Travelling to the Lion City just became a whole lot easier, with Singapore dropping a number of onerous restrictions for passengers under the ‘Vaccinated Travel Lane’ (VTL). From 22 February 2022, new VTL arrivals won’t need to fork out for a PCR test, isolate on arrival or do daily rapid antigen tests (RATs).
Plus, Australia is throwing open international borders for all visa holders from 21 February 2022, and you only need a negative RAT before entering Australia. International travel is certainly on the rebound.
The VTL is also expanding to include Hong Kong, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE from 25 February, with Israel and the Philippines to join from 4 March 2022.
Here’s the latest on Singapore’s VTL arrangements with Australia.
What is Singapore’s Vaccinated Travel Lane?
Singapore’s VTL is an arrangement with individual countries to allow fully-vaccinated travellers access to quarantine-free travel. You can book a flight to Singapore as either a VTL or non-VTL flight.
If you hop on a VTL flight to Singapore, as long as you’ve met all the requirements, you won’t need to quarantine upon arrival. But only fully-vaccinated travellers are allowed on VTL flights, and you’ll need to show necessary proof.
It’s important to note that the Singapore Government runs the Vaccinated Travel Lane, not Singapore Airlines. Therefore, Qantas and Jetstar have also implemented their own VTL flights to Singapore.
Travellers on non-VTL flights will need to ensure they meet Singapore’s entry requirements, and will usually have to undertake a period of quarantine.
Who is eligible for Singapore’s Vaccinated Travel Lane?
If you want to fly on a VTL flight to Singapore soon, you’ll need to meet the following basic requirements. As always, see the Singapore Government website for the latest details in case of any last-minute changes.
From 22 Feb 2022 onwards:
- Have spent the last seven days in VTL-approved countries only, including transit stops. Departing from Australia, that should be easy. But if you’re overseas, be mindful of which countries you visit.
- Be fully vaccinated with two shots of a WHO-approved vaccine (or one shot of Johnson & Johnson). Children under 12 years of age are exempt, if accompanied by a fully-vaccinated adult on the VTL flight.
- Have your final dose completed at least 14 days prior to entry in Singapore. At this stage, it appears booster shots are not required to enter Singapore under the VTL.
- Provide a vaccination certificate in English, issued by the VTL country. See our guide on how to download your vaccination passport from MyGov or Medicare.
- Take out travel insurance with at least SGD$30,000 coverage for COVID illness.
- Apply for a Singapore Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP) up to three days before arrival. This covers 13 calendar days of entry if you happen to change your flight.
- Download and use the Singapore TraceTogether app (and also keep it for 21 days after leaving).
- Take a pre-departure COVID PCR or rapid antigen test within 48 hours of flight departure.
- If you’re exiting Singapore Changi Airport (not transiting), conduct a supervised self-administered RAT (SDG$15) at a designated testing centre within 24 hours of arrival.
That’s quite a list! But meet the requirements, and you’ll be downing Singapore Slings and tucking into a steaming plate of satay sticks or chicken rice in no time.
What about the VTL COVID testing requirements?
A typical traveller from Australia who visits Singapore and returns back should expect to undertake at least three COVID rapid antigen tests. Both countries now don’t require PCR tests, though you can still do one if you wish.
- Before departure from Australia: PCR or RAT within two days before departure to Singapore.
- On arrival in Singapore: RAT within 24 hours of arrival in Singapore.
- Before departure from Singapore: PCR (three days) or RAT (24 hours) before departure to Australia.
The on-arrival rapid antigen test costs SDG$15 (AU$15.50) per person and can be done at a designated test centre. But for the RAT you do before heading back to Australia, you do need to get it done at a lab that can provide you with a written negative result for Australian border purposes.
What VTL flights are there from Australia?
At the time of writing, most Singapore Airlines and Scoot flights – plus all Qantas and Jetstar flights to Singapore – are covered under the VTL.
