New cross-border Bill in Singapore covers provisions on designated CIQ zones, incident management, and more

With the new Bill, Singapore and Malaysia will be able to better coordinate safety and security operation on the JB-Singapore RTS Link, including how both countries will respond to incidents that occur in transit between the two countries.

The Singapore Parliament saw on Tuesday (7 April) the First Reading of the Cross-Border Railways (Border Control Co-Location) Bill, a landmark piece of legislation designed to pave the way for the Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS Link).

The RTS Link, which is expected to commence passenger service at the end of 2026, is set to connect Woodlands North station in Singapore with Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru. With the Link, a typical train journey between both stations will take about five minutes train, serving up to 10,000 commuters per hour in each direction.

A key feature of the Link will be the co-location of customs, immigration, and quarantine (CIQ) facilities at both stations, allowing travellers to clear immigration only once at the point of departure.

What the Bill entails

#1 Malaysia's CIQ operations will be enabled in Singapore

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Bill introduces provisions to demarcate Designated Areas (DA) in Singapore as Malaysia’s CIQ zone, where Malaysia border laws will apply and Malaysian officers – referred to as 'preclearance officers' – can perform border clearance and railway security checks on travellers and goods bound for Malaysia.

For the RTS Link, the DA will be in Woodlands North station and notices will be prominently displayed at the perimeter of these areas to inform the public.

MHA said Singapore’s laws will continue to apply in the DA, and only Malaysian preclearance officers recognised by Singapore will be able to conduct official duties within the DA in Singapore. The Bill sets out the processes for the recognition of Malaysian preclearance officers by the Minister for Home Affairs. Under the Bill, the Minister may also, without giving any reason, refuse or withdraw the recognition of a Malaysian preclearance officer.

Within the DA, Malaysian preclearance officers will be allowed to exercise specific powers to perform CIQ operations. These include checking of travel documents, screening of travellers, and refusing entry or importation of goods bound for Malaysia.

That said, MHA highlighted that safeguards will be in place on the exercise of these powers. For example, Malaysian preclearance officers are not allowed to make an arrest in Singapore. If they detain any person or item, they must transfer custody to a Singapore preclearance officer as soon as is practicable.

As further covered in the Bill, Malaysian preclearance officers will have certain protections and immunities when performing official duties in Singapore. For instance, they will be deemed as public servants and offences committed against them while they are performing official duties in Singapore will be treated as offences committed against Singapore public servants under Singapore’s laws. These powers and protections are given on a reciprocal basis, i.e., Singapore preclearance officers performing official duties at Bukit Chagar station will receive equivalent powers and protections in Malaysia.

Apart from the above, the Bill will allow Singapore preclearance officers to conduct security checks on any departing traveller for items controlled or prohibited under Malaysian law. If such items are found, Singapore preclearance officers may permit a traveller to voluntarily discard the items, unless the item poses a threat to human safety, is a live creature, or is evidence relevant to an investigation.

#2 Singapore's CIQ operations will be enabled in Malaysia

Under the Bill Singapore's Home Affairs Minister can order the deployment of Singapore preclearance officers to Malaysia (at Bukit Chagar station for the RTS Link). These officers will have similar powers, rights, and immunities under Singapore law as when they are performing the same duties in Singapore.

The Bill also modifies certain Singapore border control laws to adapt them for co-located border control arrangements in Malaysia, enabling Singapore preclearance officers deployed in Malaysia to continue keeping the borders safe.

Malaysia's own legislation, passed earlier this year, will allow Singapore preclearance officers to exercise powers necessary for the performance of official duties at Bukit Chagar station, and has granted them the relevant privileges and immunities.

Managing cross-border incidents

With the new Bill, Singapore and Malaysia will be able to better coordinate safety and security operation, including how both countries will respond to incidents that occur in transit between the two countries.

Both countries will continue to supervise security and safety operations and manage incidents within their own territory:

• For incidents occurring within Malaysia’s DA at Woodlands North station, Singapore will be responsible for resolving them.
• Similarly, Malaysia will be managing incidents occurring within Singapore’s DA at Bukit Chagar station.

However, when it comes to cross-border incidents – for instance, one that occurs on board a train in transit, the Bill provides that Singapore incident management officers (e.g., from SPF or SCDF) may respond to such incidents on/near trains and railway tracks in Malaysia, to prevent the loss of life and reduce damage to property.

Malaysian incident management officers may likewise respond to cross-border railway incidents in Singapore under similar circumstances.

Both countries' incident management officers will be accorded powers, rights, and immunities for this purpose, subject to limitations. No Singapore officer in Malaysia may make an arrest in Malaysia, and no Malaysian officer in Singapore may make an arrest in Singapore, MHA added, noting that the respective authorities in both countries have worked together on a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for incident management.

"Taken together, these laws and SOPs will enable effective response to cross-border incidents and help keep travellers safe."

MHA added that both Singapore and Malaysia will share concurrent criminal jurisdiction over incidents that occur on trains in transit and along the railway tracks between the two countries. The legislation formally establishes Singapore’s jurisdiction in these areas, while setting out clear rules on how both nations will exercise authority.

In practice, the country where the train journey concludes will have the primary right to investigate and prosecute offences. However, the other country may request a waiver of this right if there is greater public interest for it to take the lead. This arrangement aims to ensure clarity in cases where the exact location of an offence is uncertain.

The ministry noted that the framework mirrors practices adopted for other major cross-border railways, such as the Channel Fixed Link between the United Kingdom and France. By aligning with international precedents, the Bill aims to provide certainty for law enforcement and safeguard commuters on the RTS Link.

Data protection and reciprocal safeguards

Among the final few features, the Bill also ensures that data collected by Singapore officers in Malaysia will be governed by Singapore law, while Malaysia has enacted equivalent protections for its officers operating in Singapore. This reciprocal framework extends to equipment, information, and operational safeguards.

Amendments to existing laws

Finally, to support all arrangements mentioned above, related Acts such as the Immigration Act, Civil Defence Act, Police Force Act, and Passports Act will be amended. These changes will allow Bukit Chagar station to be designated as an authorised immigration checkpoint, empower Singapore officers to respond to cross-border railway incidents, and extend jurisdiction over passport offences detected in designated areas.