Visa to Singapore: do I need a visa to Singapore, transit visa to Singapore, e-visa

In this article I talk about a visa to Singapore: do Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians need a visa to Singapore, what is it? transit visa to Singapore, in what cases you need to apply for an electronic visa and how to get it yourself.

The photo is not of a visa to Singapore, but of Singapore itself. In the photo, Marina Bay Sands and the DNA Bridge

Do I need a visa to Singapore?

Visa to Singapore for Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians – needed. But don’t worry, it’s quite easy to get it, you just need to meet a number of requirements.

Types of visas

What types of visas are there for Singapore?

• Transit visa to Singapore. This is a stamp that is placed on the border on passport control in Singapore subject to certain conditions
• Electronic visa to Singapore. An electronic visa or online visa is obtained via the Internet and is a file electronic document, which is sent by email
• Visa obtained from the consulate. As far as I know, on this moment Singaporean tourist visa for citizens of Russia/CIS/Georgia at consulates do not do, i.e. For tourism purposes, only the first two visa options remain.

Important: To obtain a Singapore visa, your passport must be valid no less than 6 months after the trip.

Transit visa to Singapore

The easiest option is a transit visa to Singapore. Obtained at passport control upon entry and allows you to stay in the country 96 hours, i.e. four days.

Requirements for obtaining a transit visa to Singapore

• Transit through Singapore, i.e. you must enter from one country and fly out to another country.
• A printed air ticket for departure from the country, which must arrive no later than 96 hours later. Important: the ticket must be printed, you cannot show the ticket on your phone/tablet. The ticket must be for departure (!), and not to leave the country by bus.
• They may ask for hotel reservations in Singapore. They didn’t ask us, although, of course, we booked the hotel in advance, which I strongly recommend that you do too. I wrote about our cute and inexpensive hotel in the center of Singapore

Other Singapore hotels on:

What is considered transit?

For example:

• flight Moscow – Singapore is a transit
• flight – Singapore – Kuala Lumpur – Phuket – transit
• flight Moscow – Singapore – Moscow – of course Not transit
• flight Moscow – short connection to Bangkok – Singapore – Phuket – Not transit
• flight Kuala Lumpur – Singapore – Borneo (Malaysian part) – Not transit

The nuances of obtaining a transit visa to Singapore

1. Is it possible to enter Singapore by land and still get a 96-hour transit visa? In law Yes! And there are even positive examples of obtaining a Singapore transit visa for land border subject to all other requirements (passport valid for at least 6 months, printed air ticket from Singapore no later than 96 hours after entry).

BUT: get ready for the fact that at the land border there may be problems with obtaining a transit visa, they may torment you for a long time with questions about where you are going and why, ask for a travel plan, take fingerprints, check hotel reservations, etc., and the bus will not wait for you for several hours .

2. Is it possible to use low-cost airlines when transiting through Singapore and obtain a transit visa? In law Yes and at passport control There will be no problems in Singapore! But at the point of departure, some low-cost airlines may do not want to check in for a flight without a visa to Singapore. But, as far as I know, now there are only problems with low-cost airlines when flying from

Get ready for the fact that when boarding your flight you will have to prove that a visa is not needed for transit up to 96 hours: come to check-in in advance, even if you checked in online, you still need to go to the airline check-in counter to have your printed boarding pass stamped!

We flew to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur low-cost airline AirAsia. Despite the fact that KLIA2 airport is the home hub of this airline and all its employees should be aware of the transit visa to Singapore for Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians (there are a lot of such tourists flying there every day!), we stood at the check-in counter for about 20 minutes : the girl called somewhere, checked our tickets for departure from Singapore, counted the hours (so that it would not be more than 96 hours), etc. We are already prepared to call the elder and deal with him if something happens. So be prepared for the fact that you may be slightly delayed upon boarding. The main thing is to stand your ground: According to the law, transit is possible even when using low-cost companies!

3. When boarding a flight (and even at passport control in Singapore), you may be asked not only for air tickets to a third country, but also visa to this country. For example, we flew after Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City. I (Ukrainian passport) had a printout of the invitation for a Vietnamese visa, but Lesha did not, because for Belarusians up to 15 days No visa required for Vietnam. For some reason, the girl at the front desk didn’t know about this, she had to prove that it was so, she rummaged through the computer for a long time, called her employees for help, and then, making sure that it was so, put a stamp.

4. At passport control in Singapore, next to the entry visa stamp, there is a pen write down the number departure flight, so it will not be possible to provide a “left” ticket for a transit visa.

