What is the Singapore Arrival Card and who needs it?

The Singapore Arrival Card, commonly abbreviated as SG Arrival Card or SGAC, is a free electronic form that almost every traveller entering Singapore must submit before crossing the border. It is administered by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and replaces the paper disembarkation/embarkation card that travellers used to fill in on board their flight or at the checkpoint. The card combines two functions in a single submission: an immigration declaration and an electronic health declaration.

The SG Arrival Card is not a visa and it does not grant any right of entry on its own. It is a pre-arrival declaration. Whether you can actually enter Singapore still depends on your nationality, the purpose of your trip, the validity of your passport and any visa requirements that may apply to you. To understand how the SGAC fits within the wider entry framework, see SG Arrival Card vs. visa and entry requirements.

Why Singapore requires the SG Arrival Card

Singapore is one of the busiest international transit hubs in Asia. The SG Arrival Card allows ICA to receive traveller information in advance, speed up clearance at Changi Airport and the land checkpoints, and maintain a complete electronic record of arrivals. The digital format also makes the process more accurate: information is submitted directly by the traveller rather than transcribed from a handwritten form.

Submitting the card before arrival is mandatory. Travellers who arrive without having completed it can usually still submit it at the checkpoint using their mobile phone, but this slows down clearance and is not recommended.

Who needs to submit an SG Arrival Card

The general rule is simple: if you are a foreign visitor entering Singapore — by air, by sea or by land — you must submit an SG Arrival Card. This applies regardless of whether you need a visa to enter Singapore.

Specifically, the SGAC must be submitted by:

• All foreign visitors arriving in Singapore for tourism, business, family visits or transit that requires immigration clearance.
• Holders of long-term passes (such as Work Pass, Student Pass or Dependant Pass) when re-entering Singapore.
• Travellers arriving by cruise ship and disembarking in Singapore.
• Travellers crossing the land checkpoints from Malaysia (Woodlands and Tuas).

Who does not need to submit the SGAC

A small group of travellers is exempt:

• Singapore citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents do not need to submit an SG Arrival Card.
• Passengers in direct airside transit at Changi Airport who do not pass through immigration are also not required to submit one.

Children, including infants, are not exempt. A separate SG Arrival Card must be submitted for every traveller, including babies, although several family members can be grouped within a single submission (see How and when to complete the SG Arrival Card).

When the SG Arrival Card must be submitted

The SG Arrival Card can be submitted up to three days (72 hours) before the date of arrival in Singapore. The day of arrival counts as one of the three days. Submitting too early is not possible, and the form will simply reject dates that fall outside this window.

Because the card includes a health declaration covering the 14 days before arrival, it is designed to capture recent information. Travellers who submit too early may need to update their declaration if their health situation or travel history changes.

The SG Arrival Card is free

There is no fee for submitting the SG Arrival Card on the official ICA website or through the official MyICA mobile application. Any website that charges a fee to submit the SGAC on your behalf is a third-party intermediary, not the Government of Singapore. Travellers can complete the form themselves in a few minutes.

What happens after submission

After successful submission, travellers receive an acknowledgement by email. The SG Arrival Card is linked electronically to the passport, so there is no card to print and no QR code to show at the counter. Keeping a copy of the acknowledgement email is nevertheless recommended, especially when crossing by land where verification can take longer.

For a step-by-step walkthrough of the form itself, continue with How and when to complete the SG Arrival Card, or review the full entry requirements checklist for 2026.