Singapore No Longer Stamps Passports

Singapore stopped stamping passports at the exit back in April 2019 and has now ceased stamping them at entry too.

Singapore started to trial not stamping passports in October 2021, and this has now been extended to all entry points from March 11, 2022. Visitors will receive an email with stay info instead.

You can access the SG Arrival Card e-Service here.

Passengers must fill out passport, email, and other relevant information on the pre-arrival SG Arrival Card e-service.

Eligible passengers then receive an email after passing the immigration with the maximum allowed stay information.

Electronic Visit Pass:

Announcement from ICA:

ICA Ceased Ink Endorsements on Passports, Roll Out Of E-Pass to All Checkpoints

1. As part of ICA’s efforts to provide a more secure, safer and more seamless immigration clearance as Singapore gradually reopens its borders, all foreign visitors on short-term visit passes will be issued with electronic visit passes (e-Pass) in lieu of inked endorsements in their passports. Issuance of the e-Pass which was first implemented at Changi Airport in October 2021, has been extended progressively to all checkpoints from 11 March 2022.

2. To support this initiative, ICA has also launched an e-Pass Enquiry Portal for foreign visitors to check the records of their short-term visit passes online. This Enquiry Portal is accessible via the SG Arrival Card e-Service.

Background and Benefits

3. The e-Pass initiative was first implemented at Changi Airport on 10 October 2021 and has now been extended to other checkpoints. Inked short-term visit pass endorsements on passports will cease gradually following this implementation. Instead, an e-Pass will be issued to foreign visitors to the email address declared in the SG Arrival Card after they have cleared immigration. It contains details of the visit pass granted, including the maximum number of day(s) of stay and the last day of stay allowed in Singapore.

4. With the full implementation of the e-Pass, all foreign visitors on short-term visit pass will no longer have to worry about the lack of pages in their passports to accommodate immigration stamps. They will also have the convenience of retrieving their e-Pass information via ICA’s e-Pass Enquiry Portal on the SG Arrival Card e-Service platform at any time. Foreign visitors simply need to input the Disembarkation/Embarkation (DE) number issued to them after they have submitted their SG Arrival Card application, to access their e-Pass information through the Enquiry Portal.

5. The SG Arrival Card e-Service at https://eservices.ica.gov.sg/sgarrivalcard/ provides a convenient one-stop platform for foreign visitors in their travel journey, for the submission of SG Arrival Card and electronic health declaration before arrival, as well as retrieval of e-Pass records through the Enquiry Portal.

Advisory to Foreign Visitors

6. Foreign visitors to Singapore are reminded to obtain a valid Singapore visa (if applicable) and the relevant entry approvals in accordance with prevailing border control and health protocols, before seeking entry into Singapore. They should also submit their SG Arrival Card[1] within three days prior to the date of arrival in Singapore. As the e-Pass will be sent to the email address indicated in the SG Arrival Card, foreign visitors are reminded to provide an accurate and valid email address in their SG Arrival Card submission. Foreign visitors may also provide a proxy email address on behalf of their family members who do not possess email accounts.

Transforming Immigration Clearance – Convenient and Secure

7. The e-Pass is one of the building blocks for ICA’s New Clearance Concept (NCC). The NCC, which would be operationalised at our checkpoints from 2023, will automate immigration clearance for all travellers. The e-Pass supports our NCC plans by removing the need for travellers to obtain inked endorsements, thus providing more secure, safer and more seamless immigration clearance for travellers. The e-Pass Enquiry Portal complements this initiative by providing the convenience of immediate retrieval of visit pass record at any time while in Singapore.

Conclusion

This is a welcomed change, but I am not a huge fan of filling out information on a website before arriving in the country; that is the requirement here. It does help, as spelled out, passports are not getting full of stamps too fast.