Know before you go: Singapore

Singapore’s immigration system centres on two separate things: your visa eligibility and the mandatory SG Arrival Card (SGAC). About 160 nationalities enter Singapore visa-free for 30 days, and a smaller set gets 90 days: Australia, the European Union member states, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The ICA officer sets your exact permitted length of stay when you clear the border. Nationals who do require a visa can sometimes use a short transit facility if eligible, though this is not a full visa waiver and is not guaranteed; Singapore does not offer a general visa on arrival for visa-required passports, so anyone who needs one must apply in advance.

Regardless of your passport, nearly all travellers must submit the SG Arrival Card before arriving. Most travellers must submit it within 3 days before arriving in Singapore, including the day of arrival, with narrow exemptions for transit passengers and residents entering via land checkpoints. It is a free form collecting your personal details, travel information, accommodation address, and a short health declaration, and it is not a visa. You can submit it only on the official ICA website or the MyICA app; ICA is aware of commercial entities and websites providing paid services for the submission of travellers’ SG Arrival Card, and submission should only be done via ICA’s official channels, so never pay a third party. Note that ICA has rolled out an updated form: a redesigned interface, available in 19 languages, became available for early access on the ICA website starting August 26, 2026. Also be aware that from 30 January 2026, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority has been issuing No-Boarding Directive notices to airline operators at Changi and Seletar Airports, and airlines may be required to perform additional checks, such as verification of visa or SGAC submission, before allowing a passenger to board, so complete your submission before heading to the airport.

On customs: carry a passport valid well beyond your stay and proof of onward travel. GST relief covers S$500 of goods after 48 hours away, or S$100 after less, with 9 per cent GST charged on the value above your relief. Alcohol has its own separate duty-free allowance of two litres, but only if you are 18 or over, have been away 48 hours or more, and are not arriving from Malaysia. Crucially, there is no duty-free allowance at all for cigarettes and other tobacco, for any traveller, from any origin. Singapore enforces strict drug laws, so never carry illegal substances.

Because rules and thresholds change, always confirm your specific nationality’s visa requirement and the current arrival-card process on the official ICA website before you fly.

Singapore’s public transport network (MRT, LRT and buses) is efficient, air-conditioned and cashless-ticket only; paper single tickets no longer exist. The simplest option for most short-term visitors is to tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard or Apple/Google Pay directly at gates, though a small daily admin fee applies to foreign-issued cards. If you plan to travel heavily, compare that against the Singapore Tourist Pass: the pass has a fixed cost per day, currently S$17 for a 1-Day Pass, S$24 for 2-Day, S$29 for 3-Day, S$37 for 4-Day and S$45 for 5-Day, giving unlimited rides on basic MRT, LRT and bus services, though premium services like the Sentosa Express and express buses are excluded. Note the pass is issued on a physical EZ-Link card and reverts to a regular EZ-Link card once the pass expires. As a rule of thumb, heavy travellers taking more than four to five rides a day get the best value from the Tourist Pass, while occasional riders are best off tapping a bank card.

Longer-stay visitors sometimes prefer a rechargeable EZ-Link card instead: the card costs S$10, inclusive of a S$5 non-refundable card cost and S$5 of travel value. Beyond trains and buses, metered taxis and ride-hailing apps such as Grab are widely available from the arrivals hall at Changi Airport, and the MRT’s East-West Line connects the airport directly into the city.

The official currency is the Singapore Dollar (SGD), symbolised as S$ or SGD. Singapore is highly cashless, with Apple Pay and Google Pay accepted at most contactless-ready businesses. That said, keep some local cash on hand, since hawker centres and small neighbourhood shops often require cash or local QR-code payments that foreign bank apps cannot access; a practical target is S$50 to S$100 in small denominations, using a card or phone for everything else.

Tipping is not part of local etiquette, and many restaurants already add a 10% service charge plus GST. Singapore has many licensed money changers offering competitive rates, and withdrawing cash from an ATM with a travel-friendly card is usually cheaper than using airport exchange counters. As for prices, hawker food is affordable but overall costs, especially accommodation, run high: a fast-food meal is roughly S$7 to S$10, and an average restaurant meal runs S$20 to S$40 per person.

Singapore has a low crime rate and a well-organised emergency response system. Police emergencies are 999, the Police Emergency SMS (for when it is unsafe to talk) is 70999, and SCDF Fire and Ambulance is 995; both operate 24/7 and are free to call, including from mobile phones without a local SIM. Be careful to use the right number for the right situation: SCDF charges $274 for each case it assesses as non-emergency but still conveys, to discourage misuse of the 995 emergency line. For non-emergency medical advice, the public can contact the NurseFirst helpline on 6262-6262, where trained nurses advise callers on care options. The old 1777 non-emergency ambulance hotline is being phased out: SCDF will cease the 1777 non-emergency ambulance hotline from 1 January 2027, after which non-emergency conveyance will be arranged directly with licensed private ambulance operators rather than through SCDF.

Healthcare in Singapore is of a very high standard but is not free for visitors, so travel insurance covering medical treatment is strongly recommended. Singapore enforces strict laws on drugs, littering, jaywalking and vaping, with penalties far stricter than in many home countries, so research local regulations before you arrive rather than assume Western norms apply.