KUALA LUMPUR – The technical glitch that triggered massive congestion at Malaysia’s main entry points over the weekend was due to a data integration issue that affected the autogate system for foreign visitors, authorities confirmed today.
The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) said an initial investigation revealed the disruption was caused by a slowdown in cross-checking processes within the MyIMMS (Malaysian Immigration System), which made autogates unusable for non-Malaysians.
“Autogate facilities for Malaysian passport holders remain operational as usual,” AKPS clarified in a press statement issued on Saturday.
The disruption, which began yesterday, affected around 200 autogates nationwide and caused long queues at several busy locations — including KLIA Terminals 1 and 2, as well as the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) and Sultan Abu Bakar (KSAB) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complexes in Johor Bahru.
The system failure has largely impacted foreign nationals, as Malaysian passport holders continue to access autogates without issue. Tens of thousands of travellers, many of them Singaporeans crossing via the Johor land checkpoints, reportedly faced delays of up to four hours.
To address the congestion, Immigration officers have activated all manual counters and deployed additional personnel to manage queues and facilitate the movement of visitors. Volunteer corps (Rela) members have also been brought in to assist at critical land checkpoints.
AKPS added that it is working closely with the Immigration Department to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and restore normal operations at the country’s key border entry points.
Authorities have yet to confirm whether sabotage or hacking may have played a role.
Since June 2024, Malaysia has allowed autogate access to visitors from 63 countries, in addition to diplomats and their family members. This measure was introduced to reduce congestion and waiting times at immigration counters.
In January this year, a QR code system was also launched at major entry points as part of the government’s broader initiative to streamline border processing for international visitors. — July 19, 2025.
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