Singapore arrival card: how to submit the SG Arrival Card for free

The Singapore arrival card, officially the SG Arrival Card (SGAC), is a free online form every foreign visitor submits to ICA within the 3 days before landing, arrival day included. It holds your trip details and a health declaration, and it is done on ICA's own service or the MyICA app.

It replaced the paper Disembarkation/Embarkation card that visitors used to hand over at immigration. Singapore's Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) calls it one of the basic entry requirements to visit Singapore, and the ICA SG Arrival Card page (last updated 28 October 2026) sets the rules this guide follows. GOV.UK says the same thing for British travellers: you must complete it in the 3 days before you arrive.

This guide sticks to the card: who files it, when, how, and what to do if something goes wrong. The visa, the 6-month passport rule and the length of your stay are in our guide to Singapore entry requirements for UK citizens.

Every British visitor who passes through Singapore immigration needs one, whatever the length of the stay and whether you arrive by air, sea or land. ICA's rule is that all travellers submit it before arriving, with two exceptions, neither of which fits a holidaymaker clearing immigration.

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  Holidaymakers and business visitors: Every foreign visitor submits arrival information and a health declaration.
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  Children and babies: Each traveller needs a submission. A parent can file it for them, alone or in a group submission.
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  Cruise passengers and travellers coming by coach or car from Malaysia: ICA's exemptions name no port or checkpoint for foreign visitors, so the card applies at sea and land crossings too.
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  Stopover passengers who leave the airport: Clearing immigration for a night in the city, or to collect bags and check in again, makes you an arriving visitor.

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  Transit passengers who stay airside: ICA exempts travellers transiting or transferring through Singapore without clearing immigration.
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  Singapore residents at the land checkpoints: Citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders travelling through Woodlands and Tuas are exempt. A British national holding a long-term pass files only the health declaration when arriving by air or sea.

The transit line is the one that catches people. ICA's transit page says you are not a transit traveller if you enter Singapore to collect a boarding pass or baggage and check in again, and that several low-cost carriers require exactly that. If you are unsure, ICA says to check with your airline whether you can stay in the transit area.

From 2 days before your arrival date, up to the day itself: ICA counts the arrival day as one of the 3 days. Its own example is an arrival on 30 June, which can be declared from 28 June onwards. A submission made earlier is not accepted for that trip.

The date that counts is the day you land in Singapore. ICA's FAQ says the date of arrival on the form is your expected arrival or entry date, not the day you leave your last city. On an overnight flight from London, that is the day after you take off.

A family flying out on a Friday evening to land on Saturday can therefore submit from Thursday. Doing it at the departure gate in London works as well, as long as the arrival date is right; the app keeps your profile so the form is quicker the next time.

Yes. ICA says submitting the SGAC is free and that it does not support or endorse any commercial entity that charges a fee to submit it on your behalf; those entities are not affiliated with ICA.

The paid copies look official. ICA's advisory on fake or misleading websites (updated 20 October 2026) says members of the public paid a processing fee to such sites believing they were using ICA's service, when the same submission on ICA's own e-Service would have been free. Some fake sites may also try to phish personal information, ICA adds.

If you find a fake ICA website, ICA asks you to report it to the Singapore Police through the anti-scam helpline, 1800 722 6688, or online through the police's i-Witness service. If you have already used one, file your own card on ICA's service: ICA says a new submission supersedes an earlier one.

It takes one sitting on ICA's e-Service or in the MyICA Mobile app, with your passport and flight details to hand. ICA does not publish a field-by-field list; the steps below follow what its pages and FAQs describe.

1. Open ICA's service
   Go to the SG Arrival Card e-Service from the ICA page, or install MyICA Mobile from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Choose the visitor option
   ICA offers two paths. Foreign visitors take the one for arrival information and health declaration; the other is for residents and pass holders.
3. Enter your personal information
   As it appears in the passport you will show at Changi.
4. Enter your trip details
   Flight details, last port of embarkation, expected arrival and departure dates and your address in Singapore, such as your hotel.
5. Complete the health declaration
   ICA uses it to guard against importing diseases of concern. A false declaration is an offence and can be prosecuted under Singapore's Infectious Diseases Act.
6. Give an email address you can read abroad
   The acknowledgement goes there, and so does your e-Pass after immigration.
7. Submit and keep the acknowledgement email
   It carries your Disembarkation/Embarkation (D/E) number. On the e-Service you can also download a PDF copy.

What to have ready before you start

• Your passport
  The one you will travel on: GOV.UK says a new passport will not have the same number as your old one.
• Your flight number and arrival date
  The date you land in Singapore.
• Your address in Singapore
  The hotel name and address, or the address of the person you are staying with.
• Where you boarded your last flight
  On a direct flight, London; after a stopover, the stopover city.
• An email inbox on your phone
  To keep the acknowledgement to hand and to receive the e-Pass.

If the form shows an error, ICA's SG Arrival Card FAQs suggest sending an enquiry with a screenshot of the error message.

Yes. ICA lets you submit on behalf of others, and a group submission covers up to 10 people in one go. Flight details, last port of embarkation, arrival and departure dates and the Singapore address are copied to everyone in the group, so only the personal details change.

