All Travellers Arriving In Singapore From 27 March 2020, 0900 Hours, Must Submit Health Declaration Via The SG Arrival Card E-Service
From 27 March 2020, 0900 hours, all travellers arriving in Singapore, including residents [Singapore Citizens (SC), Permanent Residents (PR)], and Long-Term Pass (LTP) holders (Student’s Pass, Dependant’s Pass, Work Pass and Long-Term Visit Pass Holders), must submit a health declaration before proceeding with immigration clearance[1]. They will have to do so via the SG Arrival Card (SGAC) e-Service[2]. The health declaration will be made available before 27 March 2020 as part of the SGAC e-Service, so that travellers who are due to arrive in Singapore after 27 March, 0900 hours, can complete it in advance of their arrival.
2. This new entry requirement is an additional precautionary measure to mitigate the risk of importation of COVID-19 into Singapore, and will be subject to further review based on the global COVID-19 situation.
3. The new health declaration function on the SGAC e-Service was developed by ICA in consultation with the Ministry of Health (MOH), and is fully integrated with ICA’s immigration system. Please refer to Annex 1 for a screenshot of the landing page of the SGAC website.
4. All residents and LTP holders who are submitting their health declaration will need to select “Residents” on the SGAC e-Service, after which they will be directed to provide their health and recent travel information, as well as personal and contact details.
5. All travellers can submit their health declaration up to three days prior to arrival in Singapore. They must re-submit their health declaration if there are changes to their health condition or travel history before arriving in Singapore. Those who make false declarations will be liable for prosecution under the Infectious Diseases Act.
6. Travellers who have not submitted their health declaration electronically before arriving in Singapore will be required to do so upon arrival at the checkpoint, which could delay their immigration clearance.
7. The SGAC e-Service is available at ICA’s website at https://eservices.ica.gov.sg/sgarrivalcard and the mobile application can be downloaded for free from Apple AppStore and Google Play.
8. Please refer to Annex 2 for answers to Frequently Asked Questions.9. Separately, ICA would like to inform that with effect from 27 March 2020, 0900 hours, ICA will at the same time discontinue the paper-based disembarkation/embarkation card. In other words, after 27 March 2020, 0900 hours, when entering Singapore, for example when entry for short term visitors resumes in the future, such travellers will have to provide their arrival and departure information via the SGAC e-Service instead.
IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
23 MARCH 2020
[1] The Ministry of Health (MOH)’s press release dated 22 March 2020 announced that all short-term visitors (from anywhere in the world) will not be allowed to enter or transit through Singapore from 23 March 2020, 2359 hours. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will only allow the entry/return of Work Pass holders, including their dependents, for those providing essential services, such as in healthcare and transport.
[2] The beta version of the SGAC e-Service had been rolled out on a trial basis since August 2019 to allow short-term visitors to submit information about their visit to Singapore electronically in advance of their arrival, which replaces the requirement to fill in the paper-based disembarkation/embarkation cards. As of February 2020, ICA had cleared over 560,000 electronic SGAC records submitted by short-term visitors.
ANNEX 1
Landing page of SG Arrival Card website. [Photo source: ICA]
ANNEX 2
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. Why is it mandatory for all travellers to submit their health declaration before entering Singapore?
The mandatory health declaration is a precautionary measure to mitigate the risk of COVID 19 being imported into Singapore.
2. Is it a problem if a traveller did not submit his/her electronic health declaration before arriving in Singapore?
Travellers are strongly encouraged to submit their electronic health declaration before arriving in Singapore, as those who have not done so will be required to fill in and submit their form electronically before they can proceed for immigration clearance. This will unnecessarily delay their immigration clearance.
3. What will happen if a traveller submits a false declaration?
Travellers who provide false declarations will be liable for prosecution under the Infectious Diseases Act.
4. What is the data collected used for?
In the event that any traveller becomes a suspect or confirmed COVID-19 case, the data will be used by the Ministry of Health for contact tracing purposes. The data will also form part of the traveller’s medical history for the reference of medical staff at local healthcare institutions where such travellers are being treated.