Common mistakes and problems with the SG Arrival Card

Most SG Arrival Card submissions go through without any issue. The form is short, the system is reliable and acknowledgements are sent within minutes. When problems do occur, they tend to cluster around a small number of recurring mistakes. Knowing them in advance is the easiest way to avoid them.

Submitting too early

The SG Arrival Card can only be submitted within the three days (72 hours) before arrival. Travellers who try to submit a week ahead receive an error message and assume the system is broken. It is not — the submission window is simply not open yet. The form should be submitted within the three-day window before arrival.

Mistyping the passport number

A single wrong character in the passport number can cause delays at the counter, because the SG Arrival Card cannot be matched to the passport that the officer scans. Common errors include:

• Confusing the letter O with the digit 0.
• Confusing the letter I or l with the digit 1.
• Adding or omitting a space or hyphen that does not appear in the passport.
• Copying from an old passport instead of the current one.

Always copy the passport number directly from the machine-readable zone (the bottom of the photo page). If a mistake is discovered after submission, the form should be re-submitted with the correct details.

Name mismatches

Names on the SG Arrival Card must match the passport exactly. Common mistakes include:

• Reversing surname and given names.
• Leaving out a middle name that appears in the passport.
• Using a nickname or anglicised version of the name.
• Adding accents that the passport does not show, or omitting accents that it does show.

If the passport prints all names in a single field, copy them as they appear and split them according to the form's instructions.

Wrong flight or arrival date

The arrival date is the date the plane actually lands in Singapore, not the date of departure from the home airport. Travellers from Europe or the Americas often confuse the two, since the journey crosses the dateline or arrives late at night.

The flight number should be the one that lands in Singapore, not a connecting flight. If you fly from London to Doha and then from Doha to Singapore, the relevant flight is the Doha–Singapore flight.

Using a third-party website

Some travellers, particularly those searching for the form through a search engine, end up on a third-party website that charges a fee to submit the SG Arrival Card. The SG Arrival Card is free on the official ICA website. Third-party services are not government endorsed and add no value to the submission. A small fee may be acceptable to some travellers, but it should never be a surprise.

Not receiving the acknowledgement email

If the acknowledgement email does not arrive, the most common cause is a mistyped email address. Check the spam folder first, then re-submit the form with the correct email address. The submission itself is still valid even without the email; the email is a convenience, not proof of entry permission.

Trying to update the form

There is no separate "edit" function for the SG Arrival Card. If something changes after submission, the form should simply be submitted again with the updated information. The latest submission supersedes the previous one. For details, see What to do if you made a mistake.

Submitting on the way to the airport

Leaving the submission until the last minute is risky. Mobile networks at airports can be unreliable, batteries run out, websites can be slow. Most travellers benefit from submitting the SG Arrival Card the day before departure, when there is still time to fix any problem at home.

Confusing the SG Arrival Card with a visa

The SG Arrival Card is not a visa. Travellers who require a visa to enter Singapore must still obtain it through the normal channels in addition to the SG Arrival Card. See SG Arrival Card vs. visa and entry requirements for the full distinction.

Browser and technical issues

The ICA website works on modern browsers. If the form does not load or submission fails, try:

• Using an up-to-date browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge).
• Disabling browser extensions that can block scripts.
• Switching from mobile data to Wi-Fi, or vice versa.
• Trying again after a few minutes if the system is temporarily under load.

When to ask for help on arrival

If something goes wrong despite all precautions — wrong date, wrong passport, no acknowledgement — the best approach is to be transparent at the immigration counter. Officers are used to small discrepancies and will usually let the traveller re-submit on the spot using a mobile device. Honesty is far more effective than improvisation.