Froggybarnacle2000

Hello samryan!

If you are a Malaysian EP or MM2H holder, it should be easy to hire one, as your company would help you find a driver. And if your car is a Malaysian-registered car, then the driver you hire will not have an issue with driving your car in and out of Singapore. And, you can stop reading right here ;]

However, if you are a Singapore EP or PR holder, you will not be able to hire a full-time Johor-based driver. Firstly, our ilk aren't allowed to hire or employ drivers. It's the same as hiring helpers full-time from a Malaysia-based agency, totally out of the question, which is why a lot of Singaporeans and expats who move to JB/ Nusajaya end up bringing their Singapore WP holder helpers along with them, but that is another Pandora's box of issues.

We originally wanted to hire a driver when we first moved to JB from Sgp. We were given two great recommendations for drivers, however, inasmuch as the salary we were offering was attractive to them and, same as you, they would only have to drive my husband and I into Singapore maybe two or three times a week, they had their doubts about driving our Singapore-registered car into Singapore whilst holding a Malaysian driver's licence. In this regard, I am not too sure about the rules regarding Malaysian DL holders driving Sgp-registered cars in and out of Singapore. You may want to check the Singapore Land Transport Authority's website. I suppose those drivers' doubts also had something to do with insurance as well.

IMO at this point you are better off choosing from the many car and drivers for hire that are advertised online (Thank you Nintje 2518 for those links!). Eventually you will find a driver that you can rely on and, once you use him or her regularly and you find they can be trusted and are on time, you can negotiate some sort of weekly fee with them. After several months, we found a JB-based driver in Queen Street in Singapore (which is where all the JB taxis and car hires going in and out of JB hang out), who gave us his card and we started using him and his cohorts on a regular basis. They have proven very reliable, and we use them often.

Geedee- $70 one-way is not a rip-off, I can assure you. Of course the first time I heard that fee, it made me run for the CW5 and CW2 buses, but then again, it's a small price to pay for the convenience of not having to get on and off the buses at immigration (specially when you have family visiting from the UK!), and not having to stand in the bus from Boon Lay MRT all the way to Giant Bukit Indah during rush hour! Speaking of which, the Malaysia and Singapore local school holidays are coming up in mid-November up to end-December, prepare for the traffic jams at Woodlands and Tuas, gasp!

geedee

Thanks for the reassurance Froggy!

I must admit than when you think of it in Pounds (35 quid), and how much they have to pay to go over Tuas, it didn't seem too unreasonable, and was much better than the $100 each way I started off at!

Nijntje2518

Hi there,

You mentioned not being able to employ a maid - I don't have, and won't want a live in person, I guess it's still possible to get someone for a couple of hours, twice a week? Is this part of the cash economy??

We're coming across at the weekend to check out potential areas to live - would anyone like to recommend THE place to live (or somewhere not touch with a pointy stick?!?). Thanks!

No kids, so location of schools not an issue, but reasonable amenities (stores, local transport, F&B, cinema... public pool??) would be great.

Thank-you!

LanternsB

hi Ntinjie2518,

A friend of mine recommended the "MRT approach" when I asked the same question.

Basically, most of the places where there is an MRT has those amenities... So if you have only a weekend, a great way is to take the train around the network and check out the surroundings at each station.

Personally, I wouldn't live in Geylang, Little India and Chinatown. I'd leave those to the occasional visit of interest.

LanternsB

Oops, I had just realised that. Are you asking about living in sing or JB ? I assumed sing.

Nijntje2518

No - JB - already live in SG and looking forward to moving...!

LanternsB

We are in the same boat.
I arrived in sep, just found a job and yearning to move to JB.

Froggybarnacle2000

Hi Nintje and LanternsB,

It's definitely possible to hire part-time help, gardeners, fix-it guys on an ad-hoc basis. Pay them once they're done.

If you're coming over for the weekend to look, you might want to stay at Hotel Granada since it looks like the most decent and nearest hotel to the Nusajaya area. And it's not that far a walk from the Giant Bukit Indah supermarket where the CW5 bus picks up folks heading to Sgp. Traders may be new and nice, but it's quite a way from everything else. There's Thistle Hotel in JB too, but it's 13km from Nusajaya.

