What was meant to be a day trip across the Causeway turned into a stressful four-day stay for one Singaporean woman.

Sabrina Sim documented her experience being stranded in Johor Bahru in a series of TikTok videos titled "Trapped in JB".

The 22-year-old influencer had driven up to Johor Bahru on Aug 10 at about 1am for a quick massage and hotpot meal, she said in her first video.

Sim explained that she and her friends had stored their passports in the glove compartment of the car before heading to the hotpot restaurant.

Upon returning to the vehicle at about 5am, however, they realised that two of the five passports were missing.

The group found one of the passports at the back of the compartment, but Sim's passport could not be found even after a three-hour search.

As Sim and her friends headed to a police station to report her passport as missing, the 22-year-old realised that getting back home might be more complicated than she thought.

"I can't go to the [Singapore] embassy now because yesterday was Singapore's National Day, so [it's] closed," she said.

"Embassies don't open on weekends, and Monday is a holiday in Malaysia."

Aug 12 was a public holiday for Johor, as the birthday of Sultan Iskandar falls on Aug 11.

A check on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website shows that the Singapore Consulate-General in Johor Bahru is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.

This meant the woman had no choice but to stay in Johor Bahru until she could visit the embassy on Aug 13.

Most hotels were fully booked for the long weekend, but Sim and her partner asked a friend for a favour and stayed at that friend's apartment.

Having brought nothing except the clothes they were wearing, Sim and her partner had to purchase all necessities for a four-day stay.

"I didn't even bring a bag with me," Sim said in her video.

Thought she would be stranded for months

After passing their time with various activities, the couple visited the Consulate-General of Singapore in Johor Bahru on Aug 13 for Sim to get a Document of Identity (DOI).

They then headed to the Setia Tropika Immigration office as she also needed a special temporary pass for entry into Singapore.

"This kind of feels like a war I'm not ready for because I know that if they tell me I can't go home today, I'm going to lose my mind," Sim said as they made their way to the immigration office.

To her horror, an officer told her that she could not leave the country yet and might even have to stay until November.

Sim said that she "had the worst meltdown of [her] life" upon hearing this.

"I can't stay three to four months in Malaysia because I don't have anything here, and I have a life back in Singapore," she pleaded with the officer.

The officer eventually empathised with her, said Sim, and generated the special pass that she needed to return.

"The moment I put my hand on the special pass, I was so relieved cause it meant my 'trapped in JB era' is finally over," she said, adding that she later booked a Grab to the Johor Bahru Checkpoint before taking a bus back to Singapore. 

Sim described the experience as "unreal" and said she was glad to be home.

"Moral of the story, whichever country you go to, please don't lose your passport!" she said.

AsiaOne has reached out to Sim for more information.

What to do if you lose your passport overseas

If you ever misplace your passport overseas, here are some tips on what to do: 

1. Lodge a police report 

A police report will serve as proof that you have misplaced your passport. 

Do take note that in some countries, the police might be unwilling to issue a report. In this case, ask for some sort of receipt or acknowledgement slip that proves you were there.

2. Contact the embassy or high commission 

This should be your first step if you ever lose your passport, as they are the only ones who can issue a Document of Identity that will allow you to leave the country and re-enter Singapore. 

You will be asked to provide several documents before your Document of Identity can be issued, such as your IC, two or three passport photos, a police report and flight itinerary.

3. Contact your travel insurer 

Some travel insurance policies offer coverage for the loss of passport or other belongings. 

Depending on your plan, you might be able to recoup the costs incurred while dealing with your lost passport.

This might include travel expenses and hotel accommodation incurred while trying to get to the embassy, the cost of a new ticket if you are forced to miss a flight, as well as the cost of replacing your passport.

ALSO READ: Man files police report over passport returned to wrong person at bus interchange; SMRT apologises

bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com

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