Know before you go: Singapore

Quick answer: Most visitors from major regions (US, UK, EU, Australia, and others) can enter Singapore visa-free for 30 to 90 days, but everyone must complete the free SG Arrival Card online before landing; the island runs on a fast, cashless MRT and bus network, uses the Singapore Dollar, and is safe and easy to navigate year-round, with February to April offering the driest weather.

Visa & entry

Most Western visitors do not need a visa for Singapore, with visa-free stays of up to 90 days for many nationalities, and citizens of the US, UK, EU, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, and 60+ other countries can enter visa-free for 30 to 90 days. Certain nationalities do require a visa in advance; for example, travellers from countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, and several others require a visa to enter Singapore (note that a specific mutual arrangement now applies to some of these, so always check your own passport).

Whatever your nationality, you must also submit the SG Arrival Card (SGAC), a separate digital declaration that is not a visa. You are required to submit the SGAC within three days, including the day of arrival, before arrival in Singapore, and doing so helps avoid unnecessary delays during immigration clearance upon arrival. This is done for free only through the official ICA e-Service or MyICA app; the only free, official ways to submit the SGAC are the ICA e-Service and the MyICA app, and if a site asks you to pay, it isn’t ICA.

A few general entry rules apply to everyone: all travellers, regardless of age, must hold a valid individually-issued travel document, and all travellers except Singapore passport holders must ensure their passport has a minimum validity of six months. Even with a valid visa or visa-free eligibility, a Singapore entry visa is not an immigration pass; it is pre-entry permission to travel to and seek entry into Singapore, and the actual immigration pass is granted by ICA officers at the point of entry. Officers retain discretion over admission, so carry proof of onward travel, accommodation, and sufficient funds.

Because visa rules change, always confirm your specific requirement directly on the ICA website before booking flights, using the official visa checker rather than third-party blogs.

Getting around

Singapore’s public transport is famously efficient, and you generally will not need to buy a local transit card at all. Any contactless Visa, Mastercard, or American Express card, physical or in Apple Pay or Google Pay, works directly at the gantry at the same fare as a stored-value card, with no need to buy a card or top anything up. The catch is that foreign-issued cards incur a small admin fee, roughly S$0.60 per day of travel.

If you prefer a physical card, standard EZ-Link cards are sold at 7-Eleven and Cheers convenience stores in addition to SimplyGo ticket offices and station kiosks. For heavy sightseeing days, the Singapore Tourist Pass is worth considering: it offers tourists unlimited public transport travel on Singapore’s basic bus services, MRT and LRT trains within the validity period, though it excludes rides on premium services such as the Sentosa Express, RWS8, Night Owl, NightRider, Chinatown Direct, express buses, and other premium and niche services. Note also that usage of the 2-day or 3-day card must be on consecutive days.

Fares themselves are low: adult card fares range from S$1.28 for short trips up to S$2.57 for the longest cross-island journeys, with cash fares costing S$0.22 more per trip, and these rates took effect in late December 2025. Trains run roughly from 5:30am to midnight, and there are no more paper single tickets; everything runs through cards or contactless payment. Taxis and ride-hailing apps such as Grab are widely available and metered or app-priced; both are reliable supplements to the rail network, especially late at night.

Luggage storage

Public luggage lockers are not a feature of Singapore’s train network or city streets. Away from the airport, short-term storage means asking a hotel, a shopping mall concierge or a private storage shop, and rates there are set by whoever is holding the bag.

At Changi Airport, Left Baggage counters run 24 hours a day in the public areas of Jewel Level 1, and in Terminals 2, 3 and 4, with further transit-area counters in Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4. Rates per 24 hours are S$6 for loose items, S$11 for small items under 10kg, S$16 for big or odd-sized items over 10kg and S$19 for extra-large items, all inclusive of GST. Items are inspected before they can be accepted, and flammable liquids, perishable goods and valuables such as jewellery or important documents are not permitted. A baggage delivery service is also available, taking bags from the storage counters to a hotel or other destination, charged per piece and by size.

