How To Get In Singapore - Travel Guide

The majority of nationalities can enter Singapore without a visa. Refer to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority for current guidelines, including a list of the 30+ nationalities that are required to obtain a visa in advance. Entry permit duration (in most cases either 14 or 30 days) depends on nationality and entry point.

Singapore has very strict drug laws, and drug trafficking carries a mandatory death penalty — which is also applied to foreigners. As always, travellers should take care with their baggage and secure it appropriately. The paranoid might also like to note that in Singapore, it is an offense even to have any drug metabolites in your system, even if they were consumed outside Singapore. Hippie types may expect a little extra attention from Customs, but getting a shave and a haircut is no longer a condition for entry.

Duty free allowances for alcohol are 1L of spirits, 1L of wine and 1L of beer per person. Alcohol may not be brought in by persons under the age of 18. Note that cigarettes cannot be brought in duty free. One opened packet (not carton!) is acceptable, but anything more will be taxed. Foreigners can opt to pay the tax or let the customs officers keep the cigarettes until the next departure; locals get to choose between paying or witnessing the cigarettes being destroyed.

Publications by the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Unification Church may not be imported to Singapore.

By plane

Singapore is one of southeast Asia's largest aviation hubs, so unless you're coming from Peninsular Malaysia or Batam/Bintan in Indonesia, the easiest way to enter Singapore is by air. In addition to flagship carrier Singapore Airlines  and its regional subsidiary SilkAir, Singapore is also home to Tiger Airways, and Jetstar Asia , which recently took over Valuair.
 
Changi Airport

As befits the country's main airport and major regional hub status, Changi Airport (SIN)  is big, nice, and well organized, and immigration and baggage distribution is remarkably fast. There are currently three terminals: Singapore Airlines and most Star Alliance partners operate from Terminal 2 (T2), whereas most other airlines use Terminal 1 (T1). The two are connected by a free "Skytrain" shuttle service, or you can just walk directly across. The separate Budget Terminal currently handles only Tiger and Cebu Pacific flights and is connected to T2 by free shuttle bus.

If you have over five hours to spare there are free city tours six times a day. Check in at the Singapore Visitor Centre in either terminal. Even if stuck in the airport there are plenty of ways to kill time, including a movie theater (T2) and a swimming pool and jacuzzi (T1). Internet access is provided free of charge, both wirelessly and via some 200 terminals, there are some X-Boxes set up to keep gamers entertained, and there's live lounge music at times. Food options are varied and generally reasonably priced, with some choice picks including the Peranakan-themed Soup Restaurant (T2 landside) and Sakae Sushi (T2 airside). The free fortnightly Changi Express paper "contains news and information on events and happenings around Asia Pacific, in Singapore, and at Changi Airport".

Both terminals T1 and T2 have airside (i.e., accessible without passing through immigration) transit hotels on their third floors - tel. +65-6541-9106 or book online via the Ambassador Transit Hotel [12] website. A six-hour "block" for a single/double/triple costs $57.75/64.70/86.65, budget singles (shared bathroom) $40.45, extensions $13.90 per hour. You can rent a shower (without a room) to freshen up for $8.40. The Plaza Premier Lounges [13] in both terminals also offer a basic but functional gym with shower for $8.40 with a Singapore Airlines boarding pass. There is also payphone by SingTel and StarHub providing free local call without a time limit.

From the airport there are a number of ways to get into the city:

Taxi (cab) is easiest - simply follow the signs after clearing customs. Meters are always used in Singapore and prices are reasonable. A trip to the city will be between $20 and $30 (including $3-5 airport surcharge, but excluding the midnight to 6: AM +50% surcharge if applicable).
Limousines charge a flat $35 to anywhere in the city and are a pretty good deal after midnight, as you can skip the queue and avoid the surcharge. The same pricing applies to chartering van-sized MaxiCabs, which are good for large families or if you have lots of baggage.

Shuttle - six-seater MaxiCab shuttle service to designated areas/hotels costs $7.00 and can be booked in advance or in the arrivals hall. 6 AM to 2 AM, every 15 to 30 minutes.

Subway - MRT trains run from T2, although you must cross the platform to a city-bound train at Tanah Merah. The 30-minute ride to City Hall station costs $1.40 plus a refundable $1 deposit, and trains run from 5:31 AM to 11:18 PM. All stations except Buona Vista station have elevators.

Bus - bus terminals can be found in the basements of both T1 and T2. 6 AM to midnight only. Fares are sub-$2.00, exact fare required (no change given).