This is what the stamp looks like - a transit visa to Singapore. The departure flight number from Singapore is written in pen at the top.

Official

Thanks to the political relations between some countries, visa-free border crossings are possible for a certain period. If, when purchasing a tour to Singapore from an operator, you will be notified about everything in advance and will be spared the necessary paper processes, then when independent trips you'll have to take care of everything yourself. In this article we will provide an overview of obtaining a permit for official stay in Singapore.

Registration of entry into Singapore

If you want to visit the country and the city of Singapore, you will need a transit visa, which must be issued. This does not have to be done independently, but can be entrusted to various organizations and centers focused on assistance in obtaining visas, including for Singapore.

So, in order to obtain a multiple-entry nine-week visa, you need to fill out an electronic form, submit a copy of your passport and a scanned photograph. Additionally, prepare individual documents and be sure to sign them yourself. You will need to independently confirm your hotel reservation, take out insurance and provide a return ticket, as well as indicate your income level.

The standard processing time for documents is three business days, but there can be delays, so you need to take care of everything in advance. But as soon as your application is approved, you will receive an email notification, where the letter will indicate a unique number that the issued transit visa has.

You don't have to do everything yourself. If you use Singaporean intermediaries for visa processing, you won’t have to collect a third of the documents, which will save time, but not money. An alternative option for obtaining permission to enter the country is to register your stay in Singapore through airlines. Naturally, subject to purchasing a ticket through air carriers. When obtaining a permit from an airline, a transit visa to Singapore will cost 40 US dollars more. And if a transit visa is needed urgently, you will have to pay an additional 50% more than the original price.

Upon receipt of a visa, you can visit the country for nine weeks. After that, in order to avoid problems with local legislation, you need to find out the remaining rules for visiting an Asian country. Including customs regulations, prohibiting the bringing of certain things into the country. You should also know that you have an entry permit in your hands, which means you can visit the state even on the last day of the visa expiration and continue to legally stay there for thirty days.

96 hours visa-free stay

For people with short-term plans to stay in Singapore, be it a diplomatic trip or air transit, there is an opportunity to avoid collecting documents.

Before landing the plane at Singapore airport and successfully entering the country, you must complete the following:

• A foreign passport, the validity of which must be longer than the duration of your stay;
• Airplane ticket to another country where the departure time is no more than 96 hours;
• Confirmation of the financial solvency of citizens visiting the country;
• A notification from the air carrier that you actually have a purchased plane ticket in another direction.

A transit visa is issued upon arrival at the airport free of charge and gives the right to stay in the country for 96 hours. However, this does not give us the opportunity to visit the country twice in one tour. That is, in transit through Singapore you can stay in the country for 96 hours, but on the way back you will be deprived of this opportunity. Therefore, you will still have to purchase a visa to avoid customs problems.

Including a transit visa to Singapore will not help you avoid problems if you want to leave the country by car or ferry.

The same can happen if your flight is scheduled to depart in more than four days.

However, even a correctly completed package of documents does not guarantee that you will be able to stay in this state without problems.

The final permission or refusal is issued by special customs services upon arrival at the airport.

That is why experienced tourists, knowing these rules, prefer to fly to Singapore airport only after they have received permission. If you have entered the country and plan to depart within 96 hours, but with a different airline, then They may ask you to obtain a permit. If you purchased tickets for an airline flight that is not recognized by the local consulate, you will be subject to the same considerations.

96 hours is a long time and you can see a lot, but the $45 you need to apply for a Singapore visa will give you more confidence and peace of mind.

As for people who want to settle and earn money in this country, there is another type of visa called “Entre Pass” and “Employment Pass”. To obtain this type of permission, of course, you will have to meet more stringent criteria. For example, the foreigner's salary must be at least S$25,000 and he must be a valuable employee of the company. This visa has no restrictions on entry and departure for two years.

Of course, there are reasons why a specialized agency may not issue a permit such as a transit visa for a stay foreign citizens in Singapore.

• Violation of local legislation during a previous stay in the country;
• Failure to comply with customs regulations;
• If you have a valid visa on hand;
• If the documents have errors and are collected incompletely;
• In case of tax debt.

To summarize, we want to say that it is still worth applying for an official visa in 2017. Even if you plan to stay within 96 hours and are flying in transit, you must keep in mind that this asian country and it all depends on the arrival services at the airport. Including the condition that you have all the documents in your hands. Tourists are often faced with the fact that something is decorated incorrectly. All this can be avoided by applying for an official visa and forgetting about potential problems.

