How and when to complete the SG Arrival Card before your trip

Completing the SG Arrival Card is straightforward, but the timing and the way the form is structured cause confusion for many first-time travellers. This guide explains when the SGAC should be submitted, how to fill it in correctly and what to do after submission.

When to submit the SG Arrival Card

The SG Arrival Card can only be submitted within the three days before arrival in Singapore, with the day of arrival itself counting as one of the three days. In practice, this means:

• If you arrive on a Friday, the earliest you can submit is the previous Wednesday.
• If you arrive on a Sunday, the earliest you can submit is the previous Friday.
• Submissions earlier than 72 hours before arrival are rejected by the system.

There is no minimum lead time. The SGAC can in theory be submitted shortly before reaching the immigration counter, but doing so is risky: a poor mobile connection, a battery running out or a form error can cause delays. Most travellers submit the card the day before departure or on the day of travel from the airport.

Where to submit it

The SG Arrival Card is submitted exclusively online. The official platform is the ICA website, where the form is hosted as a secure web application. A mobile application called MyICA is also available for travellers who prefer a native experience. Both are operated by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore and both are free of charge.

Submissions made through third-party websites are not official. They typically charge a fee for what is effectively a form-filling service. The submission itself still goes to ICA, but the traveller pays extra for no additional value. For more on cost and timing expectations, see costs and processing.

Step-by-step walkthrough

The SG Arrival Card form follows a logical sequence. The exact wording can change from time to time, but the structure has remained stable:

• Select the type of traveller: foreign visitor, long-term pass holder or returning resident.
• Enter passport details: number, full name (as in the passport), nationality, date of birth and gender.
• Enter trip details: date of arrival, mode of transport (air, sea or land), flight number or vessel name, and last city of embarkation.
• Enter accommodation in Singapore: hotel name and address, or the address where you will be staying.
• Complete the electronic health declaration, covering the 14 days before arrival.
• Review and submit. After submission, an acknowledgement is sent by email.

For the full list of information you should have on hand, see What information and documents you need for the SGAC.

Submitting for a family or group

Each traveller, including infants and children, needs an SG Arrival Card. The form allows up to a defined number of travellers to be submitted within the same session, which is convenient for families. The submitter enters their own passport details and then adds each family member as an additional traveller. Each person is treated as a separate declaration even though they are submitted together.

The acknowledgement email lists all travellers covered by the submission. Keep that email accessible during the trip in case verification is needed.

What happens after submission

There is no approval to wait for. The SG Arrival Card is a declaration, not an application: once submitted, it is on file with ICA. The acknowledgement email is sent within a few minutes. Travellers do not need to print anything or display a QR code at the counter, since the card is linked electronically to the passport.

Immigration officers can still ask questions about the purpose of the visit, the accommodation in Singapore or the onward travel arrangements. The SG Arrival Card simply gives them the basic information in advance.

Common timing mistakes

Two timing mistakes appear regularly:

• Submitting too early, more than three days before arrival. The form rejects these submissions.
• Forgetting to submit and only realising at the airport or at the checkpoint. The card can still be submitted on the spot, but it adds stress and delays.

A simple way to avoid these issues is to set a reminder for two days before departure. By then the submission window is open, the trip details are fully confirmed and there is still time to correct any error.

If your trip details change

If the flight, the arrival date or the accommodation changes after submission, the SG Arrival Card can be re-submitted with the updated information. There is no formal cancellation procedure: a new submission supersedes the previous one. For more details, see What to do if you made a mistake.