SG Arrival Card:When to Submit It and Whether It Costs Money

Short answer

The SG Arrival Card (SGAC) is free and you submit it within 3 days before you arrive in Singapore, counting the day you arrive. Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) describes it as a form for your personal information, trip details and health declaration.

You submit it on ICA's own SG Arrival Card e-Service or in the MyICA mobile app. Those are the only two free official routes. ICA has said it does not endorse commercial services that charge a fee to submit the form for you.

How to count the 3 days

ICA's wording includes the arrival day in the 3 days. Its own example is simple: if you arrive on 30 June, you can submit from 28 June onwards. So the earliest date is always arrival date minus 2 days.

• Landing on a Friday: earliest submission is the Wednesday before.
• Landing on a Sunday: earliest submission is the Friday before.
• If the form does not show your arrival date, you are probably trying too early. Wait a day instead of picking a different date.

You can check any date with our arrival card date calculator.

The card is not a visa

ICA is clear that the SG Arrival Card is not a visa. If your passport needs a Singapore visa, that is a separate application and it must be approved before you fly.

For Pakistani passport holders: Pakistan appears on the list of nationalities that need a visa for Singapore. A visa cannot be obtained at the immigration counter. Reports based on ICA guidance say it is applied for in advance through a local contact who has a Singpass account, an authorised visa agent appointed by a Singapore overseas mission, or the mission itself. Reported tables also show Pakistani passports as in-airport transit only for the transit facility, so do not plan a free city stopover without checking ICA first.

Who does not need to submit it

ICA says all travellers must submit the card within the 3-day window, with a short list of exceptions. One exception is a passenger who only transits or transfers through Singapore without seeking immigration clearance. Check ICA's page for the full, current list of exemptions before you assume you are covered.

Mistakes that waste time

• Paying a look-alike website. Search ads often rank paid copies above the free official form.
• Submitting too early. The system will not accept an arrival date more than 3 days away.
• Choosing the wrong traveller type. Most tourists select the foreign visitor option.
• Mixing up the visa and the card. Having a visa does not replace the card, and having the card does not give you permission to enter.

More answers on this topic

• Singapore SG Arrival Card: How to Submit & Entry Rules
• SG Arrival Card: Edit, Group and Family Submission
• Arrival Card Scam Websites: How to Spot the Fake Ones
• Arrival Card vs Visa: What Is the Difference?
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