Visa policy of Singapore

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Singaporean entry stamp

The visa policy of Singapore deals with the requirements to enter Singapore. A foreign national depending on their country of origin must meet certain requirements to obtain a visa, which is a permit to travel, to enter and remain in the country. A visa may also entitle the visa holder to other privileges, such as a right to work, study, etc. and may be subject to conditions.^[1]

A citizen of one of the visa waiver eligible countries and territories can temporarily enter the country for a period of 30 or 90 days without a visa depending on their nationality; however some visitors must first obtain a visa in advance before being allowed to enter Singapore if they wish to stay for a longer period of time.^[1][2] Countries whose citizens require a visa to enter Singapore are categorized into countries eligible to apply for an electronic visa and countries whose citizens need a visa in advance.

In recent years, applications of visitor visas, work permits, study permits and certain types of permanent residency are submitted online. However, such applicants must provide their biometrics (photograph and fingerprints) as a part of their application process. Depending on the country by which the passport was issued, a visa application may have to be submitted at a visa application centre at a Singaporean diplomatic mission.^[1]

Entry requirements[]

All visitors to Singapore must:

• hold a passport or a travel document valid for more than 6 months at the time of departure,^[3]
• hold an onward or return ticket;^[3]
• have sufficient funds for the duration of stay in Singapore;^[3]
• have submitted an electronic SG Arrival Card^[4] online (while abroad) or at various electronic booths at the port of entry;^[5] it is advised that the SG Arrival Card is submitted while abroad, to avoid unnecessary queues at the point of entry.
• have entry documents (including a visa if required) to their next destination (if applicable);^[3]
• have a visa and/or a yellow fever vaccination certificate for entry into Singapore (if applicable).^[3]

Visa policy map[]

  Republic of Singapore

  Visa-free (90 days)

  Visa-free (30 days)

  Visa required
       • e-Visa (through local contact or authorised agent)
       • traditional Visa (without local contact or authorised agent)

Visa-free[]

Citizens of countries not in the Assessment Level I or Assessment Level II lists are allowed a maximum stay of either 30 or 90 days in Singapore without a visa, depending on nationality.^[2]

Visa required[]

Singapore categorises countries whose citizens require a visa to enter into two groups – Assessment Level I and Assessment Level II countries.

Assessment Level I Countries[]

Holders of normal passports or travel documents issued by the following countries and territories may obtain an e-visa from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA)'s online portal through a local Singaporean contact or a strategic partner in Singapore; if successful, the applicant can enter Singapore with a printout of the e-visa. Applicants may alternatively obtain a visa at the nearest Singaporean diplomatic mission or from one of its authorized visa agents outside Singapore. e-Visa and regular visa applications lodged by nationals of Assessment Level I countries are processed in 1 working day, excluding the day the application was submitted. Visa requirement does not apply to holders of non-ordinary passports of these countries with the exception of North Korea.^[1][2]

• Holders of Hong Kong Document of Identity for Visa Purposes^[7]
• Holders of Macao Special Administrative Region Travel Permit

Assessment Level II Countries[]

Singapore visa vignette issued to a stateless person

Holders of all passports (except some non-ordinary passports mentioned below) or travel documents issued by the following countries and territories may obtain an e-visa from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA)'s online portal through a local Singaporean contact or a strategic partner in Singapore; if successful, the applicant can enter Singapore with a printout of the e-visa. Applicants may alternatively obtain a visa at the nearest Singaporean diplomatic mission or from one of its authorized visa agents outside Singapore. e-Visa and regular visa applications lodged by nationals of Assessment Level II countries are processed in 3 working days, excluding the day the application was submitted.^[1][2]

• Holders of temporary passports issued by the  United Arab Emirates
• Holders of refugee travel documents issued by any Middle-East country
• Stateless persons (a holder of an alien's passport, such as certificate of identity and refugee travel document, is considered as stateless by ICA, regardless of the nationality appearing on the holder's travel document)

Non-ordinary passports[]

Of the non-ordinary passport holders of Assessment Level II countries, visa requirement does not apply to holders of diplomatic or official/service passports of Bangladesh, Jordan, Tunisia and of diplomatic passports of Saudi Arabia and Morocco.^[1]

Frequent Traveller Programme[]

The Frequent Traveller Programme allows eligible travellers to enjoy convenient immigration clearance via automated clearance facilities – also known as the enhanced-Immigration Automated Clearance System (eIACS) – at some Singapore Checkpoints.^[8]

To enroll in the programme, the traveller must have visited Singapore at least 2 times previously within the last 24 months.^[8] Enrolling into the programme is free of charge.^[8]

Holders of passports issued by the following countries are allowed to enroll into the Frequent Traveller Programme:^[8]

_{a - Only British citizens are eligible for enrollment.}

APEC Business Travel Card[]

Holders of passports issued by the following countries who also possess an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) containing the "SGP" code on the reverse, which indicates that it is valid for travel to Singapore, can enter Singapore without a visa for business trips for up to 60 days, unless otherwise stated.^[2] They are also eligible for enrollment into the Frequent Traveller Programme.

