SG Arrival Card: How Indians Fill It In, When to Submit and What It Costs

The SG Arrival Card is a short online form that every traveller must submit before arriving in Singapore. It replaced the old paper disembarkation card and includes a simple electronic health declaration. It takes about five minutes, it is completely free on the official channels, and it is not a visa.

This guide explains who needs to submit it, when, how to fill it in step by step, and how to avoid the paid look-alike websites that catch many first-time travellers.

The SG Arrival Card (often shortened to SGAC) is run by Singapore's Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). It collects your personal details, travel plans, address in Singapore and a short health declaration before you land. Immigration officers already have this information when you reach the counter or automated gate, which makes arrival at Changi much faster.

It is not a visa. Indian passport holders still need a valid Singapore visa; see our Singapore visa guide for Indians.

All travellers arriving in Singapore must submit the SG Arrival Card, including children and infants, whether they arrive by air, sea or land. The main exceptions are travellers transiting or transferring at Changi without passing through immigration, and Singapore residents returning through the land checkpoints. Parents or a group leader can submit cards for children and other family members.

You can submit the SG Arrival Card up to three days before you arrive, counting the day of arrival. For example, if you land on 20 December, you can submit it on 18, 19 or 20 December. If you submit it earlier, it will not be accepted. If you forget, you will be asked to fill it in at the checkpoint and rejoin the immigration queue, which can mean a long wait after a night flight.

If your health condition or travel history changes after submitting, submit a fresh card before you arrive.

There are only two official, free ways to submit: the SG Arrival Card e-Service on the ICA website, and the MyICA mobile app. The app lets you save your profile, which is handy if you visit Singapore often.

Many unofficial websites copy the look of the official form and charge a fee for the same form. ICA does not endorse them and is not responsible for any loss from using them. If a website asks you to pay, it is not the official SG Arrival Card. Search for the ICA website directly or use the MyICA app.

1. Open the official e-Service on the ICA website or the MyICA app and choose to submit an SG Arrival Card. You can add family members to the same submission.
2. Enter passport details exactly as they appear in your passport: full name, passport number, nationality, date of birth and passport expiry.
3. Add trip details: arrival date, mode of travel and your flight number, and your last city of embarkation (for example, Delhi or Mumbai).
4. Give your address in Singapore: the hotel name and address. On our packages, we share your hotel details before departure.
5. Complete the health declaration honestly. False declarations can be prosecuted.
6. Submit and check your email for the acknowledgement. Save it on your phone; you rarely need to show it, but it is useful to have.

• Submitting more than three days before arrival.
• Spelling names differently from the passport, or mixing up given name and surname.
• Using a paid look-alike site instead of the free official service.
• Forgetting to submit cards for children.
• Entering the wrong flight number or arrival date after a schedule change.

Changi is one of the world's smoothest airports to arrive at. After leaving the aircraft, follow the signs to Immigration. Many travellers can use the automated lanes, which scan your passport and face; otherwise you queue for an officer. Have your passport, e-visa printout, return ticket and hotel address ready, and the SG Arrival Card acknowledgement on your phone in case it is asked for. Your electronic visit pass, which shows how long you may stay, is sent to the email address you gave in the SG Arrival Card, so use an email you can check during the trip.

After immigration, collect your bags and walk through customs. Singapore has strict rules on what you can bring: chewing gum (other than for medical use), e-cigarettes and vapes, and controlled drugs are prohibited, and duty-free allowances for alcohol are limited. Carry prescription medicines in their original packaging with a copy of the prescription.

• Passport valid for at least six months, with blank pages.
• Singapore e-visa, printed and saved on your phone.
• SG Arrival Card submitted within 3 days before arrival, for every traveller.
• Return or onward ticket.
• Hotel name and address, or your tour voucher.
• Travel insurance details.
• A little Singapore dollar cash and a card that works abroad.

On our packages, a driver meets you in the arrival hall with a name board, so once you are through customs you can relax. See our Singapore travel tips for SIM cards, the MRT and money.

If you travel from Singapore to Malaysia and come back, you need a new SG Arrival Card for each arrival in Singapore. Malaysia has its own free form, the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC), which you submit before entering Malaysia. On our Singapore and Malaysia packages, we remind you about both forms before the coach journey.