Border control at Singapore airports: what happens to travellers and their data

Arriving: the steps at the border

All travellers entering Singapore must submit an SG Arrival Card. This covers citizens, permanent residents, Long-Term Pass holders and foreign visitors. The card can be filed within three days before arrival, counting the day of arrival. Filing is free through the official e-Service or the MyICA Mobile app. ICA says it does not endorse commercial services that charge a fee to file the card ¹.

Foreign visitors give arrival details and a health declaration. Residents give a health declaration only. Transit passengers who do not clear immigration are exempt. Paper disembarkation cards ended on 27 March 2020 ¹.

At Changi Airport most travellers then use automated lanes. ICA said in May 2024 that 95 per cent of travellers would be able to clear immigration this way by early 2026 ⁴. An ICA officer at the checkpoint decides on entry. Visitors receive a Visit Pass as an e-Pass, which is sent to the email address given on the arrival card ⁶.

Entry permission: visas and who needs them

Singapore has no separate electronic travel authorisation. ICA says the SG Arrival Card is not a visa ¹. Most nationalities can arrive without a visa. As of 25 June 2026, ICA listed 34 countries whose travel documents need a Singapore entry visa. The list includes Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia and Ukraine. Some other documents need a visa too, such as refugee travel documents and Palestinian Authority passports ⁶.

Applicants with a local contact who holds a Singpass or Corppass account can apply online. Others apply through an authorised visa agent or a Singapore overseas mission. ICA does not take visa applications at immigration counters. The ICA visa page does not list fees ⁶.

A visa does not guarantee entry, and the length of stay is not tied to the visa. Some nationals of the CIS, Georgia, India, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and selected Chinese nationals may qualify for a visa-free transit facility. Every traveller, including children, needs an individual travel document ⁶.

Biometrics and automated lanes

ICA's automated lanes use iris, face and fingerprint data. Travellers aged six and above with a passport that meets ICAO standards can use them. Citizens, permanent residents and Long-Term Pass holders need their biometrics enrolled with ICA. Work pass holders enrol with the Ministry of Manpower. Use of the lanes is free ².

From May 2024 all foreign visitors, of any nationality, could use automated lanes at Changi without enrolling first ⁴. ICA has adopted face and iris recognition as its main identifiers ⁴.

ICA began trials of clearance without a passport at Changi Terminal 3 on 5 August 2024. It planned to cover all Changi terminals by September 2024. Residents can clear this way on arrival and departure. Foreign travellers can do so on departure. The system uses face and iris scans. Children under six cannot use automated lanes. ICA says travellers still need a passport abroad and may sometimes be asked to show it ³.

Passenger data: what airlines send to ICA

ICA learns in advance who is arriving by air and sea from manifests that airlines and ship operators submit ³. It uses this pre-arrival data to assess risk. Travellers flagged by the system get further checks from officers ⁴.

The no-boarding directive regime began on 30 January 2026 at Changi and Seletar airports. ICA draws on advance traveller information from airlines, SG Arrival Card data and flight manifests. The ICA release does not say whether the data is in API or PNR format ⁵.

An airline that fails to follow a no-boarding notice commits a strict liability offence under the Immigration Act 1959. The fine is up to S$10,000. A pilot or airline employee who lets a barred person board faces a fine of up to S$10,000, up to six months in prison, or both ⁵.

Watch lists and checks

A no-boarding directive can cover people ICA treats as prohibited or undesirable immigrants. It can cover travellers who fail entry rules, such as having no valid visa or a travel document valid for less than six months. Crew are included. A traveller refused boarding who still wants to enter must contact ICA through its feedback channel and get approval before booking a new flight. The release does not describe an appeal process ⁵.

Malay Mail reported in December 2025 that about 41,800 foreigners were refused entry at Singapore checkpoints from January to November 2025. An ICA deputy assistant commissioner told the paper that travellers are not refused entry just for being flagged as high risk before travel. They are stopped at the automated lanes for more checks. The paper named Singapore Airlines, Scoot, Emirates, Turkish Airlines and AirAsia among the first carriers in the scheme ¹⁰.

Your data: the law and your records

Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) does not cover public agencies. The Personal Data Protection Commission lists "any public agency in relation to the collection, use or disclosure of personal data" among the exclusions ⁷. ICA is a government agency, so the PDPA rights to access and correction do not apply to its border records.

The ICA pages reviewed for this guide do not state how long it keeps arrival card data or biometrics, as of 19 October 2026 ^1,2. Travellers can change their health details after filing through the "Update SGAC" feature. A false health declaration can lead to prosecution under the Infectious Diseases Act ¹.

Who runs the systems

ICA runs immigration clearance at Singapore's air, land and sea checkpoints ⁴. The Ministry of Manpower handles biometric enrolment for work pass holders ².

In June 2023 ICA and the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) awarded IDEMIA the contract for the automated border control system for all air, land and sea checkpoints. IDEMIA first won a contract in 2017 to install automated immigration gates at Changi, according to the same trade report ⁹.

Security screening on departure

At Changi Terminals 1, 2 and 3, security screening takes place at the boarding gate. At Terminal 4 it takes place just after departure immigration. At Terminal 4 passengers may usually leave laptops in their bags. Hand luggage is X-rayed ⁸.

Liquids, aerosols and gels must be in containers of 100ml or less. They go in one transparent resealable bag of up to one litre per passenger. Duty-free liquids over 100ml bought at Changi should stay sealed in the shop's tamper-evident bag with the receipt ⁸.

• Terminals 1 to 3: screening at the gate ⁸
• Terminal 4: central screening after immigration ⁸
• Liquids: 100ml containers in one 1-litre bag ⁸