Melbourne to Singapore VTL flights
- Singapore Airlines SQ218 (Airbus A350-900)
- Singapore Airlines SQ228 (Airbus A350-900)
- Scoot TR19 (Boeing 787)
- All Qantas flights
Sydney to Singapore VTL flights
- Singapore Airlines SQ212 (Airbus A350-900, then Boeing 777-300ER from 2 Dec)
- Singapore Airlines SQ222 (Boeing 777-300ER, then Airbus A380 from 1 Dec)
- Scoot TR13 (Boeing 787)
- All Qantas flights
What about lounges in Singapore?
Qantas will open its bigger Singapore Business lounge first, due to capacity restraints. That means travellers will have to wait a bit longer to enjoy the beautiful David Caon-crafted Singapore First lounge, which was closed all-too-soon by the pandemic.
Singapore Airlines is still renovating its SilverKris and KrisFlyer lounges in Terminal 3 of Changi Airport. At this stage, the new SilverKris Business Class lounge is partially open. This means Virgin Australia’s Gold and Platinum frequent flyers will enjoy better lounge service, for now.
(Confused? Singapore Airlines’ SilverKris lounges are the airline’s premier offering for Business and First Class passengers, as well as PPS Club members. The KrisFlyer Gold lounges are a step-down and cater for Economy and Premium Economy passengers with relevant Star Alliance, Velocity or partner Gold status and higher).
Summing up
The Singapore VTL arrangement is a great option for anyone in Australia who is either itching for a holiday or eager to reconnect with loved ones. With Singapore dropping PCR testing, international travel to the city-state is now cheaper and easier.
With the Australian government also opening international borders from 21 February, we should see flight schedules gradually increase over the year. From the points side of things, we’ll finally have some great flights to redeem our hard-earned points on. Business and First Class, here we come!
Flying to Europe end of July 2022 with Singapore Airlines.
Our layover period is 1.5 hours in Transit @ Changi Airport.
we are on a VTL flight.
Besides being double triple vaccinated what are the requirements to enter terminal airport building?
Best to wait and see closer to the date, as restrictions may ease more by then. It seems you’re fine as it is.
My wife and I are planning a Singapore trip in December 2022. Was planning on trying to a book a Qantas Rewards Flight with points. At the moment availability appears slim with next to nothing on business and first class. Would you advise waiting for further flights to open up? Or book what’s available now?
With flexible Classic Rewards, I would consider booking what you can now and changing to a better flight option if one opens up closer to departure.
Is there a list of travel insurance policies that cover the required $30k?
Hi, thanks for the info. If returning to Victoria, covid tests on arrival are free via govt sites according to the information here. They also suggest two tests are needed, first within 24hrs & the second on day 6!
https://service.vic.gov.au/services/border-permit/home
If anyone has had experience with the testing process on returning, would love to hear about it.
Hi Jamie, thanks for the link! We will update our guide.
Excellent article, I followed the process step by step and now ready to go. Thank you for listing the requirements and explaining the process so well.
Link to travel insurance is here: https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/health/travelinsurance
is this the same for transit only, or do we need to stay in Singapore.
Hi Craig, this link should help you out:
https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/arriving/overview
Hi Brandon,
For vaccinated Sydneysiders arriving in Singapore on a VTL flight can you clarify what happens after taking the on-arrival PCR test at Changi Airport.
1. Do we have to stay at specific hotels until the results of the PCR tests are available? OR
2. If we’re staying with relatives, can we go straight to their home from Changi Airport?
3. Can we catch cabs to our destination?
Thanks for your clarification.
Hi Helen, this page will offer you all the answers:
https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/vtl/faq#OAT
I’ve got a flight booked in early January to Singapore with Cathay Pacific purchased with Qantas frequent flyer points. On my way to London. Stopover in Singapore 4 days. Will this be a problem?
Hi, it depends on Singapore’s restrictions at the time. It should be okay, but you would need to do the on-arrival PCR test at Changi Airport if you want to stay in Singapore rather than transiting.
