Joint Media Release by MOT, LTA and SPF: Further Strengthening of Singapore’s Regulatory and Enforcement Efforts against Deregistered Vehicles

1.          The Ministry of Transport (MOT), Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) will strengthen controls over the disposal of deregistered vehicles and enforcement against their use on our roads.

2.          The authorities have detected an increase in reported cases of deregistered vehicles used on our roads, from 75 in 2024 to 245 in 2025. The use of deregistered vehicles is illegal and poses serious risks to road safety, as these vehicles do not have valid insurance and are not roadworthy. Some of these vehicles have also been involved in hit-and-run accidents and criminal activities, including drug trafficking.

3.          To strengthen deterrence, the Government substantially increased the maximum penalties for keeping or using unregistered or deregistered vehicles from 27 February 2026.¹ First-time offenders may now be fined up to S$20,000 and/or imprisoned for up to two years, with penalties doubled for repeat offenders.

4.          The Government will further strengthen controls against deregistered vehicles with two objectives. First, to ensure disposal of deregistered vehicles in a timely and proper manner, so that they do not end up on our roads. Second, to remove the existing pool of undisposed deregistered vehicles and prevent the circulation of these vehicles in Singapore. These measures include legislative amendments to strengthen the Government’s enforcement powers, as well as ground enforcement enhancements.

Legislative Amendments

5.          The Land Transport and Related Matters (No. 2) Bill (“Bill”), which was introduced for First Reading in Parliament on 8 September 2026, will introduce four key measures to enforce timely and proper disposal of deregistered vehicles.

6.          First, the Bill will enable the implementation of the Authorised Exporter Scheme, which will require deregistered vehicles to be exported through LTA-Authorised Exporters (“Authorised Exporters”). Such Authorised Exporters will be subject to compliance requirements to ensure that all deregistered vehicles are properly disposed of. For example, Authorised Exporters must store deregistered vehicles, and conduct all export-related activities (e.g. cutting and packing), within LTA-approved and secured premises. This scheme will address the risk of rogue exporters failing to properly dispose of or export deregistered vehicles as required. LTA will provide the industry with a transition period of at least one year before the Authorised Exporter Scheme is implemented.

7.          Second, the Bill will shorten the grace period for owners of deregistered vehicles to fulfil the disposal requirements from 1 month to 14 days. With the implementation of the Authorised Exporter Scheme, the disposal requirement for vehicle owners will be simplified and hence less time is needed to fulfil it. Vehicle owners will only need to hand over the deregistered vehicles to Authorised Exporters, Authorised Scrapyards or Authorised Export Processing Zone Operators, and will no longer need to submit disposal documents to LTA. The shortened 14-day grace period lowers the risk of deregistered vehicles being misused before they are properly disposed of.

8.          Third, the Bill will ensure offenders remain liable for prosecution for as long as they fail to fulfil their respective disposal requirements. Persons convicted of failing to submit proof that their deregistered vehicles have been disposed of will be liable for a daily fine of up to S$500 until disposal proof has been submitted. This will strengthen deterrence against convicted offenders who continue to refuse to dispose of deregistered vehicles.

9.          Fourth, the Bill will empower the Government to prevent new/used vehicles from being registered by or transferred to high-risk individuals who are at risk of failing to dispose of the vehicles when they are deregistered. These include individuals with past records of keeping deregistered vehicles, or juveniles under 18 years old who may be vulnerable to exploitation by criminal syndicates.

10.          The Bill will also criminalise the sale or supply of deregistered vehicles with the knowledge that, or reckless as to whether, the vehicle will be kept or used on our roads. This will hold bad actors accountable for circulating the existing pool of undisposed deregistered vehicles, and directly disrupt the supply chains that facilitate the use of such vehicles. This offence will carry a penalty of up to S$20,000 and/or imprisonment for up to two years, with penalties doubled for repeat offenders.

Further Enhancements to Ground Enforcement

11.          The Government will also step up enforcement efforts against deregistered vehicles. From September 2026, deregistered vehicles detected during LTA’s and SPF’s patrols will be wheel clamped for seizure by LTA. This enhances operations by enabling SPF and LTA officers to continue carrying out other duties elsewhere. There will also be more joint enforcement operations such as roadblocks and patrols at identified hotspots.

12.          The Government takes a strong stance against any persons using, keeping, buying or selling deregistered vehicles for unlawful purposes. Vehicle owners must ensure that deregistered vehicles are disposed of promptly and in accordance with LTA’s requirements. Firm enforcement action will be taken against offenders who fail to comply with the respective requirements.

^[1] The higher penalties took effect on 27 February 2026, following the commencement of amendments to the Road Traffic Act under the Land Transport and Related Matters Act 2026. Please refer to LTA’s media release ↗ (opens in new tab) for more information.