Stamped Passports to be Replaced with e-Pass For All Short-Term Visitors
From Mar 11th onward, all foreigners entering Singapore for short-term visits will be issued with electronic visit passes (e-Passes), which acts as a replacement for manual passport stamping process.
In October 2021, the issuance of e-Passes was implemented at Changi Airport by the Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). This implementation will now be extended to all checkpoints in Singapore starting Mar 11th.
The e-Pass will contain details of the visit pass granted, including the maximum number of day(s) of stay and the last day of stay allowed in Singapore. Visitors are required to provide a valid email address of their own, as the e-Pass will be issued to the email address upon clearing the immigration check.
“With the full implementation of the e-Pass, all foreign visitors on short-term visit passes will no longer have to worry about the lack of pages in their passports to accommodate immigration stamps,” ICA said.
Visitors are also able to check the records of their short-term visit to Singapore easily via the e-Pass Enquiry Portal, by using their issued disembarkation/embarkation (DE) numbers.
The e-Pass application has to be made 3 days before departure to Singapore via the SG Arrival Card e-service which can be accessed through https://eservices.ica.gov.sg/sgarrivalcard/.
The ICA reminded foreign visitors that the e-Pass does not serve as a valid visa and visitors are required to obtain a valid Singapore visa and all relevant documents before applying for the e-Pass.
The e-Pass is part of ICA’s New Clearance Concept, which will automate immigration clearance for all travellers after operationalisation at checkpoints from 2023.
