreigners to apply for the MACS pass, which is utter bulls***. Pardon the language, but it is what it is. To begin with, it was never a problem getting/ renewing the MACS pass at the immigration buildings. You should google the Third Link company's facebook page, they get lots of complaints. At the end of the day though we had to play by their rules, so off my husband and I went to renew our MACS passes early this month. Had to do it on different days though, not at the same time, as one of us to be home in JB since our daughter was still at school! When I got to the office in Orchard Parade Hotel, there was a steady stream of Singaporeans and foreigners who complained nonstop to the poker-faced staff about the inconvenience of going to their office in Singapore to renew the pass. It takes around 15-20 mins for them to check your documents and pay the S$35 per person, but it's the overnighting in Singapore to wait for the passport to be released the next day at 7:00PM (!) that's the rub. Thank goodness we still had loads of mates we could stay with in Singapore. Bottom line is, since hubby and I are Singaporean EP/DP holders respectively, and we live in JB, we will always have to go to this office in Singapore every year to renew. But since our daughter studies at MCM, the school told us she could renew her MACS pass at the Iskandar office in Danga Bay. Had to do it during Exeat (23rd Nov) though as the IRDA office still needed to see her in person. I took her there, presented the endorsement letter from the school along with her passport, and she got her MACS pass in 15 minutes. Paid only RM30. One just has to laugh at all this Malaysian so-called efficiency...

Froggybarnacle2000

Hah, before I forget: As well as making sure that your passport has two years' validity remaining, you also have to make sure that your Singapore EP/DP/WP/ PR passes still have at least 9 months' validity. Anything less than 9 months, they will not give you the MACS pass renewal at all. They will tell you to get your EP/DP/WP/PR renewed first with the Singapore ICA before they will give you the MACS pass. So that means getting your passport pages filled up with visa chops/stamps on the Malaysian side whilst waiting a month or two for a renewal from the ICA.