Singapore Reopens Borders to All Fully Vaccinated Travellers

Most COVID-19 travel measures to be removed for fully vaccinated travellers from 1 April 2022


             Singapore is taking a major step forward to restore air connectivity to the world, to rebuild and reclaim Singapore’s position as a premier air hub. Singapore will reopen its borders to all fully vaccinated[1] travellers from the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) General Travel Category countries/regions and will transition to a new Vaccinated Travel Framework from 1 April 2022.  

2.         Since September 2021, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has launched Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) to 32 countries/regions, progressively in a cautious and step-by-step manner. The VTL has served as an effective pathfinder to help us adjust and refine our protocols and to build public confidence in reopening our borders safely to vaccinated travellers. In the last six months, the VTL has helped many to reunite with family and friends abroad and in Singapore. As of 22 March 2022, 2359 hours, close to 585,000 travellers have entered Singapore through the VTLs.

Facilitating Safe and Seamless Travel

3.         Under the new Vaccinated Travel Framework, CAAS will allow all fully vaccinated travellers from any country or region to enter Singapore quarantine-free, as long as they have not visited any countries or regions on the MOH’s Restricted Category in the past seven days. There are currently no countries or regions on the Restricted Category.

4.         The new framework will facilitate a safe and seamless travel experience for Singapore residents and visitors to Singapore and restore the well-regarded Changi Experience.  

5.         With the move to the Vaccinated Travel Framework, all existing VTLs and Unilateral Opening (UO) arrangements[2] will be retired.

6.         CAAS will be easing cross-border measures to make air travel more convenient for travellers under the Vaccinated Travel Framework. These include:

a.      Entry Approval

Fully vaccinated travellers do not require any entry approvals to enter Singapore. This means that travellers will no longer be required to apply for a Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP) or Air Travel Pass (ATP) for entry into Singapore.

i.         Vaccinated Travel Pass. Travellers holding a valid VTP can continue to enter Singapore under the VTLs till 31 March 2022, 2359 hours (Singapore time). For entry into Singapore after 31 March 2022, 2359 hours (Singapore time), travellers will no longer be required to present their VTPs.

ii.         Air Travel Pass. Travellers with travel history to Macao, Mainland China and Taiwan holding a valid ATP can continue to enter Singapore under the UO arrangement till 31 March 2022, 2359 hours (Singapore time). Existing ATPs valid for entry after 31 March 2022, 2359 hours (Singapore time) will be rescinded.

b.      Testing

Fully vaccinated travellers will no longer need to take any COVID-19 tests in Singapore. However, they must take a pre-departure test (PDT) within two days[3] before departing for Singapore and obtain a negative test result. This PDT can be a Polymerase Chain Reaction test, a professionally-administered Antigen Rapid Test (ART)[4], or a self-administered ART that is remotely supervised by an ART provider in Singapore that provide such services[5]. MOH will continue to monitor the local and global COVID-19 situations and consider removing the PDT requirement in the coming weeks.

c.      Designated Flights and Quotas

Airlines no longer need to operate designated VTL flights into Singapore, and fully vaccinated travellers may now enter Singapore on any flight. Correspondingly, there will no longer be quotas applied on daily arrivals.

d.      Vaccination Status

All vaccination certificates, regardless of place of issuance and whether digitally verifiable or not, will be accepted as proof of vaccination. Children aged 12 years and below[6] are exempted from the vaccination requirement, in line with Singapore’s domestic measures. For more details on the vaccination requirements, please refer to https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/health/vtsg.

e.      Singapore Arrival Card

The existing SG Arrival Card (SGAC) will be streamlined and can be completed easily. There will be three sections on the SGAC:

i.         personal particulars;

ii.        vaccination status, including the submission of proof of vaccination for those who are vaccinated outside Singapore. Those vaccinated in Singapore do not need to upload their proof of vaccination[7];

iii.       health declaration.

Travellers are strongly encouraged to submit the SGAC before departure for Singapore to facilitate a smooth check-in and arrival process in Singapore, and minimising the manual document checks required. Travellers can present their SGAC acknowledgment email with any relevant supporting documentation as indicated therein, to airlines at check-in for their flight to Singapore. Travellers can submit the SGAC (https://eservices.ica.gov.sg/sgarrivalcard/) within three days before their arrival in Singapore.

f.        Additional Requirements for Short-Term Visitors

Foreign short-term visitors holding passports or travel documents issued by visa-required countries/regions must apply for an entry visa.

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 their travel to Singapore. These visitors must also use the TraceTogether app in Singapore to facilitate contact tracing.

Gearing up for higher travel volumes while maintaining our safeguards

7.         CAAS has been working with its aviation partners to prepare for this shift to the new Vaccinated Travel Framework. The airport community is gearing up for higher traffic volumes to ensure smooth and good traveller experience. In line with making travel more seamless and convenient for travellers, airport operations will also be streamlined and adjusted.

8.         Even as we transition to the new Vaccinated Travel Framework, we will preserve our capacity and capabilities to respond quickly if the COVID-19 situation changes and stand ready to adjust our border measures with the appropriate safeguards to ensure public health.

9.         For more details on the new Vaccinated Travel Framework, please refer to https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/arriving/general-travel/fully-vaccinated. Travellers who need assistance 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.

 

[1] Travellers are considered fully vaccinated only if they meet the following conditions at least 2 weeks before arrival in Singapore: (i) Received the full regime of World Health Organisation Emergency Use Listing (EUL) COVID-19 vaccines; and (ii) Meet the minimum dose interval period. Please refer to https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/health/vtsg for more information. 

[2] Apart from the 32 VTLs, Singapore currently has UO arrangements with Macao, Mainland China and Taiwan.

[3] To illustrate, if the pre-departure test is taken on 1 April 2022, it will be valid for boarding up to 3 April 2022, 2359 hours.

[4] The ART must be performed by trained professionals such as medical professionals and Government-recognised trained professionals.

[5] Please refer to https:/www.moh.gov.sg/licensing-and-regulation/regulations-guidelines-and-circulars/details/list-of-covid-19-swab-providers for more details on the remotely supervised self-administered ART, including the travellers and countries/regions that this applies.

[6] To illustrate, children born in or after 2010 entering Singapore in 2022 are exempted from the vaccination requirement.

[7] This includes travellers vaccinated in Singapore, those who have previously validated their overseas vaccination records via a serology test in Singapore and those whose vaccination certificates have been successfully verified on the Vaccination Check Portal. Travellers may use the Vaccination Check Portal (https://eservices.ica.gov.sg/STO1/VCP) to verify if their vaccination certificates can be digitally verified. This check is an optional step mainly for travellers’ assurance and planning purpose.

Travellers whose vaccination records are not captured in the Singapore MOH database may either upload the QR codes of their overseas vaccination certificates in the SGAC or present their physical vaccination certificates to airline check-in. If you are able to successfully upload the QR code of your vaccination certificate, you will be granted vaccination status lasting 180 days for the purpose of Singapore’s Vaccination-Differentiated Safe Management Measures (VDS). Otherwise, you will be granted vaccination status lasting 30 days for VDS. If you require your vaccination status beyond the temporary status granted, you will need to take a serology test. Please refer to https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/health/vtsg for more information. 

 

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