ABTCs are issued to nationals of:^[9]

Visa-free transit[]

Nationals of Assessment Level I and II countries do not require a visa to transit through Singapore Changi Airport as long as they fulfill the following requirements:^[10]

• have an onward ticket,
• remain in the transit area,
• have their luggage checked to their final destination,
• do not clear immigration to enter Singapore, and,
• are not travelling on a low-cost airline (except for passengers travelling on Scoot with Scoot-thru, or Jetstar with connecting flights purchased on the same booking).

Nationals of certain Assessment Level I countries may enter Singapore under the Visa Free Transit Facility.

Visa Free Transit Facility (VFTF)[]

Nationals of India or China[]

Nationals of  China and  India may enter Singapore without a visa for 96 hours if they are in transit to or from any third country by air, when possessing a valid visa or long-term residence permit with validity of at least one month issued by Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom or United States.^[11]

Single journey visas issued by these eight countries are also acceptable for transit, but if using the VFTF on the return journey (i.e. after the single journey visa has been used) the traveller must travel directly from the visa-issuing country and directly back to the home country, and the traveller must have not returned to their home country since the single journey visa was last used.

They may enter Singapore by any mode of transport but must depart by air or sea.^[11] They must have a valid onward air/ferry/cruise ticket departing Singapore within 96 hours.^[11]

Nationals of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Georgia, Turkmenistan and Ukraine[]

Nationals of the following countries may enter Singapore without a visa for 96 hours if they are in transit to or from any third country. These nationals may use the VFTF on both the forward and the return journey. They may enter Singapore by any mode of transport but must depart by air.^[11]

Mandatory yellow fever vaccination[]

All travellers, including Singapore residents, who arrive in Singapore from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission (listed below) require an International Certificate of Vaccination in order to enter Singapore.^[12] Failure to provide a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate, would result in the traveller being quarantined under Section 31 of the Infectious Disease Act, for a maximum of six days upon arrival in Singapore.^[12] Non-residents who object to the quarantine, will be denied entry and returned to his/her place of origin or last port of embarkation.^[12] The vaccination requirement is imposed by this country for protection against Yellow Fever since the principal mosquito vector Aedes aegypti is present in its territory.^[13][14]

SG Arrival Card[]

Prior to entering Singapore, all foreign visitors (including travellers enrolled in the Frequent Traveller Programme) are required to submit an SG Arrival Card online, which provides personal information, trip details and health declaration, to Singapore immigration.^[4]

The electronic SG Arrival Card must be submitted within three days prior to the date of arrival in Singapore, to avoid unnecessary delays during immigration clearance.^[4]

Foreign visitors can submit their personal information and trip details via an official link or via the "SG Arrival Card" mobile application from either the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).^[4]

The Electronic Arrival Card is free of charge. The Electronic Arrival Card is not a substitute for a visa.^[4]

The paper-based Disembarkation Card has been discontinued.^[5]

COVID-19 pandemic[]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all short-term visitors are not allowed to enter or transit through Singapore effective 23 March 2020, 2359 hours.^[1][2][15]

From 29 March 2020, 2359 hours, all Singapore long-term pass holders, as well as those granted in-principle approval for long-term passes, are required to obtain an entry approval from the relevant government agency (Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, Ministry of Education or Ministry of Manpower) before commencing their journey to Singapore. All travellers will need to submit a health and travel declaration online prior to arrival, and will be issued a 14-day stay home notice upon arrival.^[16]

Statistics[]

Most visitors arriving to Singapore on short-term basis were from the following countries of nationality:^[17]

Country or territory	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011
China	3,416,475	3,226,929	2,863,582	2,106,164	1,722,380	2,269,870	2,034,177	1,577,522
Indonesia	3,021,429	2,954,384	2,893,614	2,731,690	3,025,178	3,088,859	2,837,537	2,592,222
India	1,442,242	1,272,069	1,097,186	1,013,986	943,636	933,553	894,993	868,991
Malaysia[18]	1,253,992	1,168,356	1,151,480	1,171,077	1,233,035	1,280,942	1,231,686	1,140,935
Australia	1,107,215	1,081,987	1,027,309	1,043,568	1,074,878	1,125,179	1,050,373	956,039
Japan	829,664	792,813	783,721	789,179	824,741	832,845	757,116	656,417
Philippines	778,135	736,456	691,555	673,374	676,481	687,794	656,804	677,723
United States	643,162	565,250	516,276	499,509	484,912	491,946	477,213	440,576
South Korea	629,451	631,359	566,503	577,082	536,975	471,768	445,184	414,879
Vietnam	591,600	531,359	469,409	418,266	424,408	380,495	366,234	332,231
United Kingdom	588,863	518,903	489,205	473,810	451,931	461,459	446,497	442,611
Thailand	545,601	531,307	546,384	516,409	506,509	497,409	477,654	472,708
Hong Kong	473,113	465,769	537,964	609,888	631,029	539,810	472,167	464,375
Taiwan	422,935	395,549	394,173	378,026	337,431	350,308	282,203	238,488
Germany	356,797	342,336	328,762	286,732	263,513	251,560	252,433	219,952
Total	18,506,619	17,422,826	16,402,593	15,231,469	15,095,152	15,567,923	14,496,091	13,171,303

See also[]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Singapore.

• Visa requirements for Singaporean citizens

References[]

External links[]

• Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
• List of Singapore Embassies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore