Here’s What You Need To Know About The Digital Road Tax

It has now been over a year since the  Transport Minister announced that Malaysians are no longer required to display their road tax on the windshield of their cars.

In summary, the Transport Ministry will no longer enforce Section 20 of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333), which requires Malaysians to display their motor vehicle license (more commonly known as the road tax).

On one hand, this is very welcome news for a huge majority of Malaysians. We are now saved from the hassle of having to get the physical copy of our road tax. Even better, we don’t have to stick it on our windshield. God forbid we mention anything about the quality of the physical road tax, and the marks it’ll leave on our windshield.

But on the other hand, it does create a whole lot of confusion on how we are going to proceed from now on. Malaysians are fraught with questions like ‘How are the authorities supposed to know if we have our road tax?’ and ‘Do I still need to renew my road tax and insurance every year?’.

So, to help make everything make sense and inject a little more clarity, here’s every question you might have about the new road tax regulation, answered.

Everything you want to know about the new road tax answered

What does the announcement mean? What has changed?

Well in the simplest terms, the announcement meant that you are no longer required to display physical copies of your driving licence and your road tax.

The digital copies of these documents are now available on the MyJPJ application, which can be accessed, and is recognised by the authorities.

How about motorcycles? Is it included in this new road tax regulation?

Yes, motorcycles are also included in the announcement, so motorcyclists are no longer required to carry a physical copy of their road tax while riding.

What do I have to do to ensure that my driving licence and my road tax are accessible by the authorities?

Nothing. According to Anthony Loke, it is not mandatory for the public to download the MyJPJ app or keep a digital copy of their documents.

Does this mean that I no longer have to pay for my road tax?

No, it most certainly does not. You still have to pay for your road tax and vehicle insurance, and there were no changes to the rate in the announcement.

So does this mean that I can leave my road tax and driving licence at home?

Yes, it does, as you are no longer required to bring physical copies of these documents.

If I don’t have the app downloaded, then how can I show the digital copies of my road tax and driving licence?

The simple answer is, that you don’t need to. Authorities can now easily access digital copies of your relevant documents from their end, which means that it is not your responsibility to provide them with any copies of said documents.

After all, the burden of proof lies with the authorities.

What if I don’t have a smartphone or don’t have internet access in my area?

For people who don’t want to use the app, they can still request for a physical copy of their road tax and driving licence from the Road Transport Department (RTD).

Do I still need to request for a physical licence from the RTD?

If you are planning to drive overseas, then yes. Authorities outside of Malaysia don’t recognize the MyJPJ app or a digital copy of your driving licence.

Source: JPJ Facebook

Is there any change to how I can renew my road tax and driving licence?

Only one small change. Just as always, you can renew all your relevant documents through various avenues such as JPJ kiosks, Pos Malaysia counters, MyEG online services, and motor insurance agents.

The only difference is that now you will only be furnished with a receipt upon renewal. There will be no physical road tax sticker/driving licence issued unless requested.

I have a learner’s (L) / provisional (P) driving licence, will I have to carry a physical copy while driving?

Yes. Only holders of the full driving licence (Competent Driving Licence) can substitute their physical copy for a digital one.

I am a Grab/School bus driver, do I still need to display my driving licence and road tax?

Yes, the changes are only allowed for private vehicle drivers. Drivers of commercial-use vehicles including e-hailing cars are still required to keep physical copies of their driving licence and road tax.

How do you use the digital road tax?

While private vehicle owners are not required to show their digital road tax and driving license under the current phase 1 which started on 10 February 2023, you can still access your digital driving license and road tax using the MyJPJ app.

Here’s a quick checklist of steps you need to do once you go to the JPJ MySIKAP online site.

1. Download the MyJPJ app or go to the JPJ official website to download.
2. For new users, select ‘Register New Account’. Enter your IC number and your personal details to complete registration. Make sure you keep a record of your chosen password and security question details. Click ‘Continue’, tick the box to confirm and then click on ‘Send’.
3. Log in to the MyJPJ mobile app using the temporary password and ID number sent to the email address you provided.
4. Click on ‘Profile’ to see your e-road tax (Lesen Kenderaan Motor) and e-license (Lesen Memandu).

How to apply for your digital road tax online

So now that we’ve got all that out of the way, let’s have a look at just how you can apply for your road tax online.

Documents you need to prepare

First, before you get started on your application, there are a couple of documents you need to prepare beforehand to make the process a lot smoother.

• An updated vehicle registration card.
• An updated identity card.

Got both of those? Alright, now you’re ready.

Step-by-step guide to applying your digital road tax online

Step 1: Download the MyJPJ mobile app from either the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or Huawei AppGallery.

Step 2: Open your newly downloaded MyJPJ app, and click on the profile tab at the bottom of the screen.

Step 3: Click on the “Roadtax” tab and select the vehicle registration number for the vehicle you want to renew the road tax for.

Step 4: After selecting the vehicle, click the “Renew” button that appears below.

Step 5: Select the road tax type you want, the duration you want to renew for, and your preferred payment method.

Step 6: Key in the credit/debit card you’d like to use to make your payment and click on the ‘Proceed’ button.

Step 7: Enter the verification code and click on the ‘submit’ button.

Step 8: Once your payment is done, you will be able to see the renewed road tax straight on the app itself. If you want to save the receipt, you can also click on the ‘Show receipt’ button where you will be given the option to save your receipt.

Any other questions?

So we hope that with all the answers we’ve provided you here, the changes are now perfectly understandable for you. If you have any more questions that we did not cover here, you can direct your queries to the official RTD Facebook page right here.

This article has been updated on August 13, 2024.