CIQ is short for Custom, Immigrations, and Quarantine Complex

After returning to Singapore from Hong Kong, I decided to stay 2 days in Johor Bahru or JB for short. There were three reasons why I decided to make a stop at JB before I head over to more relatives' place:

1. More spacious living arrangements at a very affordable price all to myself
2. Needed to finish some shopping and had extra Malaysian ringgits to spare
3. Cheaper food prices

I simply booked a place via Airbnb for approximately $20 USD per night near JB CIQ - Singapore border. I left a review for this place because it was spotless clean, even cleaner than high-class hotels I've stayed at. I had the suite all to myself and it had a kitchen, a dining area, a living area, and a balcony. Moreover, it supplied a blow dryer, iron and ironing board, and a power surge.

Going by bus

​Anyways, back to the main topic. After landing in Changi Airport, I wanted to take a bus to Woodlands but I didn't know exactly where. With so much information out there, it was difficult to distinguish which one is accurate. I went to the information counter and I was directed to take the skytrain from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2. After getting to Terminal 2, I incidentally walked past the Transtar bus counter and was told that the next bus was leaving at 2 PM at either bay 10 or 11 for 10 SGD, which is paid when I get on the bus.

If you decide to take the bus, you get drop off at the Woodlands immigration and you would have to take your luggage with you to clear immigration. After that, you head back to the bus by locating the license plate the driver tells you and you are driven across the highway to JB CIQ. You are dropped off here and you take your luggage again but this time bid your bus driver farewell as his job is done here. You go through Malaysia's immigration and you're in JB. By following the signs to the City Square, you don't even have to step outside since the CIQ is connected to JB's malls.

Heading back into Woodlands, you can also take a bus and there are various options that will take you to different parts of Singapore. You can take Transtar to Sentosa, Chinatown, or even Changi. Malaysia offers Causeway Link buses while Singapore offers SBS buses. Visit this link for the specific buses.

Going by train

​Instead of taking a bus, I decided to purchase a 5 RM KTM train ticket that will take me from JB CIQ to Singapore's Woodland CIQ. This is the shortest train ride in the world, taking less than 5 minutes to reach its destination. The KTM ticket counter is easily noticeable as you walk through the connecting link from the malls. You will also noticed a line of people queuing up to buy their tickets. It runs about every 1.5 hours so make sure you choose the right time especially if you need to catch a flight or something in Singapore. After you purchase your ticket, head to Gate A 20-minutes before the departure time because this is when immigration opens for passengers taking the KTM.
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Going by taxi or private transfer

You can choose to take a taxi or call a Grab and it will most likely cost you around 25 SGD and then an additional 5 SGD to take the train from Singapore immigration to Malaysia immigrations.

If you don't want to fuss at all by not taking the train, you have the option of booking a private transfer. I don't recommend this unless you have about 3-4 people because these private transfers charge by the car, which ranges from90 SGD to 100 SGD.