Quarantine Free Travel: Singapore To Reopen For Vaccinated Visitors From 11 Countries Starting Oct 19

Singapore on Monday announced that the country will be reopening its border to vaccinated visitors from 11 countries and allowed quarantine free entry under the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) starting from 19th October 2021.

Travelers have to be vaccinated with a World Health Organization (WHO) approved jab, its guidelines said.

Vaccinated travelers can enjoy quarantine-free travel between Singapore and seven European countries namely;

• Denmark
• France
• Germany*
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Spain, and
• United Kingdom

Similarly, Canada and the United States starting 19 October 2021, as well as South Korea starting 15 November 2021. However, India has not been included in the list of countries allowed quarantine free entry under the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) for now.

Singapore Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL)

To avail of the benefits of the Vaccinated Travel Lane scheme travelers have to fly to Singapore in a VTL-designated flight flown by Singapore Airlines or Lufthansa. The government will be adding other carriers to the list over time.

Singapore Airlines is expanding VTL flight services to 14 cities, with more points on specially designated services to be announced in coming weeks, the carrier said in a statement.

Proof of Vaccination

All passengers who are traveling on the VTL designated flights will have to carry proof of their vaccination and undergo an RT-PCR test not more than 48 hours before their departure and also on their arrival at Singapore’s Changi airport.

Earlier, passengers had to take four such tests to gain entry.

Quarantine Free Travel From Singapore

Travel from Singapore to these countries can be on any Singapore Airlines flight, while travel from these countries to Singapore must be on designated Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flights.

Traveling to multiple VTL countries within the same trip is allowed.

Travelers will be required to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination and take two Covid-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests when flying into Singapore.

Short-term visitors and Long-Term Pass holders need to apply for a Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP) to board the VTL flights to Singapore, which can be done online.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Comments

Loong said that the delta variant has shown that Covid-19 is not going away anywhere. However, with vaccinations, social distancing measures, and careful monitoring, it will be possible to live with the “new normal”. “It will take us at least three months, and perhaps as long as six months, to get there,” he cautioned.

Loong justified the move to resume connectivity with countries reporting stable numbers of Covid-19 cases insisting that the move would “keep us connected to global supply chains and help to preserve Singapore’s hub status”.

Also Read: Thailand To End Quarantine For Vaccinated Travelers From 10 Countries Starting Nov 01