• Same residency type only
  A group is either all visitors or all residents; ICA does not accept a mixed group. A British family travelling with a Singapore-resident relative files two submissions.
• Maximum 10 people
  A larger party splits into several groups.
• You answer for what you submit
  ICA asks the person filing to make sure the information for everyone is true and accurate, health declarations included.
• Someone at home can file for you
  ICA allows a proxy to submit before your arrival, useful for an older relative travelling alone.

You update the card or file a new one; you never need to cancel it. Each submission covers one trip.

The 3-trip rule suits a stopover itinerary: Singapore, a night on Bintan or in Johor Bahru, then Singapore again within the window. A longer loop through the region needs a fresh card for each new entry.

You will be held up on arrival. ICA's FAQ says travellers who have not submitted will be required to submit on arrival before they can proceed to immigration clearance, which delays them unnecessarily. Submitting in the window before you fly avoids that queue.

The rest of what can go wrong is about accuracy. GOV.UK says it is illegal to submit a false declaration, and ICA's advice for avoiding delays at immigration starts with declaring accurate information on the SGAC.

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  A paid look-alike site: ICA says such sites are not affiliated with it. File your own card on ICA's service.
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  The wrong arrival date: Update the record before you land.
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  No acknowledgement email: ICA suggests checking the spam or junk folder.
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  A typo in your passport details: Correct it with an update or a new submission before arrival.

You show your passport and walk through. ICA says that after submitting the SGAC you only need to present your travel document, and its automated lanes page (updated 9 November 2026) says all travellers, first-time foreign visitors included, can use the automated lanes without enrolling beforehand.

1. Scan your passport
   At the first gantry of a lane marked for foreign visitors.
2. Step into the lane
   When the first flapper opens.
3. Look at the camera
   Face and iris are captured, and you may be asked to place your right thumb on the scanner.
4. Walk out
   The second flapper opens once you are verified.

Remove sunglasses, caps, face masks and coloured contact lenses before you reach the camera. Children under 6 go through the wider Special Assistance Lanes, which take family groups of up to 4 people together.

Once you are through, ICA emails your e-Pass to the address on your card. It states the last day you may stay; how long that is, and what to do if you need longer, is in our Singapore guide.

The card is not a visa, as ICA says on its page. A full British citizen passport needs no visa for Singapore, but the other entry rules still apply alongside the card.

If your passport is close to the 6-month line, our guide to renewing a UK passport before you travel has the timings. GOV.UK warns that a new passport will not have the same number as your old one, so a card already submitted with the old one needs updating.

Run through these the evening before you fly, or at the gate. Each one saves time at Changi, and all come from ICA's and GOV.UK's pages.

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  Card submitted inside the window: Not more than 2 days before your arrival date, and for every traveller in your party.
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  Acknowledgement email in your inbox: With the D/E number; check spam if it has not arrived.
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  Same passport as on the card: Especially after a renewal or for a child with a new passport.
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  Arrival date matches the landing day: On overnight flights, the day after you leave.
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  Email you can open in Singapore: Your e-Pass arrives there after immigration.

Going on to other countries in the region? Thailand and Malaysia have their own arrival forms, each on its own government site: see our pages on the Thailand Digital Arrival Card and on Malaysia entry rules and the MDAC. All our country guides are in entry requirements for British passport holders.

• Is the Singapore arrival card free?

  Yes. ICA says submitting the SG Arrival Card is free and that it does not endorse any company charging a fee to submit it for you. Use only addresses containing “.ica.gov.sg” or the MyICA Mobile app.

• How many days before arriving in Singapore can I submit the arrival card?

  Within 3 days before you arrive, arrival day included. Landing on 30 June, you can submit from 28 June onwards, according to ICA.

• Do I need an SG Arrival Card if I only change planes at Changi?

  No, if you stay airside. ICA exempts travellers transiting or transferring without clearing immigration. If you have to collect bags or check in again, you clear immigration and need the card.

• Can I submit the SG Arrival Card for my family?

  Yes. ICA allows submissions on behalf of others and a group submission of up to 10 people of the same residency type, with the trip details copied to everyone.

• What happens if I forget to submit the arrival card?

  ICA says you will have to submit it on arrival before you can proceed to immigration clearance, which delays you. Doing it before you fly avoids the wait.

• Can I change my SG Arrival Card after submitting it?

  Yes, while the record has not expired: use ‘Update a Submission’ on the e-Service or ‘Edit’ in the MyICA app. A new submission also replaces the earlier one.

• Do I need to print the SG Arrival Card?

  No. ICA says the acknowledgement email suffices, and that after submitting you only need to present your travel document at immigration. On the e-Service you can also download a PDF copy.

• Is the SG Arrival Card a visa?

  No. ICA states that the SGAC is not a visa. A full British citizen passport needs no visa for tourism or business, but the passport and stay rules still apply.

• Do I need a new arrival card for every trip to Singapore?

  Yes, one per trip. A single submission can include up to 3 trips when they all fall within the 3-day window, which helps on a short stopover loop.

• What is the D/E number on the SG Arrival Card?

  The Disembarkation/Embarkation number ICA gives foreign visitors after they submit. It is in the acknowledgement email and lets you retrieve your e-Pass if the email goes missing.