Singapore: Authorities to reduce international travel rules from 23:59 Feb. 21, open vaccinated travel lanes with some locations from 10:00 Feb. 22 /update 62

Event

The government continues to adjust COVID-19 restrictions as of Feb. 17. Authorities will reduce various international travel protocols from 23:59 Feb. 21. There will be three international locations' categories, namely Category (I), Category (II/III/IV), and Restricted Category, in increasing order of strictness. Entrants from Category (I) or Category (II/III/IV) locations must obtain a negative result from either a professionally administered ART or a PCR test taken within 48 hours before departure. Arrivals from Restricted locations must obtain a negative result from a PCR test taken within 48 hours before departure. Entrants from Category (I) locations must undergo a supervised self-administered ART test within 24 hours after arrival and remain in self-isolation until the on-arrival test returns a negative result. Arrivals from other locations must serve a Stay-Home Notice (SHN) for seven days and take a PCR test at the end of the SHN; entrants from Category (II/III/IV) locations can opt to undergo SHN at their residence, while arrivals from Restricted locations must serve SHN at a designated facility. Officials will classify China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan under Category (I) and all other places under Category (II/III/IV); no location is under Restricted. Authorities will also decrease the travel history requirement from 14 to seven days. Detailed requirements can be found here.

Authorities will start accepting applications for vaccinated travel lanes (VTLs) with Hong Kong, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates and a sea VTL with Indonesia's Batam and Bintan islands from 10:00 Feb. 22. A VTL allows quarantine-free travel for fully vaccinated individuals from select locations. Officials will also start VTLs with Israel and the Philippines from 23:59 March 3.

Additionally, the government will ease household gathering restrictions from five unique visitors daily to five visitors at any one time from Feb. 25.

Domestic Measures
Up to five fully vaccinated people may dine-in at food establishments that conduct vaccination checks; the limit at establishments without necessary checks is two fully vaccinated people. Officials have barred unvaccinated people from dine-in services and facilities like malls and large standalone stores. Facemasks are mandatory in public.

Companies must allow employees to telecommute to the extent possible. Up to 50-percent of employees may work on-site in most sectors, but workers must be fully vaccinated or recently recovered from COVID-19; essential services can operate on-site with full staffing. Effective March 4, events with 1,000 or fewer people may occur without capacity limits, while programs with more than 1,000 people will be subject to a capacity limit of 50 percent of the venue size.

International Travel Restrictions
Citizens and permanent residents (PRs) can enter Singapore from any location without prior approval. Effective 23:59 Feb. 21, long-term pass holders (except work permit holders) will no longer need to obtain authorization to enter Singapore. Foreigners from most locations remain banned for short-term visits.

VTL arrangements are active with several international locations, including the UK and the US; the list of locations can be found here. Effective 23:59 Feb. 21, VTL entrants must present a negative result from a professionally administered ART or a PCR taken within two days before departure and undergo a supervised self-administered ART within 24 hours after arrival.

Short-term visitors from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan can apply for an Air Travel Pass (ATP) for all purposes as of Feb. 17, though the government will ban short-term visitors who have been in Hong Kong in the past one week from using an ATP effective 23:59 Feb. 24. Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) arrangements, which allow official and business travel, are in effect with Brunei, as well as Chongqing, Shanghai, and Tianjin municipalities and Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces in China. RGL visitors must have a local sponsor and a minimum of SGD 30,000 travel insurance, take a COVID-19 test within 72 hours before departure, undergo on-arrival testing and self-quarantine until receiving a negative result from the on-arrival test, and adhere to controlled itineraries for the first 14 days.

The Johor Causeway, which links Singapore to Malaysia, is open 07:00-19:00 daily. Singaporean citizens arriving from Malaysia by land can get tested upon arrival. Officials may deny entry to returning PRs without a negative PCR test result. Foreigners flying from select cities with several airlines, including SQ, TR, and MI, can transit via Singapore Changi Airport (SIN).

Advice

Consider postponing travel if affected by travel restrictions. Confirm flight status before checking out of accommodation and departing for the airport. Follow all official instructions. Abide by national health and safety measures. Reconfirm all travel arrangements. Consider delaying traveling if experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, as they may prompt increased scrutiny and delays. Liaise with trusted contacts for further updates and guidance. Maintain contact with your diplomatic representation. Ensure contingency plans account for further disruptive measures or extensions of current restrictions.

Resources

Ministry of Health Singapore
TraceTogether Mobile Application
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority
Safe Travel Portal
Air Vaccine Travel Lane Checklist
Air Travel Pass
Reciprocal Green Lanes