SINGAPORE, Aug 14 — Foreign visitors travelling here on selected transport operators can now submit electronic arrival cards up to 14 days before they reach Singapore.

This means that these visitors will need to produce only their passports for immigration clearance upon arrival — instead of filling out paper arrival cards — as their details will already be in the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA’s) system.

The move, announced by the ICA today, is part of the authority’s new "SG Arrival Card” e-service, which went on trial last October, and has now been extended to visitors travelling via certain airlines, coaches and ferries. 

Previously, only visitors approached by ICA officers in person upon arrival were given the option to fill in the e-arrival card, TODAY understands. 

Selected transport carriers

Visitors travelling with these transport companies are eligible for e-arrival cards, said ICA:

Airlines: AirAsia, Jetstar Asia, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines

Coach: Transtar Travel

Ferries: BatamFast Ferries, Bintan Resort Ferries, Horizon Fast Ferry and Majestic Fast Ferry

All other visitors will still have to complete paper disembarkation or embarkation cards upon arrival. 

E-service on mobile app and online

The SG Arrival Card e-service is available on both the ICA’s website and as a mobile application.

Users of the mobile app can simply scan their passport biodata pages, instead of manually keying in the information, said ICA.

It added that the app can also store previously submitted information for subsequent trips to Singapore.

Paperless immigration clearance by 2021

ICA said that the e-service is part of its move to improve the immigration clearance process for foreign visitors, adding that it plans to completely replace paper-based immigration clearance forms by 2021. 

The authority said it will be studying the results of the trial and it will "progressively extend” the e-service to all foreign visitors. — TODAY