Singapore Entry Requirements and Rules
Singapore Entry Requirements specify the rules that a person wishing to travel to Singapore must familiarize with for a hassle-free entry to the country. These rules, i.a, determine what type of documents one must obtain prior to the trip.
Among the most important documents necessary to enter Singapore are a valid passport and a Singaporean visa. Every traveler should make sure that their passport will be valid for at least six months from the date of planned arrival in Singapore.
Visa requirements for Singapore may differ depending on the traveler's nationality, duration of planned stay as well as the travel purpose. The Singaporean visa policy states that all travelers to Singapore, including those from visa-exempt countries, must obtain the SG Arrival Card to access the island country without any issues.
The application for the Singapore Electronic Arrival Card is entirely online, and after approval, the card is automatically assigned to the applicant’s passport and replaces the paper embarkation/disembarkation system.
Please note that the SG Arrival Card does not function as a visa. All those travelers who are from visa-required countries need to obtain both the SG Arrival Card and a relevant visa to enter Singapore smoothly.
Citizens only of 3 countries in the world are allowed to travel to Singapore visa-free, including nationals of Hong Kong, Macau, and South Sudan.
Singapore has taken a progressive approach to reopening the country's borders. The Singaporean authorities opened temporary Vaccinated Travel Lanes with many countries, including Maldives, Vietnam, and Thailand. The VTLs will be closed once Singapore fully reopens for tourism.
Currently, only fully vaccinated travelers are allowed to travel to Singapore, with some particular exceptions. All travelers should first check their eligibility for entering Singapore and then get familiar with the current Singaporean entry requirements. The entry rules are subject to rapid changes due to the still-evolving coronavirus situation around the globe.
Who can enter Singapore?
- returning Singapore citizens and permanent residents
- long-term pass holders
- travelers from all countries on an urgent short-term basis under the Death and Critical Illness Emergency Visit Lane (DCEV)
- short-term visitors traveling under the following travel lanes:
- Vaccinated Travel Lane (Air and Sea)
- Air Travel Pass (Macao, Taiwan, Mainland China)
- Reciprocal Green Lane (Brunei Darussalam, Mainland China)
Only Singapore citizens and holders of long-term passes (excluding work permit holders) are allowed to arrive in Singapore without prior approval. Any other traveler must get approval to enter Singapore.
Not fully vaccinated travelers cannot enter Singapore unless they are Singapore citizens or permanent residents or are eligible to travel under the Familial Ties Lane.
Fully Vaccinated Travelers
Entering under a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL)
Fully vaccinated travelers can apply to enter Singapore quarantine-free under a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL). In order to be eligible for VTL, a traveler must:
- have spent the last 7 days in a VTL country
- book plane seats on a designated VTL flight
- submit an application for a vaccinated travel pass 3-60 days prior to the planned departure date
- have purchased travel insurance with COVID-19 coverage (minimum S$30,000)
- have digital or physical copies of the necessary documents
- perform the required pre-departure and on-arrival COVID-19 tests
Fully vaccinated and recovered from coronavirus in the past 3 months may be exempt from COVID-19 testing.
Documents check-list for entering Singapore on VTL (Air)
- A valid passport (for at least 6 months)
- Accepted vaccination proof
- Negative pre-departure COVID-19 test report or recovery proof (for recovered travelers)
- Valid Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP)
- COVID-19 Insurance Policy
- Valid Visa or e-Visa (for visa-required visitors)
- SG Arrival Card
Active Vaccinated Travel Lanes
The Vaccinated Travel Lane (Air) is dedicated to fully vaccinated travelers who may travel to Singapore accompanied by unvaccinated children under 12 years of age. They may use VTL flights operating from the following countries:
- Australia
- Brunei Darussalam
- Cambodia
- Canada
- Denmark
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong
- India
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Italy
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- the Netherlands
- the Philippines
- Qatar
- the Republic of Korea
- Saudi Arabia
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Turkey
- the United Arab Emirates
- the United Kingdom
- the United States
- Vietnam
Fully vaccinated travelers who wish to enter Singapore by sea may choose the VTL ferry available in Batam or Bintan in Indonesia. Children aged 12 or younger who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 may accompany them.
