SG Arrival Card: when and how to submit it for free

The SG Arrival Card is a free electronic arrival and health declaration required for entry to Singapore, with specific exemptions for some transit passengers and residents using land checkpoints. Under the rules in force on 29 October 2026, travellers who need it must submit within three days before arrival, counting the arrival day.

Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) provides an official online service and the MyICA mobile app. The declaration is separate from any visa your travel document requires.

At a glance

• Submission window: three days, including the day of arrival.
• Cost: free through ICA’s official channels.
• Who submits: arriving travellers, subject to the transit and resident land-entry exemptions below.
• Official service: SGAC submission service.
• Last checked: 29 October 2026.

Who needs an SG Arrival Card

ICA’s arrival card guidance covers foreign visitors and Singapore residents. Its exemptions apply to people transferring or transiting without seeking immigration clearance, and to Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders entering through Woodlands or Tuas.

The land-checkpoint exemption depends on resident status. Foreign visitors arriving overland still need to consider the declaration requirement. Residents entering by air or sea must submit, according to ICA’s guidance.

For a connection through Singapore, check whether your actual itinerary involves clearing immigration. The stated transit exemption concerns passengers who remain outside immigration clearance, rather than everyone holding an onward ticket.

Count the arrival day in the submission window

ICA’s submission timing FAQ gives a precise example: a traveller arriving on 30 June 2025 could submit from 28 June 2025. Count from the date you arrive in Singapore, rather than the date you leave your departure country.

Prepare the information ahead of time, then complete the declaration inside that window. ICA’s card validity FAQ says each trip requires a submission. A record expires after its arrival date or after the trip has been made, whichever comes first.

Have your passport and itinerary ready

The visitor declaration form asks for passport details, birth and residence information, contact details and trip information. It also includes a health declaration. Have your passport beside you so you can match the name, number and expiry date accurately.

Trip fields include the last city or port before Singapore, the purpose of travel, departure date and next destination. Use an email address you can access during the journey. Check each traveller’s details individually when using the form’s Add Traveller option.

ICA says official SGAC submission is free and that it neither supports nor endorses commercial services charging to assist with it. A payment request is a reason to return to the official service address before entering more information.

How to submit through the official service

1. Check your entry documents. Read ICA’s entry requirements and visa requirements checker. These are official instructions for deciding which requirements apply to your travel document.
2. Choose the right route. Open the SGAC submission service. Foreign visitors can choose Fill in Manually under I am a Visitor. The service provides a separate resident route.
3. Complete and review the declaration. Use the visitor declaration form inside the submission window. Follow its Traveller Details, Visit Details and Review stages, answer the health questions truthfully and check the contact information before submitting.
4. Keep the acknowledgement. After completing the visitor submission process, retain the acknowledgement email and any downloaded PDF. ICA’s acknowledgement retrieval FAQ says the email contains the foreign visitor’s Disembarkation/Embarkation number; check the spam folder if it is missing.

Correct changes before you arrive

The service’s official correction FAQ says you can update arrival information while the record remains valid. Have the acknowledgement reference and passport information ready, then use the visitor update form. ICA’s main guidance also directs travellers to update a changed health status.

The live visitor update form limits what you can change. It requires a new visitor submission to change the arrival date, full name, passport number or expiry date, date of birth, or nationality/citizenship. Check which field needs correcting before choosing between updating the existing record and making a new declaration.

If you cancel the journey, ICA’s cancelled trip FAQ says you can leave the submission without withdrawing it. A newly planned trip requires a new card. Deleting a record in the MyICA app clears the local record; it leaves information already submitted to ICA in place.

What we don’t know yet

Your individual admission decision and permitted length of stay are settled at immigration clearance. An arrival-card acknowledgement records the declaration; ICA officers determine entry. The authority’s visa and entry guidance says the electronic Visit Pass sent after admission states the period granted and last day you may stay. Check that date when the email arrives.

Sources

• ICA: Arrival card guidance and official service FAQ.
• ICA: Submission timing FAQ and card validity FAQ.
• ICA: Acknowledgement retrieval FAQ and cancelled trip FAQ.
• ICA: Entry requirements, visa requirements checker.