Russians and Ukrainians need a visa to visit Singapore, but it is possible to visit this country with a transit document that will be received at the airport. Singapore has long been a kind of Disneyland city. High standard of living and economic development made it possible to create a real futuristic metropolis on an island unknown to anyone with a huge amount of entertainment, parks and stunning high-tech structures.

For those who decide to apply for a visa without refusals, quickly and inexpensively, we recommend the Online visa center.

In addition, Singapore is rightfully considered one of the most environmentally friendly, clean and well-groomed cities on the planet. is one of the best in the world, which especially contrasts with other Asian countries.

And very often it happens that one tourist trip is enough to create a desire forever to find a job here or open your own business. Moreover, there is an option to visit Singapore without a visa in 2017.

It is believed that Russians and Ukrainians definitely need tourist visa to visit Singapore. This is true, however, there is one loophole that allows you to visit famous city and see the sights without completing any documents. The fact is that a so-called transit trip is provided for Russian citizens.



According to the law, it allows you to stay in Singapore for 96 hours, or 4 days. Thus, a four-day study tour can be thought of as a transit trip.

All you need for this:

• Valid passport;
• Air tickets to the next country on the route.

In addition, officers have the right to inquire about the availability of finances. And, although in practice they almost never do this, it doesn’t hurt to get an account statement from the bank for English language. Fortunately, this procedure does not take much time.

Despite the simplicity of the transit scheme, it is important to take into account some nuances.

First of all, it is important to know that the travel route must include at least three countries.

For example, you cannot fly to Singapore from Russia and return immediately: such a route is not transit.

Sample of filling out an immigration card at Singapore airport

You need to have a ticket to some other state in your hands. Many depart after Singapore in the coming exotic countries: , .

Another important point: You can only travel in transit by plane. Although there is no such rule officially, in practice most tourists are denied transit if they plan to continue their journey by train, bus or ship. Nevertheless, sometimes on the Internet you can find reports of travelers who succeeded. However, there is no guarantee here, and the chances of getting by without air tickets are slim. Therefore, if you are not a fan of dubious adventures, it is better not to take risks.

Singapore visa sample

It’s another matter if land or sea trips are included in the travel program as a mandatory item. Since transit here is often denied, it is advisable to obtain a visa to Singapore in advance.

Low-cost airlines can also add a fly in the ointment to travel. There have been cases when, when registering on board, employees of some similar companies stated that they needed a visa.

Of course, after lengthy explanations that a transit trip was planned, the issue was resolved positively. However, to avoid such incidents, it is worth choosing a serious airline with a good reputation in advance.

Tourist visa

When planning a trip from Russia, many people begin to habitually look for the Singapore Embassy in Moscow. The logic is clear, however, in this case it does not work. Singapore is a unique state of its kind, and its visa procedure is also quite unusual. Documents are submitted not to the embassy, ​​but to special companies that have received appropriate accreditation from Singapore.

The same applies to Ukrainians: the embassy in Kyiv does not deal with visas. So, the right to issue you a Singapore visa belongs to:

• Air carriers Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways, and, of course, Singapore Airlines;
• Pony Express courier service;
• Visa Center for Asian Countries (it also has a branch in Moscow).

Typically, all documents are converted into digital format using a scanner or camera. And already in the form of files they are sent to the email address of the company selected from the list.

Map of the location of the visa center in Moscow

However, if you don’t want to bother with the paperwork yourself, you can visit Pony branches or an Asian visa center. There, all the necessary papers will be scanned by employees of these companies for a small fee.

As for air carriers, they do not engage in such work and only accept ready-made “scans”.

The main thing here is not to get confused. Despite the fact that Pony and Visa Center scan documents, they only accept the application form in electronic format via e-mail. These airlines do not scan documents; however, they are required to fill out the form not remotely, but in their offices.

To Singapore for work

A foreign person wishing to get a job must obtain work visa. To obtain it, a foreigner must choose from two options: Employment Pass and Entre Pass.

The first option is perfect for high-level specialists. Often such a business visa is issued by leading managers and major directors. The main condition for this is the availability of a fixed salary. The minimum amount should not be less than S$2,500/month. The applicant must also have a scientific degree, professional qualifications or adequate work experience in the specialty.

The second option is issued for work in a specific location. If a foreigner decides to change jobs, he will need to fill out a new application.

The Employment Pass visa has the following subtypes:

1. P1 (issued to foreigners with a fixed salary of S$8,000 per month).
2. P2 (issued to highly qualified specialists whose salary ranges from 4500-8000 Singapore dollars per month).
3. Q1 (issued to foreigners with a salary of 3000-4500 Singapore dollars per month).

