Singapore will extend the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme to Australia and Switzerland for entry into Singapore on and after Nov. 8, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) on Oct. 26.

VTL for entry to Singapore extended

Under the VTL, fully vaccinated travellers from these countries may enter Singapore without quarantine and just need to undergo Covid-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing.

Children aged 12 years and below who are not vaccinated will be allowed to travel under the VTL into Singapore if they are accompanied by a VTL traveller who meets all VTL requirements.

The VTL is for entry into Singapore.

For entry into Australia and Switzerland, travellers are advised to check the entry requirements of the respective countries.

CAAS also urges all travellers to exercise care and caution especially when travelling with young children.

VTL first launched for Brunei and Germany

The VTL was launched on Sep. 8 for Brunei Darussalam and Germany.

As at Oct. 25, 290 travellers from Brunei Darussalam and 6,226 travellers from Germany have been issued VTPs for travel to Singapore between Sep. 8 and Nov. 30.

Of these, 152 VTP holders from Brunei Darussalam and 3,610 from Germany have entered Singapore.

The VTL was extended to eight other countries, namely Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States from Oct. 19.

As at 11:59pm on Oct. 25. 8,583 travellers from these countries have been issued VTPs for travel to Singapore between Oct. 19 and Nov. 30. Of these, 1,372 VTP holders have entered Singapore.

The VTL will be extended to the Republic of Korea (ROK) for entry into Singapore on or after Nov. 15.

CAAS to continue monitoring progress of VTL

CAAS said the successful implementation of the VTL scheme has given them the experience and confidence to extend it to more countries.

They said they will continue to do so in a cautious and step-by-step manner without compromising public health.

They explained that first, both Australia and Switzerland are in Category II of the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) Country/Region Classification for Border Measures.

They have similar or lower Covid-19 incidence rates than Singapore and the other VTL countries.

Second, they said Singapore is opening to them with a key set of essential safeguards, including proof of vaccination and testing.

Third, CAAS will keep the numbers manageable through the VTL quotas.

With the commencement of the VTLs for Australia and Switzerland, they will increase the current VTL quotas by 1,000, from up to 3,000 to up to 4,000 travellers daily.

In addition, they will monitor the progress of the scheme closely before deciding on any further increases in capacity.

What are the VTL requirements?

All travellers entering Singapore under the VTL will have to comply with the prevailing VTL requirements:

Travel History

VTL travellers must have remained in one or more of the VTL countries in the last 14 consecutive days prior to departure to Singapore.

If the traveller has been in Singapore within those last 14 days, his/her stay in Singapore can be counted towards fulfilling this 14-day travel history requirement.

Testing

All VTL travellers must take two Covid-19 PCR tests:

• A pre-departure test within 48 hours before departing to Singapore and obtain a negative test result; and
• An on-arrival test at Changi Airport and remain self-isolated until their test result is confirmed to be negative.

Children aged two years and below in the calendar year are not required to undergo these tests.

Vaccination

Vaccination is a key safeguard of the VTL for safe quarantine-free travel without compromising public health.

All VTL travellers must have been fully vaccinated and present their proof of vaccination issued in any VTL country or Singapore, regardless of which VTL country the traveller departs from.

Singapore requires proof of vaccination that is digitally readable and verifiable, to authenticate that the certificate is issued by a trusted issuer and belongs to the VTL traveller.

Children aged 12 years and below in the calendar year6 are not required to present a proof of vaccination to enter Singapore under the VTL if they are accompanied by a VTL traveller who meets all VTL requirements for entry into Singapore.

Designated VTL Flights

Travellers who are travelling to Singapore under the VTL must travel into Singapore on designated VTL flights.

They may transit via another VTL country to take a designated VTL flight into Singapore.

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