SINGAPORE, Dec 21 — About 41,800 foreigners were denied entry at Singapore’s checkpoints between January and November 2025, a steep rise that has prompted authorities to enlist airlines in stopping ineligible travellers before they even board flights to the Republic.
Figures cited by The Straits Times show the total for the first 11 months of 2025 was nearly 26 per cent higher than the whole of 2024, and 46 per cent more than in 2023.
From January 2026, Singapore will roll out a no-boarding directive (NBD) with carriers including Singapore Airlines, Scoot, Emirates, Turkish Airlines and AirAsia. More airlines are expected to join from March.
Under the system, airlines will receive boarding instructions after passenger details are screened through the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), allowing them to stop travellers found to be ineligible from boarding flights to Singapore.
ICA deputy assistant commissioner Joe Tan said the move pushes border controls “upstream”, using advance passenger information and data analytics to flag high-risk, prohibited or undesirable travellers even before arrival.
“We do not deny travellers entry simply because they are identified to be high-risk upstream. These travellers are stopped at our automated lanes upon arrival for further checks,” he said.
Many of those refused entry this year were detected through new clearance systems, including automated lanes with counter-forgery detection and biometric screening that can uncover impersonation or the use of multiple identities.
Tan said the NBD addresses weaknesses in current airline checks, which rely heavily on visual passport inspection.
“This process is prone to human error,” he said, adding that airlines often cannot verify visas or confirm arrival card submissions on their own.
NBDs will be issued only when ICA is fully certain a traveller is barred from entering Singapore. Those affected must seek ICA approval before arranging new travel.
The approach mirrors systems already used in the United States and Australia, and ICA said land checkpoints will remain covered through mandatory arrival card submissions.
