Visa policy of Singapore
Visitors to Singapore can either enter the country without a visa or in some cases they must first obtain a visa. Citizens of almost 80% of the world's countries may travel to Singapore for a period of 30 days or 90 days without a visa, depending on their nationality.[1][2] Countries requiring visas are categorized into countries eligible to apply for an electronic visa and countries whose citizens need a visa vignette.
All visitors to Singapore must:[3]
- hold a passport or a travel document valid for more than 6 months at the time of departure,
- hold an onward or return ticket,
- have sufficient funds to stay in Singapore,
- have entry documents (including a visa) to their next destination, if required,
- have a completed Disembarkation/Embarkation Card, and,
- have a visa and/or a yellow fever vaccination certificate for entry into Singapore (if applicable).
Visa policy map
Visa-free
Citizens of all countries not included in Assessment Level I and Assessment Level II lists are allowed a maximum stay of 30 days without a visa in Singapore, except the holders of the following passports who are allowed to stay for 90 days:[2]
1 - Visa-free entry for British passport holders without proof of right of abode in the United Kingdom are shortened to 30 days.
Visa required
Singapore groups visa requiring nationals 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 a visa online through a local Singaporean contact or a strategic partner in Singapore, or at the nearest Singaporean diplomatic mission or one of its authorized visa agents outside Singapore. Visa will normally be issued in 1 working day, and the applicant can travel with a printout of the e-visa. Visa requirement does not apply to holders of non-ordinary passports of these countries.[2][4]
- Holders of Hong Kong Document of Identity for Visa Purposes
- Holders of Macao Special Administrative Region Travel Permit
Assessment Level II Countries
Citizens of the following countries must obtain a visa in advance. They may apply for a visa through a local Singaporean contact or a strategic partner in Singapore, or at the nearest Singaporean diplomatic mission or one of its authorized visa agents outside Singapore. Visa will normally be issued in 3 working days, and a visa vignette is affixed on the applicant's passport.[5][2]
- Holders of temporary passports issued by the United Arab Emirates
- Holders of Refugee travel documents issued by Middle-East countries
Entry ban
Admission is refused to holders of passports issued by Kosovo.[7]
Non-ordinary passports
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.
APEC Business Travel Card
Holders of passports issued by the following countries who possess an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) containing the "SGP" code on the reverse that it is valid for travel to Singapore can enter visa-freef or business trips for up to 60 days.[2]
ABTCs are issued to nationals of:[8]
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:[9]
- have an onward ticket,
- remain in the transit area,
- have their luggages 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 and passengers traveling on Tigerair with Tigerconnect).
Nationals of certain countries may enter Singapore under the Visa Free Transit Facility.
Visa Free Transit Facility (VFTF)
Nationals of India
Nationals of 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, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, Germany or Switzerland.
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 they must have not returned to their home country since the single journey visa was last utilised.
Nationals of India are only allowed to utilise the VFTF once in their itinerary (either on the forward or the return journey but not both). They must also enter and depart by air.[1]
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 utilise the VFTF on both the forward and the return journey. They may enter Singapore by any mode of transport but must depart by air.[1]
Mandatory yellow fever vaccination
Nationals of the following countries or nationals arriving from the following countries require an International Certificate of Vaccination in order to enter Singapore. The vaccination for yellow fever is considered valid 10 days after vaccination. The certificate is for a period of 10 years. Failure to fulfill this requirement could result in refusal of entry into Singapore.[3]
Statistics
Most visitors arriving to Singapore on short term basis were from the following countries of nationality:[10]
Country or territory | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Indonesia | 2,731,690 | 3,025,178 | 3,088,859 | 2,837,537 | 2,592,222 |
China | 2,106,164 | 1,722,380 | 2,269,870 | 2,034,177 | 1,577,522 |
Malaysia[11] | 1,171,077 | 1,233,035 | 1,280,942 | 1,231,686 | 1,140,935 |
Australia | 1,043,568 | 1,074,878 | 1,125,179 | 1,050,373 | 956,039 |
India | 1,013,986 | 943,636 | 933,553 | 894,993 | 868,991 |
Japan | 789,179 | 824,741 | 832,845 | 757,116 | 656,417 |
Philippines | 673,374 | 676,481 | 687,794 | 656,804 | 677,723 |
Hong Kong | 609,888 | 631,029 | 539,810 | 472,167 | 464,375 |
South Korea | 577,082 | 536,975 | 471,768 | 445,184 | 414,879 |
Thailand | 516,409 | 506,509 | 497,409 | 477,654 | 472,708 |
United States | 499,509 | 484,912 | 491,946 | 477,213 | 440,576 |
United Kingdom | 473,810 | 451,931 | 461,459 | 446,497 | 442,611 |
Vietnam | 418,266 | 424,408 | 380,495 | 366,234 | 332,231 |
Taiwan | 378,026 | 337,431 | 350,308 | 282,203 | 238,488 |
Germany | 286,732 | 263,513 | 251,560 | 252,433 | 219,952 |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 "Visa Requirements". ICA. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Visa Information - Singapore". IATA. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- 1 2 "Entry Requirements". Retrieved 2016-05-04.
- ↑ "Nationals of Assessment Level I Countries/Regions". Retrieved 2016-05-04.
- ↑ "Nationals of Assessment Level II Countries/Regions". Retrieved 2016-05-04.
- ↑ Singapore to impose visa requirements on North Koreans from October
- ↑ Passport Information
- ↑ ABTC Summary
- ↑ Flight transfer
- ↑ "International Visitor Arrivals". Singapore Tourism Board. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
- ↑ Excludes Malaysian citizens arriving by land.
External links
- Singaporean Visa Information, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
- List of Singapore Embassies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore