What is the Singapore SG Arrival Card?

The SG Arrival Card (SGAC) is ICA’s electronic arrival and health declaration that replaced the old paper disembarkation/embarkation card. Most travellers must submit it online or via MyICA before seeking immigration clearance.

When must I submit the SG Arrival Card?

Within three days before arrival, including the day you land. Example: arrive 30 June → submit from 28 June onwards. Submitting earlier outside that window is not the rule ICA publishes.

Is the SG Arrival Card a visa?

No. ICA states clearly that SGAC is not a visa. Visa requirements, if any, are separate under Entering Singapore rules for your nationality.

I have an Employment Pass IPA — which SGAC path do I use?

IPA letter holders follow the foreign-visitor / IPA submission path for arrival information and health declaration, not the resident long-term-pass shortcut used after the pass is issued.

Do Singapore citizens, PRs, and long-term pass holders need SGAC?

Air and sea arrivals generally still submit the electronic health declaration as part of SGAC. ICA exempts residents (SC, PR, long-term pass holders) entering via Woodlands or Tuas land checkpoints, and anyone transiting without immigration clearance.

Do I still file an SG Arrival Card if I already have an issued Employment Pass?

Long-term pass holders still use ICA’s published SGAC path for arrivals — the IPA-only and issued-pass forms differ. An EP card does not waive SGAC. Submit inside the live window (commonly within 3 days before arrival) and keep the acknowledgement with your passport.

What if I submitted SGAC on the wrong path (tourist vs IPA) before I fly?

Do not assume the first submission is good enough. Check ICA’s current instructions for amending or re-submitting on the correct traveller type. Airlines and immigration officers care about a valid acknowledgement for the trip you are actually making — a tourist SGAC with an unused IPA is a common Changi delay.

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SG Arrival Card for expats and IPA holders

What the SG Arrival Card is, who must submit it, the 3-day window before landing, IPA vs long-term pass paths, and why it is not a visa — with ICA citations.

Arriving4 min readReviewed 15 Sep 2026Updated 19 Sep 2026

On this page

Short answer: The SG Arrival Card (SGAC) is ICA's free electronic arrival and health declaration. Submit it within three days before you land, counting arrival day itself. It is not a visa. IPA holders use the visitor/IPA path, already-issued work, Dependant, Student and LTVP holders use the resident path, and residents crossing at the land checkpoints have a narrow exemption.

People lose time at Changi over this for two reasons, and both are avoidable. Either a paid "arrival card agent" found them on Instagram and sold them something that is free, or they filed two weeks early and assumed it would still be good on the day. ICA's rules here are genuinely short. Follow those and ignore the reseller.

Who has to submit one

Straight from ICA's SG Arrival Card page:

Traveller	Do you submit?
Foreign visitor, whether tourism or a business trip	Yes, before immigration clearance
IPA letter holder arriving to take up a pass	Yes, using the visitor / IPA submission option
Work Pass, DP, Student Pass or LTVP holder arriving by air or sea	Yes, on the resident health-declaration path
SC or PR or long-term pass holder coming through Woodlands or Tuas	Exempt
Pure airside transit with no immigration clearance	Exempt

Long-term passes, in ICA's wording, take in the Student's Pass, the Dependant's Pass, the Long-Term Visit Pass and the Work Pass. So if you're wondering whether yours counts, it almost certainly does.

The three-day clock

Count three calendar days including arrival day. ICA's own worked example: you arrive 30 Jun, and the earliest you can submit is 28 Jun. That window is tighter than most people assume, which is exactly why the keen fortnight-ahead filing doesn't help anyone. Put a reminder in your phone instead of trusting yourself to remember it in the middle of a move.

Submit through the official SGAC e-Service or the MyICA app, keep the acknowledgement email, and have your travel document ready at the counter. ICA doesn't endorse paid third-party submission services. If someone is charging you for "priority SGAC," they are charging you for nothing.

IPA or issued pass: pick the right door

Where you stand at boarding	What to select on SGAC	Why it matters
IPA only	The foreign visitor / IPA holder flow	You're still entering in order to activate a pass
Issued work, Dependant, Student or LTVP	The resident / long-term pass holder flow	The health declaration still applies for air and sea
SC or PR	The resident flow, unless the land-checkpoint exemption covers you	Same disease-control declaration either way

If your flight changes after you've submitted, use ICA's Update SGAC feature rather than leaving a stale form sitting in the system. A false health declaration can be prosecuted under the Infectious Diseases Act, which makes hoping nobody notices a poor plan for a five-minute fix.

What SGAC doesn't replace

It's an arrival declaration and nothing more. It isn't a visa if your nationality needs one, and it has no bearing on MOM issuing your IPA or your work pass. It also doesn't cover the two declarations new arrivals most often forget: the CBNI cash declaration if you're carrying large amounts, and HSA approval for controlled personal medication.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SG Arrival Card?

ICA's electronic replacement for the old paper white disembarkation card, with an electronic health declaration bundled in for disease control.

Do tourists and new EP holders both need it?

Yes, both, before immigration clearance, with the transit and land-checkpoint exceptions above. If you're moving here on an IPA you still file, usually under the visitor/IPA option.

Can one person file for the whole family?

ICA's Group Submission is built for people travelling together on one trip, so a family flying in together is fine. Each traveller's particulars still have to be correct, and it isn't a way to invent a group so that everyone can reuse one email address.

What if my health status changes after I submit?

Update it through Update SGAC on the official e-Service. Don't board on a stale declaration that you already know is wrong.

What should I do immediately after clearing immigration?

Get a +65 SIM, message HR about issuance and biometrics, and work down the first-week SIM, Singpass and bank map. The interactive day-7 checklist keeps the order straight so you don't have to hold it in your head.

What happens next

SGAC gets you through the arrivals hall, and that is the easy part. Everything after it is dependency work: the pass card, Singpass, a payroll bank account, a letter proving where you're temporarily living. Each of them tends to want one of the others first. Stay on the Arriving hub until those four stop blocking each other.

Questions, answered

What is the Singapore SG Arrival Card?: The SG Arrival Card (SGAC) is ICA’s electronic arrival and health declaration that replaced the old paper disembarkation/embarkation card. Most travellers must submit it online or via MyICA before seeking immigration clearance.
When must I submit the SG Arrival Card?: Within three days before arrival, including the day you land. Example: arrive 30 June → submit from 28 June onwards. Submitting earlier outside that window is not the rule ICA publishes.
Is the SG Arrival Card a visa?: No. ICA states clearly that SGAC is not a visa. Visa requirements, if any, are separate under Entering Singapore rules for your nationality.
I have an Employment Pass IPA — which SGAC path do I use?: IPA letter holders follow the foreign-visitor / IPA submission path for arrival information and health declaration, not the resident long-term-pass shortcut used after the pass is issued.
Do Singapore citizens, PRs, and long-term pass holders need SGAC?: Air and sea arrivals generally still submit the electronic health declaration as part of SGAC. ICA exempts residents (SC, PR, long-term pass holders) entering via Woodlands or Tuas land checkpoints, and anyone transiting without immigration clearance.
Do I still file an SG Arrival Card if I already have an issued Employment Pass?: Long-term pass holders still use ICA’s published SGAC path for arrivals — the IPA-only and issued-pass forms differ. An EP card does not waive SGAC. Submit inside the live window (commonly within 3 days before arrival) and keep the acknowledgement with your passport.
What if I submitted SGAC on the wrong path (tourist vs IPA) before I fly?: Do not assume the first submission is good enough. Check ICA’s current instructions for amending or re-submitting on the correct traveller type. Airlines and immigration officers care about a valid acknowledgement for the trip you are actually making — a tourist SGAC with an unused IPA is a common Changi delay.

Sources & citations

Admin and policy details change. Prefer the official page when making decisions; we cite primary sources for Singapore government and statutory guidance.