By the WahLiao desk · Last verified 28 September 2026

The SG Arrival Card is a free online form that almost every traveller must submit before entering Singapore. You can file it in the three days before you arrive, counting the day of arrival itself, on the official ICA website or the MyICA Mobile app. It takes most foreign visitors five to seven minutes. It is not a visa.

The form is the easy part. The parts that actually stop people are older and duller: a passport with less than six months left, a visa nobody checked, a vape in the washbag. Since January 2026, Singapore can also tell your airline not to board you. So here is everything, in the order you will need it.

Singapore resident, or crossing into Malaysia? Your rules differ; see SG Arrival Card and Malaysia’s MDAC on The Escape.

SG Arrival Card: quick facts

Cost	Free, on official ICA channels only
When	Within three days before arrival, including the arrival day
Where	The ICA SG Arrival Card e-Service, or the MyICA Mobile app
Time to complete	About five to seven minutes for a foreign visitor
Who must file	All travellers, children included, arriving by air, sea or land
Who is exempt	Transit passengers who do not clear immigration; residents and long-term pass holders entering by land
What you receive	An acknowledgement email. Keep it on your phone
If you forget	You will be asked to file it at the checkpoint, then rejoin the queue

The WahLiao Verdict

Cost	Nothing, and about seven minutes.
What you get	A shorter, calmer arrival, and your e-Pass sent to the email you gave.
The alternative	Filling it in on your phone at immigration, then queuing twice.
Worth it for	Every visitor.
Skip it if	You are transiting through Changi without passing immigration.

When can I submit the SG Arrival Card?

The window opens three days before arrival, and the arrival day counts as one of the three. Landing on Saturday 3 October? You can submit from Thursday 1 October. Submit too early and the system will not accept it; wait until the window opens.

The practical rule: file it the evening before you fly, once your plans are final. If your health or travel history changes before you land, submit the health declaration again.

How to submit the SG Arrival Card, step by step

1. Open the SG Arrival Card e-Service on ica.gov.sg, or the MyICA Mobile app. Check the address bar says ica.gov.sg.
2. Enter your passport details exactly as printed, letter for letter.
3. Add your trip: arrival date, flight or ferry number, and where you will stay.
4. Complete the electronic health declaration. It asks about symptoms and recent travel.
5. Give an email address you can open in Singapore, then submit.
6. Keep the acknowledgement email. Each traveller in your group needs their own submission.

That email address matters more than it looks. It is where ICA sends your e-Pass after you clear immigration, and some shops ask to see the e-Pass before they process a tourist GST refund.

Beware the paid look-alike websites

Search “SG Arrival Card” and you will find sites that charge a fee to submit it for you. ICA says it does not endorse them and they are not affiliated with it. The only cost of the real form is your time. If a page asks for your card number, close it.

Passport, visa and the No-Boarding Directive

Your passport should have at least six months of validity left. Many nationalities can visit Singapore without a visa; others must apply before travelling. Check your own nationality on ICA’s visa requirements page, not a forum.

The new part is where these checks happen. From 30 January 2026, ICA issues No-Boarding Directives to airlines flying into Changi and Seletar. Using your SG Arrival Card and the flight manifest, it can tell an airline not to board travellers who lack a valid visa or enough passport validity. Some airlines may check your SG Arrival Card before boarding.

If you are refused boarding, do not simply rebook. Contact ICA through its feedback channel and ask for approval before buying another flight.

What happens at Changi immigration

All foreign visitors can use the automated immigration lanes at Changi Airport, whatever their nationality, with no enrolment. The gates read your face and iris, so take off sunglasses and caps before you step up. Families with young children and wheelchair users have Special Assistance Lanes.

There is no passport stamp any more. Your electronic visit pass, the e-Pass, arrives by email. You will also use the automated lanes when you leave; Changi Airport Departures covers the way out.

What not to pack for Singapore

E-cigarettes and vapes. They are banned. Since 1 September 2025, a visitor caught with one has it seized and receives a S$700 fine; repeat offenders on a visit pass can be barred from returning. Changi has disposal bins for arriving and transit passengers. Use them.

Cigarettes. Singapore gives no duty-free concession or GST relief on cigarettes and tobacco. Declare every pack and pay the duty and GST, or leave them behind.

Shopping over your allowance. If you are bringing in goods above your GST relief or duty-free concession, declare them and pay on the Customs@SG app before you arrive.

A missing yellow fever certificate. If you have been in a country with yellow fever risk in the six days before arrival, bring a valid vaccination certificate.

Crossing from Johor Bahru? Food rules apply at the land checkpoints too; The Escape covers the crossing.

SG Arrival Card: FAQ

How many days before arrival can I submit the SG Arrival Card?

Within three days, including the day you arrive. If you land on 3 October, the earliest date is 1 October.

Is the SG Arrival Card free?

Yes. It is free on the ICA website and the MyICA Mobile app. Paid services are not affiliated with ICA.

Do children need an SG Arrival Card?

Yes. The requirement covers all travellers, so each child needs a submission too.

Do I need an SG Arrival Card if I am only transiting?

No, as long as you stay airside and do not clear immigration. If you leave the airport, even for a few hours, you need one.

What if I forget to submit it?

You will be asked to submit it at the checkpoint and rejoin the immigration queue. ICA warns that travellers who fail to submit may be refused entry.

Is the SG Arrival Card a visa?

No. It is an arrival and health declaration. Visa rules are separate and depend on your nationality.

Read next

This page belongs to Visiting Singapore, our guide for first-time visitors. Once you land, Changi Airport to the City sets out every way in. Then plan your days with our 3-day Singapore itinerary.

Sources checked 28 September 2026: ICA, SG Arrival Card; ICA, Entering Singapore; ICA, reminder to submit the SG Arrival Card; ICA, No-Boarding Directives from 30 January 2026; ICA, Automated Clearance Initiative; Changi Airport, automated lanes for all foreign visitors; Singapore Customs, duty-free concession and GST relief; Baker McKenzie on the vaping rules from 1 September 2025; IRAS, Tourist Refund Scheme. Last updated 28 September 2026.