Singapore Finally Scraps Covid Testing For Transit Passengers

What was once the most pleasant transit experience any traveller could wish for was turned into one of the most painful ones over the last 2 years. Singapore has had some of the most confusing and ever-changing transit and entry requirements, but this is set to change for the better!

Currently, VTL travellers into Singapore must have a negative test before departure (within 24h), even if they are transiting through the country. Those eligible to enter the country then had to do an expensive SG$125 PCR test at the airport before being allowed to leave. Once on the outside, there was a requirement for day 2 and day 7 rapid antigen home testing as well.

From February 22 or February 21 at 23h59m to be precise, passengers arriving into Singapore will no longer need to fork out $125 and will instead be offered a $15 rapid antigen test which needs to be taken within 24h after arrival. While these are still supervised tests, it’s a huge improvement and much more convenient. (a test 24h before departure is still required if you’re entering the country as well)

Day 2 and 7 testing requirements are also scrapped, which is no doubt great news for Singapore residents returning home.

These rules are, of course, for passengers from category I countries (those with low case numbers). You can check the current VTL list here. The VTL list is set to expand exponentially to allow more people to enter and enter Singapore.

If you happen to go to a country that is not on the VTL list, the current travel restriction into Singapore will be reduced from 14 days to 7

Keep in mind that you are required to isolate until the test results are in, so if you’re only in Singapore for a stopover, it’s probably best to get your test done on arrival.

For those in transit, pre-departure testing will no longer be required either come February 22. This is fantastic news, especially for people travelling to a third country where covid testing isn’t a requirement for entry, such as the U.K. It’s for this reason Qantas postponed its Singapore transit routes to the U.K., but with this news, maybe we can see flights pushed forward?

New Rules From February 22 In Short

• No pre-departure testing is required to transit through Singapore
• Entry into Singapore from a VTL country requires a $15 RAT/ART within 24h of arriving.
• Isolation is required until you get a negative result.
• Travel history to non-VTL countries reduced to 7 from 14 days.

Still confused, use this handy tool to figure out your requirements into Singapore: https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/arriving/overview