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Singapore will be extending the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) to six more countries, including Thailand, in December.

This move was announced by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) on Friday (Nov. 26).

Extending VTL to six countries

The six new countries added to the VTL are Cambodia, Fiji, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Turkey.

These countries are classified by the Ministry of Health (MOH) as Category II countries. They have similar or lower Covid-19 incidence rates than Singapore and other VTL countries.

Travellers from Thailand will be able to enter Singapore under the VTL from Dec. 14, while travellers from the other five new countries may enter Singapore under the VTL from Dec. 16.

Short-term visitors and long-term pass holders will need to apply for a Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP) to enter Singapore under the VTL.

Applications for the Thailand VTL will open at 10am on Dec. 7.

Applications for the Cambodia, Fiji, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Turkey VTLs will open at 10am on Dec. 9.

Fully-vaccinated Singapore citizens and permanent residents, as well as and children aged 12 years and below in the calendar year, do not need to apply for a VTP to enter Singapore under the VTL.

CAAS also announced that with the latest extension, the VTL quota will also be increased from 10,000 to 15,000 travellers daily.

Short-term visitors who need a visa for travel to Singapore must separately obtain a visa, and are advised to do so after receiving their VTP approval and before departing for Singapore.

They must also purchase travel insurance, with a minimum coverage of S$30,000 for Covid-19- related medical treatment and hospitalisation costs, prior to travel to Singapore.

These visitors must also use the TraceTogether app in Singapore to facilitate contact tracing.

No quarantine under VTL

Under the VTL, fully vaccinated travellers from VTL countries may enter Singapore without quarantine, and only need to undergo Covid-19 testing.

Unvaccinated children aged 12 years and below in the calendar year will be allowed to travel under the VTL into Singapore if they are accompanied by a VTL traveller who meets all VTL requirements.

The conditions for entering Singapore under the VTL are the same for all VTL countries, and include:

• VTL travellers must have remained only in VTL countries or Category I countries/regions in the 14 days prior to departure to Singapore.
• All VTL travellers must take one pre-departure Covid-19 test within two days before departing for Singapore and get a negative result, and one on-arrival PCR test at Changi Airport, remaining self-isolated until their test is confirmed to be negative.
• All VTL travellers must be fully vaccinated.
• Travellers who are travelling to Singapore under the VTL must travel into Singapore on designated VTL flights.

The full conditions are available on the SafeTravel website.

27 total VTL countries

The successful implementation of the VTL without compromising public health has given CAAS the confidence to extend the scheme to more countries, said the agency.

The extension of the VTL to these six countries brings the total number of VTL countries from 21 to 27.

As of 11:59pm Nov. 25, CAAS has issued 79,335 VTPs for travellers from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (U.S.) for entry into Singapore between Sep. 8, 2021 and Jan. 27, 2022.

As at 11:59pm Nov. 25, 37,001 VTL travellers have entered Singapore.

These VTL travellers comprise 20,510 VTP holders who are short-term visitors or long-term pass holders, 14,788 Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents, and 1,703 children aged 12 years and below.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the 27 current VTL countries contributed to about 60 per cent of the total daily arrivals at Changi Airport, CAAS stated.

This latest extension will further broaden Changi’s network and help reclaim and rebuild Singapore’s status as an international aviation hub with global connectivity, CAAS said.

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Photo by Florian Wehde on Unsplash.