If you are looking for a safe and secure environment for tourism, then you should visit Singapore. It is a wealthy city-state in Southeast Asia. In the past, it was a British colonial trading post, but now it is a global financial hub. Colorful cities, culture, and mesmerizing architectural beauties attract millions of people to Singapore per year. Year by year more, and more people want to discover this charming land. Considering this, we decided to talk about Singapore tourist visa. In this blog, you will get answers to these questions: how much is Singapore tourist visa, how to get tourist visa for Singapore, what are main visa rejection reasons, what are Singapore tourist visa requirements, what documents required for tourist visa, and more.
Visa policy
People who want to visit Singapore must get a visa. Depending on the purpose of the visit and duration of stay, there are various visa categories and subcategories. There are main four categories:
- Singapore e-Visa
- Singapore Short-term Visa
- Singapore Transit Visa
- Singapore Long-term Visa
Today, our major focus is tourist visas which is one of the subcategories of Singapore short-term visas. Other subcategories are:
- Singapore Business/Congress/Trade Fair Visit Visa
- Singapore Cultural, Scientific, Sports Events Visa
- Singapore Visiting Family and Friends Visa
- Singapore Study (Short-term) Visa
- Singapore Work (Short-term) Visa
When it comes to Singapore long-term visas, it is for people who plan to stay in the country for a long time. Reasons for that can be education, employment, and family reunion.
Keep in mind that you should apply for a visa at least 30 days before your planned trip.
Singapore tourist visa
More than 18 million people visit Singapore per year. Do you want to be one of them? If the answer is yes, you will need to apply for a tourist visa. In the following section, I will mention documents required for Singapore tourist visa. But, before that, here are some sightseeing places in Singapore for you to research and make your decision:
- Marina Bay Sands
- Gardens by the Bay
- Botanic Gardens
- Singapore Zoo
- The Orchard Road
- Sentosa Island
- Clarke Quay
- Universal Studios Singapore
Also, we advise you to try local cuisine. In general, cuisine consists of six groups: meat, seafood, rice, noodles, dessert, and snacks. Singapore is especially famous for its seafood. So, do not finish your vacation without tasting some of the delicious meals.
Singapore tourist visa requirements
During the application process, all applicants must provide relevant information and documents. It will be better to prepare a checklist to be sure that you have collected all documents.
- The covering letter for Singapore tourist visa. The covering letter for Singapore tourist visa is the letter where you will tell the purpose of the visit, financial means, etc.
- Singapore tourist visa form. Singapore tourist visa form should fully be completed in English and signed and dated by the applicant himself. Parents should sign for people under 18.
- Passport. Validity minimum of six months beyond the date of your departure from Singapore, not older than ten years, at least two free visa pages, undamaged pictures securely affixed to passport, signed by the bearer.
- Two photos. Photos not older than six months, size 3,5x4,5, on the white background, with clear facial features and eyes, and a frontal view of the face-covering 70-80% (32-26mm) of the photo.
- ID Card copy. Validity should be a minimum of two months beyond the date of departure from Singapore.
- Residence permit/visa copy. Such as in the ID Card, validity should be a minimum of two months beyond the date of departure from Singapore (People whose country of residence and citizenship are different).
- Photocopies. Copy of the main page of your passport and prior visas.
- Travel itinerary. Here, you must show proof of flight tickets and accommodation reservations. The paper about accommodation reservations (hotel, hostel, and so on) must show all details, such as name, street, city, zip code, contact information, booking reference.
- Proof of occupation. The applicant must provide a letter from the local employer. Also, the applicants must give details of the employer or a company (name, postal address, and telephone number ). If a person is an owner of the company, a valid business license copy, company ownership documents, and sponsor’s valid passport and residence visa should be provided.
- Proof of financial means. While traveling in Singapore, you must have enough funds to cover expenses. And for this purpose, one must show proof of your financial means. There are several ways to do it, such as a personal bank statement showing monetary movements (for at least three last months), credit card, cash, evidence of employment, and more.
- The document of yellow fever vaccination: There is a list of countries, and if you visited one of those countries six days before coming to Singapore, you must have an International Certificate of Vaccination for Yellow Fever. You can check the list in the visa policy section on our website.
- Some documents for children
It is crucial to mention that single, unmarried, divorced, widowed, or separated women under 45 years old cannot apply for a visa. Also, a married woman under 45 years old cannot travel without their husband. If the woman travels without her husband with kids, she must present the birth certificates of kids and marriage certificates.
How much is Singapore tourist visa?
Singapore tourist visa fees are one of the most asked questions. Of course, it is not surprising. While deciding to visit a new place, money is one of the first issues that must be solved. Fortunately, the charge for a visa is not so high. Singapore tourist visa fees change between 25-100 USD. The price may vary depending on country and nationality.
Processing time
After providing all relevant details, documents and paying the fee, you will need to wait for processing time. The average processing time for a tourist visa is 3-20 days. Of course, this can vary depending on countries. After 3-20 days, they will inform you via email. So, do not forget to check your emails.
Singapore tourist visa extension
People who want to extend their stay in the country must apply for a Singapore tourist visa extension. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority allows 30 days of extension. Applicants must answer the requirements below:
- They should not apply for a visa extension before.
- They must extend their stay a maximum of 30 days from the date of arrival in Singapore.
- They shouldn't come back within five days from the departure date of their current trip to Singapore.
There will be four steps, they are:
- Finish the online extension process ( attach a passport and a scanned copy of the disembarkation card (both sides).
- Pay the fee for the application.
- You will get confirmation of the documents and payment via email.
- You will receive an outcome or the Immigration Authority’s decision via email (1-3 days).
Singapore tourist visa rejection reasons
It is not a secret that not all applications end successfully. Some people get rejected. There can be several reasons for refusal. For example:
- A damaged or invalid passport
- Having criminal records. Try to stand away from illegal activities. It will affect your application, and even you can get a ban.
- False documents and information
- Documents in the local language. The applicant must give translated versions and the originals. Always translate the documents to English before submitting files to the embassy.
- Failure of providing all required documents
- Failure to prove your intention of returning to your country
To not face such kinds of problems, read carefully and follow all the rules. Do not forget that visa application is a serious process.
How to get tourist visa for Singapore?
First of all, you should find an approved visa agent, strategic partner, or local contact in Singapore. Foreigners cannot apply for themselves. After that, you can go to visa application centers, embassies, or consulates, whichever accepts visa applications in the country of residence. If none of them are available in your country, you need to apply to the nearest embassy or consulate to your location.
Visa-free countries
Tourists from countries that have a visa-waiver agreement with Singapore can visit the country without applying for a visa. A visa-waiver arrangement is a special type of contract between countries that allow visiting the country just with a passport. Today, people from 162 countries can travel to the country without a visa. As the list is so long, we cannot mention all of it here. You can view the complete list in the visa policy section of our website. Some of the countries on the list are:
Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Burkina Faso, Brunei Darussalam, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cape Verde, the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, United Arab Emirates, United States of America.
Lastly, I hope that the information that you read here will be beneficial during the application process, and you will have a wonderful time in Singapore.