SG Arrival Card 2026: Free, When to Submit, Mistakes
The SG Arrival Card is free on the ICA website and MyICA app. See the 3-day submission window, who is exempt and eight mistakes that slow travellers down.
Last verified: 16 October 2026 against ica.gov.sg (SG Arrival Card, public advisory, e-Pass and visa requirements pages); our service details against our sales pages
Landing in Singapore on a Saturday? Your SG Arrival Card window opens on Thursday. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) asks travellers to submit the card within three days before arrival, counting the arrival day itself. Submission is free on the ICA website or the MyICA app. Most travellers must submit one. The main exceptions are airside transit passengers and Singapore residents arriving by land.
Here are eight avoidable slips, with fixes.
First, the cost: free on ICA, or assisted by us
ICA's SG Arrival Card page says plainly that submission is free of charge. ICA's public advisory names its own two channels for submitting the card:
- the SGAC e-Service on the ICA website
- the MyICA Mobile app, a free download from the App Store or Google Play
Most travellers can complete the card themselves. If you'd rather not do it alone, we offer an assisted submission for a service fee: you upload your passport bio page and give us your flight, accommodation, 14-day travel history and health answers. We check them, submit the card to ICA once your window opens and email you the confirmation. We are a private company, not part of ICA, and the free route is always open to you.
The rule in brief
| Point | What ICA says |
|---|---|
| Who submits | All travellers, including Singapore residents, with the exemptions below |
| When | Within 3 days before arrival, including the day of arrival |
| Cost | Free via the ICA e-Service or MyICA app |
| Exempt | Transit or transfer passengers who don't clear immigration; Singapore citizens, PRs and Long-Term Pass holders entering by land |
| Includes | An electronic health declaration |
| Not | A visa. The SG Arrival Card does not grant entry |
Mistake 1: Picking the wrong option on the e-Service
What goes wrong: The SGAC e-Service has separate options for different travellers. ICA says Singapore citizens, PRs and Long-Term Pass holders select the health declaration option. Foreign visitors and In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter holders select the option that covers arrival information and the health declaration.
The fix: Check which group you belong to before you start. Foreign visitors and IPA holders choose the option covering both.
Mistake 2: Submitting too early
What goes wrong: You try to submit a week before you fly, and the form won't accept it.
The fix: Count back three days, with your arrival day as day one. ICA gives this example: for an arrival on 30 June, you can submit from 28 June. If you land just after midnight, use the calendar date you land, not the date you take off.
Mistake 3: Leaving it until the immigration queue
What goes wrong: You plan to fill it in after landing. According to ICA's reminder to travellers, anyone who reaches the checkpoint without one is asked to submit it there and then re-join the queue.
The fix: Submit during the three-day window, before you leave for the airport. Keep the acknowledgement email or a screenshot of the confirmation on your phone.
Mistake 4: Giving an email address you won't check
What goes wrong: Singapore no longer stamps visitors' passports. ICA instead emails an electronic Visit Pass (e-Pass) after you clear immigration, to the address you gave in your SG Arrival Card. It shows the maximum number of days you may stay and your last allowed day. If the address has a typo, you don't get that record.
The fix: Use an email address you can open while travelling, and type it carefully. If the e-Pass doesn't arrive, ICA's e-Pass Enquiry Portal can retrieve it with your passport details or your Disembarkation/Embarkation (D/E) number, which is in your SGAC acknowledgement email and in MyICA under "Submitted Declarations".
Mistake 5: Thinking the card is your visa (or that a visa replaces it)
What goes wrong: Some travellers believe the arrival card lets them in. Others with a visa think they can skip the card. ICA states on both its SGAC page and its visa requirements page that the SG Arrival Card is not a visa.
The fix: Treat them as two separate tasks. First check whether your passport is on ICA's visa-required list, or find your nationality on our eligible countries page. ICA's list includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Nigeria and others. If you need a visa, get it before you fly, then submit the SG Arrival Card in the three-day window as well. The checkpoint officer still decides your entry and stay.
Mistake 6: Assuming every transit counts as "transit"
What goes wrong: The exemption covers only passengers who transit or transfer without seeking immigration clearance. If you leave the airport between flights, collect bags on separate tickets, or stop over for a night in the city, you are entering Singapore.
The fix: If you will pass through immigration at any point, submit the card. If you'll stay airside the whole time, you don't need one.
Mistake 7: Using one group submission for different trips
What goes wrong: ICA's Group Submission option is for people travelling together on the same trip. Families sometimes add a relative who flies in on another date.
The fix: Put only the people on the same journey into one group submission. Anyone arriving separately submits their own card in their own three-day window.
Mistake 8: Not updating after a change, or guessing the health answers
What goes wrong: The card includes a health declaration. ICA says you must re-submit it if your health or travel history changes before you arrive, and that false declarations can lead to prosecution under the Infectious Diseases Act.
The fix: Answer honestly. If your health changes, use the "Update SGAC" feature on the e-Service. If your flight or dates change, update your submission on the e-Service and check the window for your new arrival date.
What you pay: the card versus a visa
| Item | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| SG Arrival Card assisted submission | Free on ICA. Ours: from USD 30 per traveller; 15% off for 2 to 5 travellers, 20% off for 6 to 10 | A details check, submission to ICA inside the three-day window, email confirmation, and free resubmission if your flight or accommodation changes |
| Singapore eVisa (only if your passport needs one) | ICA processing fee: S$30, non-refundable. Ours: from USD 95 (Russian passport, Standard, single entry), Pakistani passports from USD 135, including the ICA fee. Prices vary by passport, entry type and speed | The difference covers a review of your application and documents before filing, submission to ICA, status checks and the eVisa by email. Standard 8, Priority 5 or Express 3 working days |
The SG Arrival Card itself is free on ICA's e-Service and MyICA app. Visa-required travellers can also apply through ICA's own routes and pay only its S$30 fee (check before travel). We are a private company, not part of the Singapore government. Only ICA decides visa applications, and no service can guarantee approval.
Quick answers
Is the SG Arrival Card free?
Yes. ICA says submission is free through its own channels, the SGAC e-Service and the MyICA Mobile app. If you would rather have help, we can submit it for you for a service fee.
How many days before arrival can I submit the SG Arrival Card?
Within three days before arrival, counting the arrival day. For an arrival on 30 June, you can submit from 28 June.
Do transit passengers need an SG Arrival Card?
Not if they transit or transfer without clearing immigration. If you leave the airport or pass through immigration for any reason, you need to submit one.
Can I submit the SG Arrival Card for my family?
Yes. The Group Submission option covers people travelling together on the same trip. Travellers arriving on a different trip need their own submission.
Is the SG Arrival Card the same as a Singapore visa?
No. It is an arrival and health declaration. If your passport is on ICA's visa-required list, you need a visa as well as the card.
Where do I find my e-Pass after landing?
ICA emails it to the address in your SG Arrival Card after you clear immigration. You can also retrieve it from ICA's e-Pass Enquiry Portal using your D/E number or passport details.
Your next step: have us submit your SG Arrival Card
If you'd rather not fill in the card alone, start an SG Arrival Card assisted submission. Upload your passport bio page and add your trip details now, and we check them and submit the card to ICA once your three-day window opens. You can still file it free on the ICA website or MyICA app instead. Questions about timings or documents? See our FAQ.