Fully vaccinated Malaysians can enter Singapore quarantine-free from April 1, without VTL

Forget VTL flights and a long list of SOPs, Singapore has announced that it will reopen its borders to all fully vaccinated travellers from its General Travel Category countries or regions beginning April 1.

This means that Malaysian travellers will no longer be required to take only designated VTL flights to enter Singapore quarantine-free, nor take a Covid-19 antigen rapid test (ART) within 24 hours of arrival.

According to Singaporean news outlet The Straits Times, travellers will be able to enter the country with just a pre-departure Covid-19 test from 11.59pm on March 31, as long as they have not visited any countries or regions under the republic’s Restricted Category in the past seven days.

This decision comes as Singapore moves towards a Vaccinated Travel Framework, replacing the existing Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme. Here are the highlights of the new framework at a glance:

• Entry approval: Fully-vaccinated travellers do not require any entry approvals to enter Singapore. There is no requirement to apply for a Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP) or Air Travel Pass (ATP) for entry into Singapore.
• Testing: Fully-vaccinated travellers will no longer need to take any Covid-19 tests in Singapore. However, they must produce a negative pre-departure test (PDT) taken within two days before departing for Singapore. This PDT can be a Polymerase Chain Reaction test (RT-PCR); a professionally-administered Antigen Rapid Test (ART); or a self-administered ART that is remotely supervised by an ART provider in Singapore.
• Designated flights and quotas: Fully vaccinated travellers may now enter Singapore on any flight. There will also no longer be quotas applied on daily arrivals.
• Vaccination status: All vaccination certificates, regardless of place of issuance and whether digitally verifiable or not, will be accepted as proof of vaccination. Children aged 12 years and below are exempted from the vaccination requirement, in line with Singapore’s domestic measures.
• Singapore Arrival Card (SGAC): The existing SGAC will be streamlined and can be completed easily. Travellers are strongly encouraged to submit the SGAC before departure for Singapore to facilitate a smooth check-in and arrival process in Singapore, and minimising the manual document checks required.
• Additional requirements for short-term visitors: Foreign short-term visitors holding passports or travel documents issued by visa-required countries/regions must apply for an entry visa. They must also purchase travel insurance, with a minimum coverage of S$30,000 for Covid-19-related medical treatment and hospitalisation costs, prior to their travel to Singapore. These visitors must also use the TraceTogether app in Singapore to facilitate contact tracing.

Separately, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Long announced in a joint statement today (24 March) that land travel between Singapore and Malaysia will resume to a close approximation of the pre-Covid-19 era. This includes exemptions from quarantine and Covid-19 testing before and after arrival for fully vaccinated travellers.

Details on the exact border measures for fully vaccinated travellers entering Malaysia via land borders have yet to be announced. Stay tuned for more updates.

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