Entering Singapore via other channels
If you decide to travel to Singapore, not on VTL flights, travel requirements may vary depending on such factors as your vaccination status, countries where you have been within the last 14 days, as well as your travel purpose. Use the self-help tool and get all the necessary information.
Not Fully Vaccinated Travelers
You cannot enter Singapore if you have not received the full COVID-19 vaccination dose unless:
- you are a Singapore citizen or a permanent resident
- you have the approval to enter Singapore under the Familial Ties Lane
- you plan to travel to Singapore for compassionate reasons, using the Death and Critical Illness Emergency Visit Lane
Singapore Visa Requirements
A Singapore entry visa is a pre-entry permission for a holder of a valid visa to enter Singapore. It is at the total discretion of the ICA officers to grant an immigration pass at the point of entry. The period of stay granted will be shown on the visit pass issued on your passport and is not tied to your visa’s validity.
From October 2021, all foreign arrivals who enter Singapore via air receive an electrical notification of their Visit Pas (e-Pass) to their email address. The e-Pass indicated the period of stay granted as well as the last day of stay allowed.
Electronic Visa
Singapore offers an electronic visa to facilitate citizens of eligible countries to obtain a visa permit entirely online. Travelers from those countries can apply for an e-Visa in a few simple steps without even leaving their homes.
The Singaporean e-Visa is a single-entry visa that remains valid for 30 days from its issuance date and allows its holder to stay up t 30 days in Singapore.
Currently, there are 36 different countries eligible for an online application for a visa to Singapore.
SG Arrival Card
The SG Arrival Card is an electronic health declaration that facilitates the submission of the personal data, trip details as well as health information of every traveler wishing to enter Singapore.
An application for the SG Arrival Card must be submitted within 3 business days before the intended arrival date in Singapore. Applicants can use the official website or mobile application available both for iOS and Android.
The SG Arrival Card is mandatory for all travelers traveling to Singapore, excluding those who only transit or transfer through Singapore and do not seek immigration clearance.
Please note that SG Arrival Card does not replace the requirement to obtain a visa to Singapore.
Testing, vaccination, and quarantine requirements
Testing Requirements
All travelers, including Singaporean citizens and permanent residents, must provide a negative coronavirus test taken within 48 hours before departure time.
As of 14th March 2022, travelers to Singapore will only need to undergo an unsupervised self-administered ART using self-procured authorized ART kits within 24 hours before arrival time in Singapore. (Previosuly, Singapore required a supervised self-administered ART.) The results need to be reported via sync.gov.sg before taking up any activity on the territory of Singapore.
Vaccination Requirements
Entering Singapore by not fully vaccinated visitors is possible only in a few exceptional cases, including Singaporean citizens and permanent residents.
Generally, travelers are required to be fully vaccinated with one of the WHO COVID-19 accepted vaccines in order to be eligible for one of the existing travel lanes to travel to Singapore.
COVID-19 Vaccinations Recognized for Entry to Singapore
- Pfizer/BioNTech
- Moderna
- AstraZeneca
- Serum Institute of India
- Janssen
- Sinopharm
- Sinovac
- Covaxin
- Novavax
Any WHO EUL vaccine (mixed):
- BNT162b2/COMIRNATY Tozinameran (INN)
- mRNA-1273/Spikevax
- AZD1222-Vaxzeveria (ChAdOx1_nCoV-19)
- Covishield (ChAdOx1_nCoV-19)
- Ad26.COV2.S
- SARS-COV-2 Vaccine (VeroCell), Inactivated (InCoV)
- COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated/CoronavacTM
- Bharat Biotech BBV152 COVAXIN®
- NVX-CoV2373/Covovax/Nuvaxovid
Requirements for being considered as fully vaccinated
Travelers are recognized as fully vaccinated if they meet two following conditions at least 14 days before arrival in Singapore:
- receive the full regimen of WHO EUL Vaccine
- meet the minimum dose interval period (more details here)
Yellow Fever Certificate
Travelers arriving from certain African and Latin American countries may need to provide a yellow fever certificate in order to be allowed to Singapore. Check here if you need a yellow fever certificate.
