Transiting Through Singapore: SG Arrival Card, Visas and Layovers
If you stay in Changi Airport's transit area and do not clear Singapore immigration, you do not need an SG Arrival Card. If you leave the airport during a layover, or must collect bags or check in again, you clear immigration and must meet the entry requirements, SG Arrival Card included.
Verified: October 28, 2026
Leaving the airport on your layover?
Are you a transit passenger?
ICA defines transit travellers as people travelling to another country through Singapore without clearing Singapore arrival immigration. Changi Airport adds two conditions for a transfer within the airport: both flights in the same booking, and checked bags tagged through to the final destination.
| Your situation | Clear immigration? | SG Arrival Card? |
|---|---|---|
| One booking, bags checked through, staying airside | No | Not needed |
| Separate tickets, or bags not checked through | Usually yes, to collect bags and check in again | Needed |
| Airline makes you collect your onward ticket at check-in | Yes | Needed |
| Leaving the airport during a layover | Yes | Needed |
Staying airside at Changi
Follow the transfer signs
With a boarding pass for your next flight, follow the signs to your gate. Without one, go to the transfer desk area to get it.
Pass security screening
Passengers go through security screening before the boarding gate of the onward flight.
Use the transit facilities
Changi Airport's transit guide lists a hotel room you can book without clearing immigration, as well as lounges for the time between flights.
HSA says you do not need its approval for personal medicines containing controlled substances if you stay in the transit zone, or if you clear immigration without those medicines. Prohibited medicines are not covered by this.
Leaving the airport on a layover
- Submit the SG Arrival Card on one of three days: two days before arrival, one day before arrival, or on the arrival day. In the form, the purpose of travel list includes 1-day Transit/Visa Free Transit Facility (VFTF), and the accommodation options include Others: Transit or Day Trip.
- Meet all entry requirements: a passport valid for at least 6 months, and a visa if your travel document is on ICA's list or you do not qualify for the VFTF
- Allow time to clear immigration on the way out and on the way back in, with security screening before your gate
- Remember that customs rules apply once you enter Singapore, including the ban on vapes
Details are in Singapore entry requirements and who needs the SG Arrival Card. How the automated lanes work is in Singapore arrival and automated lanes.
The 96-hour Visa Free Transit Facility
Some travellers who would otherwise need a visa may stay up to 96 hours while in transit to or from a third country. ICA lists two groups, each with its own conditions:
| Who | Conditions listed by ICA |
|---|---|
| Nationals of India, and holders of the PRC Travel Document, Hong Kong SAR Document of Identity or Macao SAR Travel Permit | Enter by any mode; leave by air or sea with a valid onward ticket departing within 96 hours. Hold a valid visa or long-term pass for Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or the United States, valid for at least one month from entry into Singapore. |
| Nationals of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan | Enter by any mode; leave by air with a valid onward air ticket departing within 96 hours |
Your destination's rules still apply
ICA advises transit travellers to check what their destination country requires of travellers passing through Singapore. Carry your passport even where Singapore offers passport-less clearance, because your next country may need it.
SingaporeDigitalCard is an independent paid service, not ICA. It files SG Arrival Cards for foreign visitors who clear immigration, including on a layover. Passengers who stay airside do not need a card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an SG Arrival Card for a transit in Singapore?
No, if you stay in the transit area and do not clear Singapore immigration. Yes, if you clear immigration, for example to leave the airport or to collect bags and check in again.
Can I leave Changi Airport during a layover?
Only by clearing immigration. You then need to meet Singapore's entry requirements, including the SG Arrival Card and a visa if your travel document requires one.
My two flights are on separate tickets. Am I a transit passenger?
Usually not. Changi Airport's transit conditions are one booking and bags tagged through to the final destination. If you must collect bags or check in again, you clear immigration and need the SG Arrival Card. Ask your airline if unsure.
Who can use the 96-hour Visa Free Transit Facility?
ICA lists nationals of India, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and the Commonwealth of Independent States, and holders of certain PRC documents, subject to conditions such as an onward ticket within 96 hours. ICA officers decide on entry.
Sources checked
- ICA: Transiting Through Singapore · October 28, 2026
- ICA: Visa Free Transit Facility · October 28, 2026
- ICA: SG Arrival Card (SGAC) with Electronic Health Declaration · October 28, 2026
- Changi Airport: Transit Guide · October 28, 2026
- Changi Airport: Arrival Immigration · October 28, 2026
- ICA media release: Passport-less Clearance Fully Rolled-Out at Changi Airport · October 28, 2026
- HSA: Personal medications · October 28, 2026
- ICA: Visa requirements · October 28, 2026
- ICA: SG Arrival Card e-Service (visitor form, observed 28 October 2026) · October 28, 2026
Leaving the airport on your layover?
SingaporeDigitalCard is an independent paid service, not ICA. We review your SG Arrival Card details and file inside ICA's window. The card is free if you submit it yourself with ICA.