Sources:

• Changi Airport: Secure Baggage Storage Services

Money & costs

Singapore’s currency is the Singapore Dollar (SGD, S$). The country is highly cashless: businesses accept Singapore Dollars, and foreign currencies are rarely accepted outside selected hotels and exchange counters, while Apple Pay is widely accepted throughout Singapore and Google Pay works at most businesses that accept contactless payments. Even so, it is wise to carry some cash: hawker centres and small neighbourhood shops still frequently require cash or local QR-code payments that may not be accessible to foreign bank apps, so keeping roughly S$50 to S$100 in small notes for a short trip is sensible.

Goods and services carry a consumption tax: Singapore’s GST rate is 9%, effective from 1 January 2024, applying to all standard-rated supplies of goods and services. Dining out, watch for ”++” pricing: restaurants typically add a 10 percent service charge automatically, plus 9 percent GST, and the ”++” on a menu price means service plus GST will be added. Tipping itself is not customary: tipping is optional in Singapore, though a small extra is appreciated for good service; in restaurants, 10 percent on the bill is common only for exceptional service, since the service charge already covers it. For taxis, riders usually round up to a convenient amount rather than tipping a set percentage.

For changing money, Singapore has many licensed money changers offering competitive rates, found in shopping arcades and along main tourist belts, generally offering better rates than airport counters or hotels.

Best time to visit

Singapore sits near the equator, so daytime highs hover between 30°C and 33°C regardless of the month, and nights rarely drop below 24°C; what changes through the year is rainfall rather than temperature. The Northeast Monsoon from November to January is the wettest period, with December statistically the wettest month, averaging around 330mm of rainfall over roughly 19 rain days, concentrated in the afternoon and evening. A second, gentler wet season runs mid-year: the Southwest Monsoon from June to September is a lighter monsoon bringing shorter, more predictable afternoon showers, with generally dry mornings, though it can occasionally bring regional haze from agricultural burning, particularly in June and July.

For the most reliable weather, aim for the start of the year: the consensus among weather data, travel advisories, and experienced visitors is that February to April is the optimal period to visit Singapore, sitting within the drier phase between monsoons. Whenever you go, pack for heat and sudden showers alike, since brief downpours can occur even in the “dry” months. Be aware that prices and crowds spike around Chinese New Year, the June school holidays, the Formula 1 night race, and the December holidays, so booking accommodation early around these dates is worthwhile.

Emergencies & safety

Singapore has separate numbers for police and medical or fire emergencies. Call 999 for an urgent police response and 995 for fire, rescue, or an emergency ambulance. Both lines are free and staffed around the clock: both 995 and 999 operate 24/7 and are free to call. For situations where speaking aloud is unsafe, SMS 70999 is for a police emergency when it is unsafe to speak or the caller cannot speak, and SCDF’s separate Emergency SMS number is 70995.

Keep 995 reserved for genuine emergencies: 999 should only be used for crimes requiring immediate police intervention, and non-urgent ambulance needs have their own line, though this is changing soon: SCDF states that the 1777 non-emergency ambulance hotline will cease on 1 January 2027, pointing non-emergency medical advice to NurseFirst at 6262 6262. For non-urgent police matters, citizens may use the SPF hotline (1800-255-0000) instead of emergency lines.

Singapore is widely regarded as one of the safest cities in the world for visitors, with low street crime, strict law enforcement, and efficient emergency response. Save the numbers above in your phone before you land, and note that the international dialing code for Singapore is +65, though you cannot dial toll-free numbers starting with 1800 or emergency numbers like 995 or 999 from outside the country.

Official sources

• ICA: Entering Singapore (entry & visa requirements)
• ICA: Check if You Need an Entry Visa
• ICA: SG Arrival Card (SGAC) e-Service
• Land Transport Authority (LTA) / SimplyGo
• Visit Singapore (Singapore Tourism Board)
• Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)
• Singapore Police Force (SPF)
• Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS): GST rates