Quarantine Requirements
Fully vaccinated travelers can apply for entry to Singapore under a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL), which allows them to enter Singapore without needing to quarantine.
Those not traveling on VTL flights fall under other Singapore travel requirements, which may require travelers to undergo post-arrival quarantine. Using the self-help tool, you may get more information.
Entry Rules for Children
COVID-19 testing
Children traveling to Singapore who are 3 years of age or older (including those turning 3 in 2022) are subject to the pre-departure testing requirement as well as post-arrival testing in Singapore.
Vaccination
Children aged 13 and older (including those who are turning 13 in 2022) must be fully vaccinated in order to be eligible for traveling to Singapore under a Vaccinated Travel Lane.
Children aged 12 years (including those turning 12 in 2022) and younger who have not been fully vaccinated can enter Singapore on the Vaccinated Travel Lane if traveling with a fully vaccinated parent or guardian.
Children vaccinated only with one dose can enter Singapore under the Familial Ties Lane (they need to have a family member being a Singapore citizen or permanent resident) or with a parent or a guardian for compassionate reasons under the Death and Critical Illness Emergency Visits Lane.
Visa
Similarly to adult travelers, children also need to obtain a visa (e-Visa if eligible) to Singapore. Applications for all underage travelers should be made on their behalf by their parents or legal guardians.
Transit through Singapore
Travelers should check before purchasing a flight ticket with their airlines whether they accept passengers transiting through Singapore. No approval for transit is required when traveling under any Safe Travel Lane, e.g. Vaccinated Travel Lane.
If the final destination of a tranist passenger requires them to take a pre-departure COVID-19 test, travelers should arrange it at the originating country as such testing service is not available during tranist in Singapore. Otherwise, transit passengers are not obliged to take a pre-departure test (if the final destination does not require it).
Passengers who only tranist through Singapore do not need to obtain entry visas.
Local requirements
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore has implemented strict rules on:
- wearing masks in outside public areas
- group gatherings
- being fully vaccinated in order to access public spaces, e.g. eat at restaurants
- scanning in and out of public venues (using the TraceTogether app/token)
- testing, quarantining, self-isolation (whenever required)
Public spaces and services
Wearing face masks
Waring a face mask in public spaces is mandatory with some exceptions (children under 6, persons while eating, drinking, taking medication, or doing strenuous physical exercise). Failure to comply with this requirement may result in a fine or imprisonment.
People are recommended to wear masks with at least 2 to 3 layers of fabric.
Trace Together and Health Alerts
Entry to many places requires scanning via the Trace Together phone app or token. Only those who are able to use this app and are fully vaccinated may enter public places such as places of worship, shopping malls, or public buildings.
Short-term international visitors must download the app and activate it upon arrival in Singapore. Visitors can purchase local tourist SIM cars at Changi Airport. TraceTogether tokens can be rented for children between the ages of 7 and 12 or for those with disabilities.
In case of close contact with a confirmed case, you will receive a health alert via SMS. This means that you will need to take the COVID-19 test.
Vaccination status for access to public places
Anyone over 12 years of age must be recognized as fully vaccinated (according to the Singaporean government's definition of a fully vaccinated person) to access most public places in Singapore.
Not fully vaccinated visitors will not be allowed to enter shopping centers or access many public attractions, even to dine in restaurants.
Quarantine and home recovery
In case of being tested positive for COVID-19, you will need to be isolated at your hotel or any other temporary accommodation in Singapore. More details on what to do depend on your health condition.
Travel Insurance
All short-term visitors who wish to enter Singapore via the Reciprocal Green Lanes (RGLs), Air Travel Pass (ATP), or Vaccinated Travel Lane (Air) must purchase travel insurance covering the potential COVID-19-related treatment cost. The minimum coverage is $30,000. Travel insurance is mandatory for all international travelers, regardless of their recovery or vaccination status.
Travelers to Singapore should purchase travel insurance before their trip. An electronic or physical copy of the insurance will be checked upon entering Singapore.
Singapore citizens or permanent residents are exempt from the travel insurance requirement since they can access government medical programs to pay for the potential coronavirus treatment after their return to the country.
