VTL: Unvaccinated children aged 12 and below will be allowed to travel

One major issue with the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) was that, as the name suggests, it’s only for fully vaccinated individuals. That’s not a bad thing, mind- everyone who can get vaccinated should get vaccinated.

But what happens if you can’t get vaccinated through no fault of your own? That’s the situation that children under the age of 12 find themselves in, with their vaccinations on hold until “early next year”.

Well, families antsy about missing another December holiday can breathe a sigh of relief. The CAAS has just announced that unvaccinated children aged 12 and below will be permitted to travel into Singapore from VTL countries effective 19 October 2021, provided they are accompanied by another traveller (who, obviously, must be vaccinated). 

Vaccination waiver for children aged 12 and below

From 19 October 2021, unvaccinated children aged 12 and below will be permitted to enter Singapore under the VTL arrangement. They must meet all other requirements, namely:

While long-term pass holders and short-term visitors must apply for a Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP) to enter Singapore, children are exempt from this requirement. They will undergo the same COVID-19 PCR tests as their parents (i.e. 48 hours before flying to Singapore and on arrival), unless they’re aged two years and below, in which case the tests are waived.

The age of the child will be based on the calendar year, so in other words, unvaccinated children born in or after 2009 will be allowed to enter Singapore under the VTL in 2021. From 2022, that becomes unvaccinated children born in or after 2010. 

This effectively opens up year-end travel to the following countries:

Do note that South Korea does not allow children who do not qualify for vaccination (or people who are medically unfit to be vaccinated) to enter the country, even under the VTL. An exception has been carved out for children aged 5 and below. 

Still, that gives parents nine countries to choose from, and I think they’ll happily take that given how grim things were looking at the start of today! 

Pre-departure swab tests may still be needed

Vaccinated parents should note that while they may not need a swab test, their unvaccinated children could require swabbing depending on age.

I’ve pulled together the following based on Sherpa, be sure to double check your specific circumstances carefully. 

Do note: Singapore’s VTL vaccination exemption applies to kids aged 12 and below, while some of these testing requirements are waived for kids below 12. So if your child is unvaccinated and 12, he/she may still need swabs. 

Further tests after arrival may be required for unvaccinated individuals (e.g. the UK). 

As a reminder, here’s the testing requirements for fully vaccinated adults.

Conclusion

Just this morning, parents were staring at the prospect of another year without travel. But all that’s now changed, and I predict another mad rush for tickets. Year-end demand for flights is really going to spike now.

SIA shareholders- stonks!