Holders of categories Q and P who are interested in bringing family members, including parents, can apply for additional visas. Registration of a visa for pensioners, in addition to basic documents, requires the provision of sponsorship letter.

To Singapore to study

A student visa is almost always issued by the university where the Russian student is studying. A visa is issued in cases where a person plans to study in Singapore for longer than four weeks.

Foreigners apply for a visa when they are accepted to study. The following cases are exceptions:

• studying at an institution operating under a foreign system;
• availability of Immigration Exemption Order;
• completing a shorter course of study.

Requirements for the list of documents may differ depending on which university the Russian plans to study at. This question needs to be clarified with senior staff educational institution.

List of required documents

Anyone can apply for a Singapore visa independently. For a complete package of documents you will need:

Registration deadlines

“Classic” processing takes no more than 4 business days and costs $40. You must pay at the time of submitting your certificates. This amount includes the consular fee. Urgent visa processing for Singapore takes no more than 2 working days. The cost then increases to $78. If a traveler applying for a Singapore visa has already been to this country, the processing time may be a little longer.

The issued visa is sent to the traveler’s e-mail, which he indicates in the electronic application form.

A copy must be attached to the completed application form. foreign passport and a photograph. You must fill out the form in English. It is important to remember that all required fields are marked with an asterisk.

In the electronic form you must indicate:

1. Last name, first name.
2. Email (if several people are traveling to Singapore, there should still be one email address).
3. Family status.
4. Nationality.
5. Country of residence (you must write your full home address, including postal code).
6. Occupation.
7. Education.
8. The purpose of the rendezvous.
9. Exact dates of arrival and departure from the country.

Next, you will need to answer questions about deportation from Singapore, as well as whether the applicant has previously had problems with the law. The last step is to enter the captcha. After this, you need to check all the data and click on the “Submit” button.

Photo requirements

You need one color photo that weighs no more than 60 kilobytes. There are also additional visa photo requirements. If you right-click on the photo, a menu will appear in which you can select the “Details” column. This column shows the dimensions of the photo in pixels. For a visa application, the parameters required are 400 x 514. If you have other numbers, the photo must be corrected using the Paint program.

It is important to note that black and white images are not accepted. Only color “scans” or photos will do. In this case, the expansion must be at least 96 dots per inch (dpi). You can check this in the same way as the pixel dimensions described above. If the digital copies come out with glare, you will have to redo them: not a single extra spot will be forgiven.

Of course, it will take some time to fulfill all these requirements. If you do not have time to prepare all the documents yourself, you can always delegate the paper and digital paperwork to intermediary firms.

Special requirements for women and girls

Women and girls under 32 years of age who are planning to travel to Singapore without a husband or at least one parent will require additional documents in 2017:

• Certificate from the place of work, which should indicate: salary, position held, information about vacation or business trip (a sample certificate of work in Russian can be downloaded, in English).
• Bank certificate about financial condition.

An additional unpleasant bonus is that the review period and the likelihood of receiving a refusal increases.

What documents does a child need?

Since children cannot travel independently, at least one parent must be with them. Documents for children are the same as for adults. However, it should be noted that if a child travels to Singapore without parents - with relatives or friends - a power of attorney from the father or mother must be attached to the package of documents.

When traveling with your family, you can or. The price of a visa for children does not depend on this. In the first case, you must attach a photocopy of the passport page with the child’s data.

Obtaining a visa

When all the formalities are settled and everything Required documents submitted for consideration, a response can be received within three days (weekends and holidays do not count). If all conditions are met, there will never be any failures.

This is what an e-visa to Singapore looks like

Visa cost

Before contacting one of the companies regarding a Singapore visa, it is better to find out in advance how much this service costs. Prices vary everywhere, but on average you can expect about 30 US dollars.

A visa to Singapore for Russians is given for 35 days, during which you can get to know the amazing city-state and have a great rest.

The response from the visa company is sent to your email address in a common pdf format. All you need to do next is print this file and show it at passport control in Singapore.

Possibility of refusal

Travelers from Russia are rarely denied a visa. Statistics say that per thousand applications there are no more than 4 refusals.

The main reasons for refusal include:

1. Violation visa regime or one of the laws of the country of entry.
2. Validity of previous visa.
3. Incorrectness of one or more documents.
4. Incorrect photo.
5. Having debts at home ()

You can find out the specific reasons for a visa refusal by contacting the Department. Singapore consulate staff do not provide such information.