SINGAPORE: Ranging from Jan 30, 2026, Singapore will probably be streamlining the method of entry into the city-state, following a record-high quantity of people that have been refused entry from January to November of this yr.
Numbers cited in a report from The Straits Occasions on Sunday (Dec 21) confirmed that for the primary 11 months of the yr, 41,800 foreigners have been disallowed from coming into Singapore’s borders. This determine is nearly 26% larger than all of final yr and 46% larger than in 2023.
Subsequent yr, issues are set to turn out to be much more tough for high-risk travellers who intend to come back to Singapore.
In late November, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) stated that starting from Jan 30 subsequent yr, it is going to be issuing No-Boarding Directive (NBD) notices to airline operators at Changi and Seletar Airports. That is “to stop undesirable or prohibited immigrants, and those that don’t meet Singapore’s entry necessities, from boarding flights sure for Singapore.”
Importantly, these NBD notices are supposed to improve Singapore’s border safety.
In the mean time, high-risk travellers to Singapore are recognized earlier than they arrive at checkpoints via the usage of superior traveller info, together with info offered within the SG Arrival Card (SGAC), flight manifests, and different sources of knowledge.
When these travellers arrive, they’re subjected to even stricter checks when clearing immigration.
By subsequent month, nevertheless, ICA will start issuing NBD notices to airways in opposition to recognized prohibited or undesirable travellers. When these airways obtain such notices, they need to not enable these travellers to board their flight to Singapore.
Other than recognized prohibited or undesirable travellers, NBD notices may be issued in opposition to travellers who fail to satisfy the city-state’s necessities for entry, which embody having a journey doc with not less than six months’ validity in addition to a legitimate visa.
“The NBD permits ICA to stop recognized prohibited or undesirable travellers whom we’re conscious from advance traveller info that they’re headed to Singapore, from boarding the flight for Singapore. This strengthens Singapore’s border safety by maintaining potential threats from reaching our shores within the first place,” ICA added.
From subsequent month onward, Singapore Airways, Scoot, Emirates, Turkish Airways, and AirAsia will probably be implementing NBDs to stop travellers from boarding their flights. By March, different airways will observe, ST added.
If a traveller is disallowed from boarding their flight to Singapore, however they nonetheless wish to journey to the city-state, they might write to ICA (by way of the ICA Suggestions Channel) to hunt approval for entry, earlier than they organize a brand new flight to Singapore. /TISG
Learn additionally: New path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants on the drafting board
