No U-Turn On Digital Road Tax, Driving Licences - Loke

The digital road tax and driving licences, which were introduced in February of last year, will continue to be enforced, according to Transport Minister Anthony Loke, who stated at a press conference that the ministry will not be reviewing their implementation despite criticism and calls from some individuals, NST has reported.
"We have to be progressive. Many services are now digital," he said, adding the initiative was in line with the country's digitalisation policy.

"People can still print their digital road tax if necessary, including to comply with laws in neighbouring countries. It is not a problem." Loke previously claimed that the government would save RM96 million annually as a result of the digitization, which was previously used to print driver's licences and road taxes. He also said that the Finance Ministry fully supported the digitization initiative and that no additional funding was needed.

Previously, some users demanded the return of actual driving licences and road taxes in order to meet the requirements to enter Thailand. This comes in the wake of the August of last year incident in which two Malaysians were allegedly fined by Thai authorities for failing to furnish their digital licences.

But according to Loke, this shouldn't be an issue because it's implied that drivers must print their digital licences and road taxes in order to enter another country.

"Digitalisation will continue. This doesn't mean the road tax and licence cannot be printed, you can print it yourself. "If you want to enter Thailand which requires a physical road tax and licence, just print it, it is not difficult."

As a reminder, individuals who intend to drive their cars abroad should be reminded that entry into other countries is governed by the laws of the countries they are visiting. Malaysians entering neighboring countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, and Indonesia must present their digital road tax at the land border in order to be granted entry. The situation with your driver's license, however, is different. According to JPJ information, you must go to a JPJ counter and ask for a card copy of your driver's license if you intend to drive abroad.