Seletar Airport

Berjaya Air flights to the Malaysian islands of Redang and Tioman use Seletar (XSP), not Changi (SIN). The only practical means of access to Seletar is taxi; trips from the airport incur a $3 surcharge.

By road
Singapore is linked by two land crossings to Peninsular Malaysia:-

The Causeway is a very popular and thus terminally congested entry point connecting Woodlands in the north of Singapore directly into the heart of Johor Bahru. While congestion isn't as bad as it once was, the Causeway is still jam-packed on Friday evenings (towards Malaysia) and Sunday evenings (towards Singapore). The Causeway can be crossed by bus, train, taxi, car or foot.

A second crossing between Malaysia and Singapore, known imaginatively as the Second Link, has been built between Tuas in western Singapore and Tanjung Kupang in the western part of Johor state. Much faster and less congested than the Causeway, it is used by some of the luxury bus services to Kuala Lumpur and is strongly recommended if you have your own car. There is no public transport across the Second Link, and only Malaysian "limousine" taxis are allowed to cross it (and charge RM150 and up for the privilege). Walking across is also not allowed, not that there would be any practical means to continue the journey from either end if you did.
Driving into Singapore with a foreign-registered car is rather complicated and expensive.

You will need to purchase a S$10 AutoPass (AP) card and use it to pay a Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) of S$20 per day (weekdays only) and either rent an In-vehicle Unit (IU) for payment of road pricing charges or pay a flat fee of S$5 per day. The procedure is made simpler for Peninsular Malaysia-registered cars. Besides getting the AutoPass, they only need to show that they have valid road tax and Malaysian insurance coverage. Other foreign cars need a Vehicle Registration Certificate, Customs Document (Carnet), Vehicle Insurance purchased from a Singapore-based insurance company and an International Circulation Permit.

When bringing in a Peninsular Malaysia-registered car, go through immigration first and get your passport stamped. Then proceed (follow the Red Lane) to buy the AutoPass from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) office. At the parking area, an LTA officer will verify your car, road tax and insurance cover note and issue you a small chit of paper which you take to the LTA counter. Fill in a form and then go to the counter to buy the AutoPass and/or rent the IU. Once that is done, proceed to customs where you will have to open the boot for inspection. After that, you are free to go anywhere in Singapore. Any VEP fees, road pricing charges and tolls will be deducted from your AutoPass when you exit Singapore. This is done by slotting the AutoPass into the reader at the immigration counter while you get your passport stamped. This procedure however does NOT apply to other foreign-registered cars. Customs clearance is required before those cars can be brought into Singapore.

From 1 June 2005, all foreign registered cars and motorcycles can be driven in Singapore for a maximum of 10 days in each calendar year without paying VEP fees. After the 10 VEP free days have been utilised, VEP fees for subsequent days are chargeable if you continue to use or drive your foreign-registered car or motorcycle during VEP operating hours.

See the LTA's Driving Into & Out of Singapore guide for the today's bureaucratic details.

Driving into Malaysia from Singapore is relatively uncomplicated, although small tolls are charged for both crossing and (for the Second Link) the adjoining expressway. Do be sure to change some ringgit before crossing, as Singapore dollars are accepted only at the unfavorable rate of 1:1.

In both directions, note that rental cars will frequently ban or charge extra for crossing the border.

By bus
Direct to/from Malaysian destinations There are buses to/from Kuala Lumpur (KL) and many other destinations in Malaysia through the Woodlands Checkpoint and the Second Link at Tuas. Unfortunately, there is no central bus terminal and different companies leave from all over the city. Major operators include:

Aeroline, tel. +603-62588800 (Malaysia), [15]. Luxury buses with meal on-board, power sockets, lounge area etc, to KL and Petaling Jaya from $47 one-way. Departures from HarbourFront Centre.
NiCE, tel. +65-62565755, [16]. Executive express buses to KL. Normal NiCE buses RM60, extra-roomy double-decker NiCE 2 buses $47. Departures from Copthorne Orchid Hotel on Dunearn Rd.
Transnasional, tel. +602-62947034 (Malaysia), [17]. Malaysia's largest bus operator, offers direct buses from Singapore through the peninsula.Executive/economy buses RM60/26 to KL. Departures from Lavender St.
Transtar, tel. +65-62999009,. Transtar's 16-seater First Class coaches are currently the best around with frills like massaging chairs, onboard attendants and video on demand, but they also cost the most at $60 one-way to KL. More plebeian SuperVIP/Executive buses are $25/39, direct service to Malacca and Genting also available. Departures from Golden Mile Complex, Beach Rd (near Bugis MRT).
Other operators include:

Gunung Raya, tel. +65-62947711,
Hasry Express, tel. +65-62949306,
Konsortium Express, tel. +65-63923911,

In general, the more you pay, the faster your trip. More expensive buses leave on time, use the Second Link, and don't stop along the way; while the cheapest buses leave late if at all, use the perpetually jammed Causeway and make more stops. Book early for popular departure times like Friday and Sunday evening, Chinese New Year, etc, and factor in some extra time for congestion at the border.

