PUBLISHED ONFebruary 06, 2026 2:32 AMBYDana LeongTravellers should anticipate heavy traffic at Singapore's land checkpoints during the upcoming Lunar New Year, said the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
In a travel advisory on Friday (Feb 6), ICA said that "very heavy traffic" is expected at both Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints leading up to the festive season from Feb 13 to Feb 23.
With reference to the recent year-end school holidays, ICA said that over 22 million people travelled across Singapore's land checkpoints between Nov 21, 2025 and Jan 1, 2026.
In particular, traveller volume peaked on Dec 19 with a record number of more than 588,000 travellers clearing immigration through the land checkpoints in a single day — the highest in the year.
Car travellers who departed during the peak hours had to wait up to three hours for immigration clearance due to traffic tailbacks from Malaysia, ICA said.
ICA also said that it will be conducting intensified checks against the smuggling of contraband, such as e-vaporisers, firecrackers and bak kwa during the festive period.
As such, travellers should be prepared to experience longer waiting times at immigration and are advised to check the traffic situation at the land checkpoints before embarking on their journey.
ICA also encouraged travellers consider to taking the cross-border bus services to avoid congestion.
"We seek travellers' understanding to cooperate with ICA officers, observe traffic rules and maintain lane discipline," said the authority, who also warned against queue cutting.
In anticipation of heavy traffic during the Lunar New Year season, Malaysia's Road Transport Department (JPJ) also announced a ban on heavy vehicles to facilitate smoother traffic and reduce the risk of accidents.
The ban will be enforced from Feb 14 to 15, and Feb 21 to 22, said JPJ director-general Aedy Fadly Ramli in a press release on Thursday.
"All operators and drivers of the affected vehicles are advised to comply with this directive," he said.
There are three categories of heavy vehicles affected by the ban, with each category being banned on Malaysian roads at different timings.
For example, lorries with a load exceeding 7,500kg and and vehicles used to transport materials like cement will be banned at all times on the stipulated dates.
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