Visa
Guide On How To Apply For Singapore Visa
This page describes how to apply for a Singapore visa. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers verify Singapore visa holders at Singaporean entrance points. The ICA determines if the visitor meets entrance requirements. Apply for a Singapore visa 30 days before you visit. Since the Singapore visa involves pre-entry approval, you may not be allowed to enter.
If you meet the entrance requirements, you’ll receive a Pass that lets you enter Singapore and stay for the specified time. A Singapore tourist visa comes with a Visit Pass, normally good for 30 days within 90 days.
- Do I Need to Apply for a Visa to Go to Singapore?
The vast majority of the world’s countries can enter Singapore without a visa. However, for those who require a visa, the application process has been streamlined. You can apply online at any time since Singapore established the e-Visa.
The nations whose citizens require a Singapore visa have been divided into two categories. Assessment Level I Countries and Assessment Level II Countries. Part of the application process and visa processing time are determined by your country’s level.
- How to Submit a Singapore Visa Application?
Countries from either assessment level can apply for a Singapore at one of the following:
- Online, through a local Singaporean contact or a strategic partner, using ICA’s e-Service.
- At a Singaporean diplomatic mission.
Even when you fill out a visa application form and assemble your documents, you cannot apply for a Singapore visa yourself. An authorized visa agent, strategic partner, or local contact in Singapore must submit your Singapore visa application.
The Singaporean government authorizes travel agencies and strategic partners to apply for visas. SAVE (Submission of Application for Visa Electronically) on ICA’s website lets them apply for you.
Ask your nearest Singaporean mission how to contact a strategic partner. A Singapore local contact is a citizen or permanent resident you trust to register on SingPass and submit an application for you. They must be 21+. You must contact a Singaporean diplomatic mission about their requirements and application process. You will also have to pay a Singapore visa processing fee.
Collect the required documents
The requirements for a Singapore Visa application are:
- Completed Singapore Visa application form. You have to answer questions regarding your personal information, marital status, where in Singapore you will be staying, your address in your home country, the purpose of your visit, your intended stay, and so on. You must sign the document yourself. When you arrive at the entry port in Singapore, the ICU could ask you to submit it.
- Your passport/travel document. It has to be valid for at least six months after your visa expires.
- Photocopy of your passport’s bio-data. It has to be in an A4 format.
- Photocopy of booked airline ticket or travel itinerary. A4 format.
- Passport-size picture of yourself. It must have been taken in the last three months, have a white background, and show you facing forward with a neutral expression. You are not permitted to have headgear unless it is for religious reasons. Even so, the headgear cannot obstruct the face.
- Letter of Introduction. This document must be signed by your local contact or strategic partner and be attached to your application. It asks your contact/partner in Singapore to provide your personal information, the reason you want to visit Singapore, how long you will stay, as well as the relationship between you and them.
- A credit card. You will use the card to pay for the Singapore visa processing fee. The card must be a VISA or MasterCard.
- Yellow Fever Vaccination (If applicable). If you have been to the countries on the table below six days before traveling to Singapore, you will need to show the ICA officers at the entry point that an International Certificate of Vaccination for yellow fever.
List of countries that need to show proof of Yellow Fever vaccination
- Angola
- Central African Republic
- Ethiopia
- Kenya
- Sierra Leone
- Argentina
- Chad
- Guinea
- Liberia
- South Sudan
- Benin
- Republic of the Congo
- Guyana
- Mali
- Sudan
- Burkina Faso
- Ivory Coast
- Gabon
- Mauritania
- Suriname
- Burundi
- Colombia
- Gambia
- Niger
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Cameroon
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Ghana
- Nigeria
- Togo
- Bolivia
- Ecuador
- Guinea
- Peru
- Uganda
- Brazil
- Equatorial Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Senegal
After you Receive your Singapore Visa
- Once you have received your Singapore visa, you or your companion can print a paper copy of the e-Visa.
- If you are from an Assessment Level I country, your Singapore visa will typically take one day to process.
- If you come from an Assessment Level II country, your visa will be processed within three days.
- In both circumstances, certain applications may take longer to process than others.
- After acquiring your visa, you can travel to Singapore, where Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) personnel will evaluate whether you are permitted to enter and will issue you a Pass.
Singapore Tourist Visa
If you want to visit Singapore for tourism, you must first apply for a Singapore tourist visa. The tourist visa application process in Singapore is as stated above.
When you arrive at the immigration checkpoint, officials will issue you an entrance Pass if they believe you are eligible for entrance. The Singapore tourist visa entry pass is known as a Visit Pass, and it is good for 14 to 30 days. If you overstay your visa, you will face penalties, so make careful not to do so.
If you want to stay for longer than the allowed period, you must apply for a Singapore tourist visa extension before your existing visa expires. Visa extension applications can be submitted online on the ICA’s website or in person at their Singapore offices. If you enter Singapore on a tourist visa, you are not permitted to work in any paid capacity.
What is the Difference Between Multiple and Single Journey Visa?
- The Single Journey Visa can only be used once. After you leave Singapore, you cannot travel to Singapore with that visa again, even if you still have remaining days.
- The Multiple Journey Visa can be used multiple times for as long as it is valid.
Types of Visas and Passes for Singapore
As previously stated, Singapore visas only allow the holder to travel to Singapore, not enter. While there are just two categories of Singapore visas: multiple and single journey visas, there are several sorts of passes.
- Short Term Visit Pass – which allows the holder to enter Singapore with the purpose of a short social visit, for tourism, or medical reasons.
- Work Passes and Permits – This is what would otherwise be called a Singapore work visa. The holder of a work permit or employment pass can legally take up work in Singapore.
- Dependent’s Pass – available to the family members of Employment Pass. It allows the holder to remain in Singapore for as long as the EP holder does.
- Long-Stay Visit Pass – available to the family members of EP holders who do not qualify for the Dependent Pass.
- Student Pass – This is the Singapore student visa, available to foreign students who want to pursue higher education in Singapore.
- Visa-Free Transit Facility – a Singapore transit visa available only to nationals from certain countries. It allows them to leave the transit area of the airport and stay in Singapore for up to 96 hours while they wait for a connecting flight.
What is eIACS?
If your passport is machine-readable (biometric) and fulfills ICAO rules, you may be qualified for Singapore’s enhanced-Immigration Automated Clearance System (eIACS). eIACS allows you to complete immigration inspections at ICA more quickly.
To qualify for eIACS, you must hold an ICAO passport and meet one of the following requirements:
- Be a Singapore citizen, permanent resident or Long-Term Pass card holder. You must be over six years of age and have your fingerprints registered with the ICA.
- Have a Singaporean S Pass, Employment Pass, Dependant’s Pass or Work Permit and have your fingerprints registered with MOM (the Singaporean Ministry of Manpower).
- You are registered in ICA’s Frequent Traveller Programme (FTP).
- You are leaving Singapore and had registered your fingerprints on arrival.
- You can register and use eIACS at an eIACS Enrollment Center in Singapore, such as at the ICA Building or an eligible checkpoint (Changi Airport Terminal 3, Woodlands Checkpoint, or Tuas Checkpoint).
When you apply, your passport must still be valid for at least another six months.