Thank you Brandon. Appreciate the reply.
What implications for travelling from UK to Australia on an Australian passport via Singapore on separate tickets meaning one has to clear luggage and immigration arriving and exiting from the same terminal?
This is not transitting but transferring?
Hi Valda, it depends on Singapore’s restrictions at the time. Right now, it would not be a good idea to travel via Singapore on separate tickets. If you need to clear immigration to collect your luggage, you must do the on-arrival PCR test at Changi Airport and isolate until you get your results. This is obviously not a good idea if you’re catching a flight later on.
Depending on what airlines the two tickets are on, you might be able to get Airline 1 to interline your bags onto Airline 2’s flights. But there needs to be a partnership in place, and it doesn’t always work. A safer option would be to cancel and rebook with the transit in Singapore on one ticket.
As of November 1, Qantas have started to drip feed some info on the Singapore VTL, but they STILL haven’t put up their timetables with what will be confirmed VTL flights.
I live in Singapore, and am doing a VTL trip to France shortly.
Advice for all: Do NOT book any tickets with Qantas until you see confirmed VTL flights posted, and it’s made explicitly clear they are VTL flights. Otherwise, go with Singapore Airlines.
Additionally, it would be unlikely that Qantas will get a daily flight from both Melbourne and Sydney. SQ/Scoot have already got 6 VTL flights a day from Australia. The Australia VTL route is already the busiest (timetable wise) in the VTL network.
Why this is important? Because there are only 4000 VTP slots a day for foreigners entering Singapore, and SQ have the lions share of seats.
It also means you should get your VTP as soon as you book or you might just miss out.
Are you sure about the transit countries. MileLion seems to point out that transit countries no longer count?
From 27 October, Singapore will no longer include transit countries when assessing a traveller’s 14-day travel history. Here’s the implications.
“While these are no doubt exciting developments, there was something else that caught my eye. Buried in the footnotes of MOH’s press release was this little gem (emphasis mine):
14-day travel history does not include the time spent in countries/ regions whereby traveller transits enroute to Singapore. It does include the time spent in Singapore by traveller before embarking on the overseas travel (if any). This does not apply for travellers under the Vaccinated Travel Lane. For the travel history requirements under the Vaccinated Travel Lane, please check the SafeTravel website for details.”
Hi there, I’ve just booked a return flight (QF81 and QF82) from the 23 to 28 November with Qantas – do these qualify for VTL status? And therefore no need to quarantine? Thanks!
Hi Jer! Qantas has not yet announced its participation in VTL. But we expect an update soon and will update this guide once it happens.
Hi Brandon, I believe Qantas has just updated and said that all flights after 21 Nov are VTL listed.
Do you have information on any of the common PointsHack promoted credit cards having complementary insurance that would cover COVID costs up to SGD$30,000?
Or otherwise where affordable travel insurance is obtainable?
Hi Bill, I’m not aware of any rewards cards that offer the necessary COVID cover, as most will exclude pandemics at the moment. Your best bet is a third-party policy and we are investigating those currently.
It’s so pathetic : getting excited over a travel bubble with Singapore (yawn) MAYBE in late 2022. 80% vaccinated. Never. So we’re stuck in this hokey place for good? Until the next election? Years? I’m leaving next year. And I thought bike helmets and pool fences were a sign I lived in a paternalistic stupid country.
Trying to eradicate the virus is indeed fanciful. Better to learn to live with it.
And less lockdowns mean more travel and a chance for. small businesses to recover.
You’re survey should have had options to do with the vaccine… that’s the real issue.
I think people are finally waking up to this farce.
Covid and the vaccine are total bs.
I’m glad I escaped the Australia Prison before they welded the doors shut.
Anyhow now this movie just plays out until the rest see what’s going on.
Smart Kid Kyron. Love from the EU and best wishes ahead!