LIFE IN THE VACCINATED TRAVEL LANE

How to visit Singapore under VTL rules

Singapore introduced the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) in August 2021. e VTL programme permits fully vaccinated customers to travel quarantine-free to Singapore, provided they meet several criteria, and are tested both before departure and a er arrival in Singapore. e programme started with Germany, Brunei and Macao, was extended to 14 cities, and most recently, was extended to 21 countries with the addition of India, Indonesia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Travellers must have only travelled to/ transited via any VTL countries/regions, Category I countries/regions (Hong Kong, Macao, Mainland China and Taiwan) and/ or Singapore in the last 14 consecutive days before departure for Singapore.

How to apply

As an introductory piece of advice – be prepared and have all your information to hand. As an example, don’t start the process until you know where you are staying since you need this information to complete the online forms. Also, don’t just pick a hotel and hope for availability. When I was planning this in mid-November for December, many hotels were not available on websites to book, and it was not clear whether they were closed or available for people ying in from overseas.

Step 1

Make sure you have downloaded your vaccination certi cates. Print them out and ensure they are available on the relevant app, such as the AlHosn app in the UAE and the Tawakkalna app in Saudi Arabia. ese need to include the QR code. Some apps show

Meridien Park, Singapore

limited validity, so don’t do this too early. If you are travelling from Qatar, you must download your vaccination certi cate from the Qatar Ministry of Public Health’s website.

Step 2

Investigate ights. e ight needs to be an approved VTL one. Note, if you are travelling on Emirates, not all ights from Dubai to Singapore are VTL ights, so refer to the airline’s VTL schedule before booking (emirates.com).

Step 3

Apply for a Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP). is is relatively easy and can be done between seven to 60 days prior to your trip. e pass itself is only valid for six days from your chosen date of entry. It requires the uploading of your vaccination pass/ certi cate, including QR code. Once this has been done, approval is quick. Make sure you print and save a copy for inspection on arrival.

Step 4

ere is a requirement to have SG$30,000 (US$21,926) of medical insurance to cover you should you become ill with COVID-19 while visiting Singapore. Travel insurance is o ered by several providers and is relatively good value. My policy was with AIG and cost SG$14.52 ($10.61) for ve days. Again, print and save a copy.

WORDS JULIAN GREGORY

Step 5

Download the Singapore Government’s ‘Trace Together’ App. It is a mandatory requirement to have downloaded it and have it switched on during the duration of your stay. Download before you depart and switch it on when you land in Singapore.

Step 6

Book a PCR arrival test at Changi Airport. You need to set up an account with the Safe Travel Concierge. e test costs $SG125 ($91.35). Remember you need to isolate at your hotel until you get the result. It can take up to 24 hours.

Step 7

Travellers must complete a predeparture PCR/professionally administered ART test, so don’t forgot to book this for around 48 hours before to allow time for results to come through.

Step 8

Take a look at the Singapore Government’s Safe Travel checklist to make sure you have not missed anything or in case the rules have changed in the time it takes you to get this far! safetravel.ica.gov.sg