Singapore embassies don’t issue visas. All visa categories are issued by accredited companies that are official partners of the Republic of Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA). To apply for a visa, you should prepare the following documents:

- electronic copy of international passport that expires no later than 6 months after the end of intended trip. The passport must have at least one blank page for the stamp about crossing the border;

- scan-copy of a color photograph on light one-color background, in jpeg format, 400x514 pixels. The photo must be made no earlier than three months prior to submitting visa application;

- filled out on-line application. You can fill it out on the website of the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (http://www.ica.gov.sg);

- copy or confirmation of booking a round-trip ticket;

- hotel booking confirmation, received via Internet or scanned; in case of private visit – scanned invitation from Singapore citizen or a foreign citizen legally residing in the country, or from a company registered in the country;

- insurance policy with minimum coverage amount of 50 000 US Dollar is optional, but desirable. Sometimes an insurance with wider range of coverage is required.

It is advisable to contact the ICA partner company in your country, and to specify the full list of required documents before submitting visa application.

Decision on issuance of a visa is generally made within 7 days, depending on visa type. Afterwards, a confirmation of visa in PDF format with unique identification number is sent to the e-mail address specified in the application. Visa sticker is not pasted in applicant’s passport. It is enough to print out visa confirmation on a separate sheet of paper (A4) and then present it at the passport control.

Citizens of the USA, the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and of most European countries don’t need visa to enter Singapore. Given valid pass that expires no later than 6 month after the end of intended trip, travelers from these states automatically receive a tourist visa at the border. Visitors coming by plane receive visa for 30 days, and those arriving by surface transport or by sea – for 14 days.

Citizens of the following countries, who plan a trip to Singapore, have to obtain visa in advance: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Myanmar, Nigeria, Russia, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Other countries whose nationals need a visa to enter Singapore are Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen.

Tourists from the mentioned countries are allowed to enter Singapore without a valid visa, if they are traveling en route to the third country. The necessary condition is a confirmed air ticket and a valid visa for the destination country. Transit travelers are allowed to stay in Singapore without a visa for up to 96 hours.

You have a right to apply for extension of Singapore visa only if you haven’t extended the term of your stay in the country before, want to extend it for no more than 89 days from the moment of crossing the border, and the term of your stay in Singapore expires no less than in three working days after submission of application.

The extension of foreign residents’ term of stay in Singapore is under jurisdiction of the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA). It is possible to extend visa remotely via the official ICA website. In order to do this, you need scanned copies of your international passport that expires no later than 6 months after the end of intended trip, and of immigration card, which you filled out entering to Singapore, as well as a copy or booking confirmation of return ticket. In some cases, a local sponsor, who must be either a citizen of Singapore older than 21 years or a person legally residing in the country, is required. Having all the necessary data, you need to fill out a form on the ICA website.

If you don’t succeed in extending your visa through the website, you should personally come to the office of Republic of Singapore Immigration and Checkpoint Authority.

The decision about visa extension is usually taken within one working day. The confirmation about extension of the period of stay in Singapore must be subsequently printed out on A4 sheet of paper.

The cost of visa extension services is 30 SGD.

Three basic types of Singapore visa are distinguished depending on foreign residents’ term of stay: short-term, transit and long-term.

The most widespread and asked-for visas are the short-term ones, which can be of three kinds: tourist, guest and business. They, in turn, are subdivided into single and multiple ones. If you apply for a tourist visa, Singapore usually issues multiple visa allowing to stay in the country for 35 days.

Singapore visa costs 30 SGD.

Currency. There are no restrictions on currency import in Singapore. At the same time, if you intend to import more than 30 000 SGD (including traveler’s checks), you have to declare this sum.

Alcohol and tobacco goods. A tax is imposed upon cigarettes and any other tobacco products, imported into the territory of Singapore. Customs duty for each pack of cigarettes makes up 7 SGD. The receipt for payment must be retained until the end of the trip, at that.

Remember that, according to local law, any cigarette in the country must have a special marking SDPC (Singapore Duty-Paid Cigarettes) near the filter. Owners of cigarettes that don’t have such marking or the receipt for duty payment will have to pay a fine of 500 SGD per pack.

As to alcohol, it is allowed to import no more than 1 liter of wine, 1 liter of beer or 1 liter of strong drinks (only duty free) per person older than 18 years, who comes not from Malaysia, in Singapore.

Goods. Electrical appliances cosmetics, watches, photo and video cameras, jewelry (except for fraud), footwear, items of applied arts and toys can be imported in Singapore duty-free.

Medicines. If you regularly take certain medications, you can bring them to Singapore only if you have special prescription from a doctor confirming necessity of their continued use. It applies in particular to sleeping pills, antidepressants and stimulants. Make sure that label and medicine’s name is clearly visible on drug’s packaging.

It is prohibited to import into the territory of Singapore: any narcotic and psychotropic substances (punishment is the death penalty), chewing gums (except for dental and medical ones); toy coins and banknotes, lighters and toys shaped as a pistol; explosives (including petards, firecrackers and fireworks); pornographic materials; counterfeit goods; meat products.

It is allowed to export unlimited amount of currency, including cash, traveler’s checks and securities, from Singapore.

Special permission is required in order to export weapons (including souvenir swords and Malay daggers), explosives, animals, poisons, medicines, precious stones, DVDs, photos and videotapes, as well as jewelry in quantities exceeding personal needs, from the country.

It is forbidden to export works of art and antiques from Singapore without permission of corresponding authorities. In order to export these items, a certificate from the Ministry of Economy is required.