It may have been a while since we last travelled overseas, but 1 of the things we’ll remember is having our passport stamped at immigration.
Travel junkies would even take pleasure in flipping through their passports to gaze at their collection of stamps from different countries.
However, foreign visitors to Singapore will no longer have the pleasure of adding our country’s stamp to their collection, as it has been phased out.
In its place will be electronic visit passes (e-Passes).
The move was announced in a media release by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Friday (11 Mar).
The e-Pass will be issued to all foreign visitors on short-term visit passes.
They will be in lieu of “inked endorsements” – i.e. immigration stamps – in their passports, which will gradually stop being used.
This is part of ICA’s aim “to provide a more secure, safer and more seamless immigration clearance as Singapore gradually reopens its borders”.
The e-Pass system was started on 10 Oct 2021 at Changi Airport, the ICA said.
It has since been extended to all checkpoints in Singapore on Friday (11 Mar).
Foreign visitors will get their e-Pass via email after they’ve cleared immigration.
It’ll be sent to the address they declare in their SG Arrival Cards.
The e-Pass will include:
While there’s no more physical stamp in their passport, having an e-Pass carries some benefits, the ICA said.
One of them is that foreign visitors will “no longer have to worry about the lack of pages in their passports to accommodate immigration stamps”.
They’ll also be able to conveniently get their e-Pass info at any time, via the ICA’s SG Arrival Card e-Service platform.
The ICA has also added an e-Pass Enquiry Portal to the SG Arrival Card e-Service platform, to support the rollout of e-Passes.
At that portal, foreign visitors can check their short-term visit pass records by keying in their Disembarkation/Embarkation number.
This number should’ve been given to them after they submitted their SG Arrival Card application.
Visitors can also submit their SG Arrival Card and electronic health declaration before arriving in Singapore via the 1-stop SG Arrival Card e-Service platform.
Foreign visitors to Singapore are reminded to provide an accurate and valid email address when applying for an SG Arrival Card at least 3 days before their arrival.
For foreign visitors who don’t have email accounts, they can provide a proxy email of their family members who’re travelling with them, the ICA said.
Foreigners must also get a valid Singapore visa, if necessary, and any relevant entry approvals in accordance with prevailing border control and health protocols.
For travellers who enjoy collecting physical stamps in their passport, it might seem disappointing that Singapore’s will become a thing of the past.
However, the move was inevitable as Singapore keeps pace with the relentless march of digitalisation.
Hopefully, those who haven’t yet obtained an email address will get used to it soon.
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Featured image adapted from ConvertKit at Unsplash.
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