Singapore to extend Vaccinated Travel Lanes to India, Indonesia, and more from 29 Nov

Travellers can also look forward to VTLs with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates from 6 December 2021.

Singapore intends to launch Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) with five more countries in the coming weeks, the Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) announced on Monday (15 November 2021).

In particular, these VTLs will first be extended to India and Indonesia from 29 November 2021 (Monday), followed by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 6 December 2021 (Monday). 

To facilitate preparations, Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP) applications for short-term visitors and long-term pass holders will commence on 22 November for travellers from India and Indonesia; and 29 November for travellers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. Returning Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who are fully vaccinated will not need to apply for VTP in order to make use of the VTLs for travel.

In a LinkedIn post, Singapore's Transport Minister S Iswaran shared that the VTL with Indonesia will be a unilateral one, as the country remains closed to general travel, but has started to open its borders. As for the VTL with India, he noted that Singapore and India are in discussions on the resumption of scheduled commercial passenger services as today, only government-chartered relief flights are allowed to carry passengers to India.

Meanwhile, he added, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are already open to fully vaccinated travellers from Singapore, while Qatar requires travellers to self-isolate until they obtain a negative on-arrival PCR test result.

To date, Singapore has launched VTLs with Australia, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States; and will be launching VTLs with Malaysia, Finland, and Sweden from 29 November 2021.

Travellers under the VTLs are not subject to Stay-Home Notice (SHN) on arrival. Instead, they will be required to produce a negative pre-departure test taken within two days prior to departure and undergo an on-arrival PCR test, the MTF shared.

Travellers intending to travel from Singapore to all VTL countries/regions are also advised to check the prevailing entry requirements of the destination. 

In similar news, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore announced over the weekend that Singapore will be broadening the proof of recognition recognised for travel from the US, while expanding the list of US certificates that can be digitally verified. More on this here. 

What are the steps required to travel under the VTL scheme?

1. First things first: Check entry requirements of the VTL country you want to visit. For example, the VTL with Australia is only open to Singaporean citizens as a pilot. Check if you are eligible to enter the respective VTL country.

2. Check that VTL flights are still available for the time period in which you wish to enter Singapore. Please note that travellers are not required to take designated VTL flights to depart from Singapore. The VTL is meant for travellers who intend to seek entry into Singapore. For travellers flying from Singapore, it will depend on the inbound requirements of the destination country/region.

3a. If you are a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, the next step is to download your vaccination certificate and keep it ready for re-entry.

3b. If you are a foreign visitor, who is either living in Singapore, or intends to visit Singapore, (i.e. either a short-term visitor or a long-term pass holder), then the next step is to apply for a vaccinated travel pass as well as check visa entry requirements into Singapore.

For a full set of FAQs, which includes application requirements, relevant timelines, and procedures, check out our updates at the link below, and do share it forward :)

• FAQs on Singapore's Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTL): Who is eligible, how you can apply for a VTP, and more

On 15 November, Singapore also announced the calibrated easing of selected safe management measures as part of the mid-point review of the extended Stabilisation Phase. Head over to our story here for the full updates.

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