Singapore Continues With Cautious, Progressive Borders Reopening

Extends Vaccinated Travel Lane to More Countries

            Singapore will continue with the cautious, progressive reopening of its borders and extend the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) to more countries. Travellers from Indonesia may enter Singapore under the VTL from 29 November 2021. Travellers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may enter Singapore under the VTL from 6 December 2021. We also intend to launch a VTL for India for entry into Singapore from 29 November 2021.

2          The VTL started on 8 September 2021 with two countries, Brunei Darussalam and Germany. With the latest extension, the total number of VTL countries will increase from 16 to 21. The step-by-step extension of the VTL allows the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to revive air travel safely without compromising public health and to reclaim and rebuild Singapore’s status as an international aviation hub with global connectivity.

3          Under the VTL, fully vaccinated travellers from VTL countries may enter Singapore without quarantine and just need to undergo COVID-19 testing. Children aged 12 years and below who are not vaccinated will be allowed to travel under the VTL into Singapore if they are accompanied by a VTL traveller who meets all VTL requirements.

4          The conditions for the VTLs for Indonesia, India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE – as well as for Finland and Sweden, which were announced previously – are the same as those for existing VTLs. These conditions are for entry into Singapore only; travellers are advised to check the entry requirements of the respective VTL countries which may vary across countries and may change as the COVID-19 situation evolves. The CAAS, in consultation with Ministry of Health (MOH), is likewise monitoring the global COVID-19 situation and the situation in each VTL country closely and may adjust our settings when the situation changes.

5          As earlier announced, the CAAS will launch the VTL for Malaysia from 29 November 2021 and will open for Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP) application from 22 November 2021. CAAS will provide more details on the VTL for Malaysia nearer the end of the week.

Extension of the VTL

6          The successful implementation of the VTL without compromising public health has given CAAS the confidence to extend the scheme to more countries. Indonesia, India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are in Category II of MOH’s Country/Region Classification for Border Measures; they have similar or lower COVID-19 incidence rates than Singapore and the other VTL countries. We are opening to them with safeguards, including proof of vaccination and testing. We will also manage the numbers through the VTL quota.  We will increase the VTL quota for all VTL countries from 6,000 to 10,000 travellers daily.

Update on the VTL

7          Since 8 September 2021, Singapore has established VTLs with 13 countries – Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. As at 14 November 2021, 2359 hours, CAAS has issued 45,830 VTPs for travellers from these countries for entry into Singapore between 8 September 2021 and 19 January 2022 (see Annex A for breakdown). Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents and children aged 12 years and below do not need to apply for a VTP to enter Singapore under the VTL scheme. As at 14 November 2021, 2359 hours, 24,070 VTL travellers have entered Singapore. These VTL travellers comprise a) 13,274 VTP holders who are short-term visitors or long-term pass holders; b) 9,595 Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents; and c) 1,201 children aged 12 years and below. 

VTL Requirements

8          All travellers entering Singapore under the VTL must comply with the prevailing VTL requirements listed below. The requirements for entry into Singapore under the VTL scheme will apply to all countries which we have already launched a VTL with, Finland and Sweden, as well as Indonesia, India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

(i) Travel History

VTL travellers must have remained only in one or more of the VTL countries, or a country/region in Category I of MOH’s Country/Region Classification for Border Measures[1] in the last 14 consecutive days prior to departure to Singapore. If the traveller has been in Singapore within those last 14 days, his/her stay in Singapore can be counted towards fulfilling this 14-day travel history requirement.

(ii) Testing

All VTL travellers must take two COVID-19 tests:

• A pre-departure test, which must be a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test or a professionally-administered Antigen Rapid Test (ART)[2], within two days[3] before departing for Singapore and obtain a negative test result.

VTL travellers, who have travelled overseas and have taken an on-arrival COVID-19 PCR test do not need to take another COVID-19 PCR test before returning to Singapore if the on-arrival test was taken 2 days from the time of departure for Singapore[4].

• An on-arrival PCR test at Changi Airport and remain self-isolated until their test result is confirmed to be negative.

Children aged 2 years and below in the calendar year[5] are not required to undergo these tests.

(iii) Vaccination

Vaccination is a key safeguard of the VTL for safe travel without compromising public health.

All VTL travellers must have been fully vaccinated[6] and present a digital proof of vaccination that is recognised by the Singapore authorities[7], issued in any VTL country[8]  or Singapore. This is necessary to guard against forgery and verify that the certificate is issued by a trusted issuer and belongs to the VTL traveller.

Children aged 12 years and below in the calendar year[9] are not required to present a proof of vaccination to enter Singapore under the VTL if they are accompanied by a VTL traveller who meets all VTL requirements for entry into Singapore.

To facilitate a smooth arrival process in Singapore, all VTL travellers are strongly encouraged to submit their health declaration via the SG Arrival Card e-service[10] prior to departure for Singapore. Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who are not vaccinated in Singapore are strongly encouraged to also submit their overseas vaccination certificate in their health declaration as part of the SG Arrival Card submission. Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who are vaccinated in Singapore are not required to submit their vaccination certificates as their vaccination records are already captured in the Singapore MOH database. Long-term pass holders and short-term visitors who are required to apply for a VTP are also not required to upload their vaccination certificates as part of the SG Arrival Card submission, as their vaccination certificates will be verified as part of the VTP application.

(iv) Designated VTL Flights

Travellers who are travelling to Singapore under the VTL must travel into Singapore on designated VTL flights. They may transit via another VTL country to take a designated VTL flight into Singapore[11].

Additional Requirements for Short-Term Visitors and Long-Term Pass Holders

9          Short-term visitors and long-term pass holders will need to apply for a VTP to enter Singapore under the VTL. Fully vaccinated Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents and children aged 12 and below do not need to apply for a VTP to enter Singapore under the VTL. There will be no restrictions on the purpose of travel under the VTL arrangement and no requirement for a controlled itinerary or sponsor.

10        Application for the VTPs will open on the following dates/time for fully vaccinated travellers from:

11        Short-term visitors who require a visa for travel to Singapore must separately obtain a visa. They are advised to do so after receiving their VTP approval and before departing for Singapore. They must also purchase travel insurance, with a minimum coverage of S$30,000 for COVID-19-related medical treatment and hospitalisation costs, prior to travel to Singapore. These visitors must also use the TraceTogether app in Singapore to facilitate contact tracing.

12        More details on the VTL requirements into Singapore can be found in Annex B and at https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg. Applicants who need assistance with the VTP applications can write to the Safe Travel Office through its enquiry form at https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/contact-us or call the SafeTravel Enquiries helpline at +65 6812 5555 for assistance.

Safeguarding Public Health

13        To safeguard public health in Singapore, all travellers entering Singapore must comply with the prevailing health and safe distancing measures in Singapore.

14        As the global COVID-19 situation evolves, we will continue to adjust our border measures with the appropriate safeguards to ensure public health and safety. This will enable us to transition safely and confidently towards a COVID-19 resilient nation.

Annex A: Number of Vaccinated Travel Passes (VTPs) Issued by Country

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