Am not a Nusajaya girl but offhand i'd say you could look at Horizon Hills, East Ledang, and Nusa Idaman. Only condo I know in Nusajaya is the Ujana near the entrance of East Ledang. There's also this new condo in the vicinity of Tesco and Giant in Bukit Indah. The golf club at Horizon Hills has a fantastic pool. EL has got a clubhouse, and Ujana's got a pool/gym as well. The TGV cinema at Aeon Bukit Indah is the best so far in JB (my daughter and I love the Beanieplex!). Aeon supermarket is good for groceries... You'll see all these if you do stay at Hotel Granada as it is right across the street from Aeon.

Btw I am assuming you have lined up a property agent to show you around the residential areas Unless you know someone living there, you will not be able to enter any of these communities. You can't exactly rock up and have a wander around...Good luck!

Nijntje2518

The Granada has been recommended by a couple of people now, thanks! Looks good,well placed & reasonable! If we stay there soon, I'll let you know what it's like!

Property agents - good points :-) I guess this weekend will be just grilling my friend who lives in JB and literally working out the lie of the land! Close inspection of residential areas will be for next time! (Hence, not staying at the Granada!).

If anyone has a property agent they would like to recommend, go ahead!

I need to go to the Beanieplex, just because it's called the Beaniplex

Thanks again!

Jon Andrews

Try Sky Executive Condominium. It's conveniently located opposite GranadaHotel and it's new with full condo facilities.

bakedbean

Hi Jon and welcome to the forum

Octonauts

Please help. I'm Indonesian married to British and have a boy who will enter Marlborough in September.

We have couple question for you who move from singapore to Johor/ Iskandar.

1. What passes do you need in order to commute from JB to Singapore, and how best to acquire them ? Any advice on trusteed agency ?
2. Can you transfer your Indonesian domestic helper from Singapore to Malaysia, and what is the process to do so?
3. Can you hire a car that you can drive in both Singapore and Malaysia?
4. How can you buy / hire a Malaysian car? Can you get finance on a Malaysian car? Can I as dependen pass ( singapore driving license drive Malaysia car to singapore ?)

bakedbean

Hi there and welcome to the forum

Have you looked through the existing topics in this section yet? Suggest you do so, if you haven't, as I believe all your questions are covered.

Octonauts

Thank you Bakebeans.

Ahhhh, pants !!! About not allowed driving on Malaysian car with SG dependent pass ! But if we bough Malaysian Car, under my name, can I drive to SG ? Darn this move seems will be way to complicated ! I have a quick read on the forum, is it true we can't hire Malaysian full time helper because none of us is Malaysian and work in Malaysia ? Is it possible for me to bring our Indonesian helper that we hire from SG agency to Johor with us ? Any one who we can hire to short everything out ? Thanks much !

Singmom

Hi Octonauts,

I am assuming your husband is an EP holder in Singapore, and you have DP? If that is the case, then...

1. What passes do you need in order to commute from JB to Singapore, and how best to acquire them ? Any advice on trusteed agency ?
- You can apply for MACS in Malaysia. With MACS, you don't need to stamp your passport each time you go through Malaysian immigration and border crossing is easy. If your son will go to MCM, the school will issue you a letter to Malaysian immigration for your him to get MACS, and parents can also apply. You can get it at Malaysian immigration office in JB or Nusajaya.

2. Can you transfer your Indonesian domestic helper from Singapore to Malaysia, and what is the process to do so?
- You can hire a maid legally in Malaysia only if you have MM2H or employment visa in Malaysia. While many people bring their Singapore maids to JB/Nusajaya under Singapore WP, if your address is not in Singapore, MOM doesn't allow you to keep your maid under Singapore WP.

3. Can you hire a car that you can drive in both Singapore and Malaysia?
- You can hire a private taxi service that would drive you back and forth Singapore and Malaysia. It is quite expensive, thought, about $70 single trip.

4. How can you buy / hire a Malaysian car? Can you get finance on a Malaysian car? Can I as dependen pass ( singapore driving license drive Malaysia car to singapore ?)
- If you are an EP holder, yes, you can buy Malaysian car and drive it into Singapore, provided that you are the registered owner of the car. You just need to get an Autopass at Woodlands or Tuas to drive your Malaysian car into Singapore. But if you are PR or Singaporean citizen, you can't. On LTA website, it says that DP holder is not allowed to drive a Malaysian car into Singapore, but my friend didn't have any problem so far. However, I can't guarantee you won't be questioned.

As for financing, I believe Malaysian banks require that you either have MM2H or business visa such as EP to apply for car loans.

Hope this helps, and good luck moving!