Autogate Glitch at Malaysia's Major Checkpoints Causes Chaos for Visitors

Long queues formed at all major entry points across Malaysia after a data integration disruption led to a breakdown in the autogate system for foreign visitors.

- Daniel Lai

Tens of thousands of foreigners, including Singaporeans, were unable to use the autogate facility, The Star reported on July 19. Malaysian passport holders were unaffected.

The breakdown, which started at about noon on July 18, was described as the worst ever, involving more than 200 autogates across the country.

The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) confirmed the "technical disruption" in a statement on Facebook at around 4.30pm on July 19.

It added that initial investigations pointed to a data integration disruption, which caused delays in the cross-checking process within the MyIMMS system.

Among the major gateways affected were Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) terminals 1 and 2, and the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complexes at Bagunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) and Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar (KSAB).

BSI and KSAB are both in Johor, and are used by travellers entering Malaysia from Singapore's Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints respectively.

AKPS said it has activated all manual immigration counters and deployed additional personnel, among other measures, to lessen the congestion.

"AKPS is making every effort to restore the system and restore movement at all entry points in the country," it added.

At about 5.45pm, AKPS said on Facebook that autogate operations at BSI have partially resumed.