PSA: Always Check That the MyNIISe App has Recorded Your Entry Into JB Before Moving Off

tl;dr - Entered via Tuas using MyNIISe App. Went out via Woodlands. Woodlands JB Immigration said don't have record. Asked me to turn back to Tuas to get back into SG.

This happened last week and I wanted to make sure that I write objectively now that I am clear-headed. I really don't want this to happen to my fellow Singaporeans now that we will head over often with what's happening in the Middle East.

I entered via Tuas because it was closer to head in from both our offices and wanted to beat the peak hour traffic. Entered at 5pm via Tuas SG immigration. Cleared JB immigration at 5.30pm. Happy days.

My missus and I did groceries, ate dinner and decided to go out via Woodlands because I stay in the North-East. Pumped petrol at Taman Sentosa, felt a pinch in my heart my pocket because they also increased the price of RON97. Went into JB immigration at 9.30pm with no jam at the JB side, ready to head to Woodlands Checkpoint. Happy days again, right?

Dead wrong.

Used MyNIISe at the counter and the officer looked at us perplexed. Asked us to rescan two more times. Asked us to show the app with the records. Lo and behold, no record of us entering via Tuas. Told us to park at the side and brought us into the office to see his supervisor.

I prepped by TouchNGo app to take out records that we crossed Tuas but then realised it didn't have any record because I used the card instead of the RFID because the RFID failed at Tuas.

In the office, officers questioned what time we entered and we shared the facts. A female senior officer showed empathy to our situation but another male senior officer, presumably her boss, said that this is not the first rodeo for the JB Immigration at Tuas. "They do this all the time." At this point, I get the impression that he don't want to deal with us because his counterpart in another area screwed up. However, I was thinking to myself that they are immigration officers together. Can't they talk to each other and verify?

Anyway, I bit my tongue and accepted my predicament. Told them I don't want any trouble. I certainly don't want to "pay extra" to leave. If the instruction is for us to head to Tuas then so be it. So we filled a hardcopy form to turn back out of the secured area and went back to Tuas.

We reached the JB side of Tuas at 11 after the ding-donging and prepared for the worse. Reached the counter and told the officer in advance on what happened. Added that we were told to come back here by your counterparts at Woodlands side. He sighed, asked us to scan. Cleared us within 3mins.

Missus checked the records and shared that it showed he backdated the entry recorded e.g. entry at 11.03pm and exit at 11.04pm. Fine. Malaysia Boleh. If only they could've done this at Woodlands side of the JB immigration.

We reached home at 11.40pm. I might as well sat through the usual jam going back.

After having some time to reflect on the experience, I tried to think of the root cause. Was it:

- The officer at the Tuas side of the immigration screwing up by not logging in our entry correctly or

- Just their MyNIISe system is piss poor that it cannot talk to the Woodlands side of the JB Immigration.

Missus told me not to bother. We are safely out.

8/10 will go in again. In fact, we are going in later to get groceries. So, just double check guys. Don't be dumb like us. When in Rome, do as Romans do.

This is one of the few times when I appreciate our ICA fellas for being so on the ball with their tech and innovations.