An alternative to taking a direct "international bus" is to make the short hop to Johor Bahru to catch domestic Malaysian long-distance express buses to various Malaysian destinations from the Larkin Bus Terminal. Besides having more options, fares may also be lower because you will be paying in Malaysian ringgit rather than Singaporean dollars. The downside is the time-consuming hassle of getting to Johor Bahru.

By train

Singapore is the southern terminus of Malaysia's Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malayan Railway or KTMB) [22] network. It runs two day trains (the Ekspres Sinaran Pagi and Ekspres Rakyat) and a sleeper service (Ekspres Senandung Malam) daily from Kuala Lumpur. From Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, the Sinaran Pagi departs at 08:40, the Ekspres Rakyat at 13:00 and the Senandung Malam at 22:15. There is also a day train (the Lambaian Timur departing Singapore at 06:00) and sleeper (Ekspres Timuran departing at 18:15) daily along the "Jungle Railway" between Singapore and Tumpat, near Kota Bharu in the East Coast of Malaysia. Trains are clean and fairly efficient, but slower than buses.

Trains arrive at the railway station in Tanjong Pagar at the southern edge of the CBD, a bit of a hike from Tanjong Pagar MRT station. It's also possible to get off in Woodlands right after immigration.

Note that KTMB tickets in Singapore will be charged in dollars, while those bought in Malaysia will be charged in ringgit at the same rate. A ticket which costs RM10 in Malaysia will thus cost $10 if bought in Singapore! There are three ways to avoid paying double:

Book your tickets as return tickets from Malaysia. For example, KL-Singapore-KL will be charged at the ringgit rate. Cross the border by road and then board the train at Johor Bahru. Note that making a reservation is highly advisable; the easiest way is to book online. Buy the cheapest ticket you can from Singapore to JB, then your 'real' ticket from JB onward. Change to your 'real' seat after crossing the border.

Also note that you will not get a Malaysian entry stamp in your passport if you enter the country by train, so don't panic. Passports are checked (but not stamped) by Malaysian immigration before you enter the platform to board the train in Tanjung Pagar but you will only get a Singapore exit stamp at Woodlands station, about half-an-hour's journey away. For reasons why, see infobox in Malaysia | Get in section. Coming in from Malaysia, the situation is much more conventional - Malaysia stamps you out in Johor Bahru (you don't even need to get out of the train) and Singapore stamps you in at Woodlands (you will have to disembark and walk through immigration, though).

By taxi

Singapore is one of the few countries that you can enter or leave by taxi. While normal Singaporean taxis are not allowed to cross into Malaysia and vice versa, specially licensed Singaporean taxis permitted to go to the Kotaraya shopping mall (only) can be booked from Johor Taxi Service (tel. +65-6296-7054, $45 one way), while Malaysian taxis, which can go anywhere in Malaysia, can be taken from Rochor Rd ($32 to charter, or $8/person if you share with others). In the reverse direction towards Singapore, you can take taxis from Kotaraya to any point in central Singapore ($30) or Changi Airport ($40). The main advantage here is that you don't need to lug your stuff (or yourself) through Customs at both ends; you can just sit in the car.

A combination ride from anywhere in Singapore to anywhere in Malaysia can also be arranged, but you'll need to swap cabs halfway through: this will cost S$40 and up, paid to the Singaporean driver. The most expensive option is to take a limousine taxi specially licensed to take passengers from any point to any destination, but only a few are available and they charge a steep RM150 per trip. Advance booking is highly recommended, tel. +60-7599-1622.

 By Boat

 Ferries link Singapore with neighbouring Indonesian province of Riau Islands, and the Malaysian state of Johor (regular ferry services to Tioman Island were discontinued late in 2003). Singapore has three ferry terminals which handle international ferries: HarbourFront (formerly World Trade Centre) near the southern part of the Central Business District, Tanah Merah on the East Coast, and Changi Point Ferry Terminal , at the eastern extremity of the island. The Changi Ferry Terminal where vehicular ferries used to depart for Tanjung Belungkor, is no longer in service because the ferry service has been discontinued. Cruise ships use the HarbourFront terminal. HarbourFront and Tanah Merah are managed and operated by the Singapore Cruise Centre