Arriving, leaving and border crossings

Question 1

Do I need the SG Arrival Card to cross the Causeway or arrive by sea?

Accepted Answer

Yes, every foreign visitor submits the free SG Arrival Card within three days before arriving, whether by air, sea or the Woodlands and Tuas land checkpoints. Only residents crossing at those two checkpoints, and passengers transiting without clearing immigration, are exempt. Use ICA's e-Service or the MyICA app, because ICA doesn't endorse sites that charge a fee. Woodlands Waterfront looks across to Johor if you want a first stop in the north.

Question 2

Can first-time visitors use Singapore's automated immigration lanes?

Accepted Answer

Yes, first-time foreign visitors can use the automated lanes at the passenger halls with no enrolment beforehand. The lanes scan your passport, then your face, iris or fingerprint, and they're for travellers aged 6 and over. Families with children under 6 and wheelchair users go through the wider special assistance lanes instead. At the land checkpoints a MyICA QR code can replace the passport scan, but not on a first visit.

Question 3

Are the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints open 24 hours?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Woodlands Checkpoint, Woodlands Train Checkpoint and Tuas Checkpoint are all listed as open 24 hours. Traffic is the variable, not the hours: ICA runs the CHECK-TIPS hotline on 6863 0117 and points drivers to live cameras on OneMotoring. If you're crossing by coach, we'd leave an extra hour for the border. The Woodlands to Sembawang day plan fills a spare afternoon on the Singapore side.

Question 4

Is there a coach from Changi Airport to Johor Bahru?

Accepted Answer

Yes, two coaches run from Changi to Johor Bahru via Woodlands Checkpoint: Transtar's TS1 and WTS Travel's WTS9. TS1 ends at Larkin Terminal and WTS9 at Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, and the Larkin stop needs an online booking, with no walk-ins. Both board at the Terminal 1 arrival coach bays, so from Terminal 2 or 3 walk over first. Coaches leave from about 8am to 11pm, and Jewel fills a wait.

Question 5

Where do ferries to Batam and Bintan leave from?

Accepted Answer

Regional ferries leave from the Singapore Cruise Centre at 5 HarbourFront Avenue and from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal near Changi. The old HarbourFront Passenger Terminal has closed, and the centre replaces it. For Batam, BatamFast, Sindo and Majestic each have their own check-in, and Sindo and Majestic also run some sailings from Tanah Merah. Horizon sails to Nirup Island. Tanah Merah serves ferries to Indonesia and Malaysia, and the Bintan ferry page says where it boards.

Question 6

Which ferry terminals are immigration checkpoints and when do they open?

Accepted Answer

Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal is a sea checkpoint open 7am to 11pm daily, and the Singapore Cruise Centre at HarbourFront is listed as open 24 hours. Changi Point Ferry Terminal, where the Pulau Ubin bumboats leave, is listed from 7am to 7pm every day. Plan to reach any terminal inside its hours, and have your passport and boarding documents in your day bag rather than the hold.

Question 7

Can I send my luggage from Changi Airport to my hotel?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Changi's baggage delivery service takes bags left at any public storage store on to your hotel, from S$35 for the first bag under 30kg. The stores are in Jewel and Terminals 1 to 4. If you'd rather stay in the airport, the same stores hold bags 24 hours a day, from S$6 for a loose item. We'd send the bags and spend the wait hands-free at Jewel or on the Changi airport tour.

Question 8

Do I claim my GST refund before or after immigration at Changi?

Accepted Answer

It depends on how you carry the goods. Use the eTRS kiosks in the Departure Check-in Hall, before immigration, for items in checked bags, and the kiosks in the Departure Transit Lounge, after immigration, for hand-carried ones. Claim before you check in anything you're claiming on. If the kiosk prompts you, take the items, receipts, passport and boarding pass to the Customs Inspection Counter. The GST refund questions cover the rest.

Question 9

What should I know before leaving Singapore by bus or the RTS Link?

Accepted Answer

Expect biometric checks when you leave, because ICA says travellers present fingerprints, face and iris at clearance. Bus, car and motorcycle travellers at Woodlands and Tuas can use a MyICA QR code, unless it's their first visit. For the RTS Link rail shuttle to Johor Bahru, ICA says officers at Woodlands North Station may check departing travellers for items Malaysian law prohibits, so read Malaysia's list first and confirm the start date with the operator.