Singapore has announced five new additions to its Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme, with India and Indonesia added from 29 November, and Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE added from 6 December.
Of these countries, only Indonesia has yet to open its borders for quarantine-free travel from Singapore. This means that fully-vaccinated Singaporeans will soon be able to enjoy two-way quarantine-free travel to 18 different countries in total.
| ๐ VTL Agreements | |
| Current VTL |
|
| From 21 Nov 2021 |
|
| From 29 Nov 2021 |
|
| From 6 December 2021 |
|
The addition of Qatar and the UAE is excellent news for anyone hoping to travel with Qatar Airways or Emirates, since it means they can transit in Doha or Dubai with no impact on their eligibility for quarantine-free entry into Singapore (provided they enter Singapore on a VTL flight).
Five new VTL agreements
Once the VTL arrangements commence, fully vaccinated travellers from India, Indonesia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE may enter Singapore without quarantine, provided they satisfy the following conditions:
| โ๏ธ VTL Eligibility Criteria | |
| All |
|
| Long-term pass & short-term visitors |
|
| Short-term visitors |
|
| #For example, if your flight is at 2000 hrs on 20 December 2021, you can take the test anytime from 0000 hrs on 18 December 2021 *Children aged 2 or under in the current calendar year are exempt ^Exception for children aged 12 and below, if they are accompanied by vaccinated traveller |
|
Applications for Vaccinated Travel Passes (VTP) will open on:
- 22 November 2021 (for Indonesia and India)
- 29 November 2021 (for Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE)
Entry restrictions & testing for Singapore residents
India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE currently accept fully vaccinated travellers from Singapore without quarantine. A negative PCR test result must be produced from a sample taken within 72 hours of departure.
| Country | Entry Restrictions for Fully Vaccinated Singapore Residents |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ India | Negative PCR test taken 72h before departure, no quarantine on arrival |
| ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | Negative PCR test taken 72h before departure, min. 3 day quarantine on arrival |
| ๐ถ๐ฆ Qatar | Negative PCR test taken 72h before departure. Must take further PCR test on arrival and isolate until negative test received |
| ๐ธ๐ฆ Saudi Arabia | Negative PCR test taken 72h before departure, no quarantine on arrival |
| ๐ฆ๐ช UAE | Negative PCR test taken 72h before departure, no quarantine on arrival |
It remains to be seen how the arrangement with Indonesia works out, but I would expect that at the very least, business and family travel to Jakarta will be permitted without quarantine initially.
Designated VTL flights
 |
| SIA VTL Flights |
All passengers must enter Singapore on designated VTL flights, in order to enjoy quarantine-free travel.
Dubai
| Dubai โ Singapore | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 December 2021 โ 26 March 2022 | |||
| SQ495 | Daily | 11:35pm โ 10:50am (+1) | Airbus A350-900 |
Jakarta
| Jakarta โ Singapore | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 November 2021 โ 26 March 2022 | |||
| SQ953 | Daily | 8:25am โ 11:10am | Boeing 777-300ER |
Only VTL flights from Dubai and Jakarta have been announced at the moment, but you can monitor Singapore Airlines’ VTL page for the latest developments.
Complete guide to VTL travel
For a complete guide to VTL travel, including eligibility criteria, testing requirements, vaccination certification, and the arrival experience in Changi, do refer to the comprehensive guide below.
Complete Guide: Singapore Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme
Conclusion
The latest batch of VTL arrangements will be a welcome relief to Singapore’s migrant worker community, who will hopefully encounter fewer barriers to visiting family back home.
It’s also a big win for Emirates and Qatar Airways, who can look forward to more connecting traffic out of Changi.
Once again, VTL flights have yet to be announced, so it’s best to wait till we have the full details before making a booking.
I wonder how EK, EY and QR will designate their VTL flights since their traffic to SIN are mostly connecting from other cities.
VTLs have been disappointing so far since all the VTL flights do not qualify for EconomyLite or ineligible for Saver. For business any kind of redemptions are straight up missing for VTL.
Hmm… I got VTL flights on Econ Lite. It’s selling fast…
Believed quarantined free will apply to few Indonesian’s cities as a start. The challenge will be the PDT prior to coming back Singapore if their local infra are not ready.
Don’t think so. Even in smaller city, PCR for travel is ready within 7 hours for SGD28 and Antigen is $9 within 30 mins. Isn’t that better than in SG? ๐ All certs are in English and ready for PDT, QR code ready – linked to national registry.
Based on when this happened last time, what is the collective view of SQ allowing non-VTL bookings to be transferred to VTL flights? I have a Business Saver booking from Dubai landing mid Dec, would love to switch that to a VTL flight. Anyone have any similar experience since the start of VTL’s?
it’s no different from switching any other flight. you can do it if the space exists.
Cool. And what do you think are the chances that SQ will just convert their 1 daily direct flight from DXB to SIN into a VTL flight? Is that likely? Or do you think they will add another one and call it VTL? Trying to play the odds now..
All flights ex-DXB are VTL now
According to the moph.gov.qa site, Singapore travellers to Qatar are subject to hotel quarantine for 2 days till they get their PCR test results (administered at the hotel). And you must book that hotel. We were on their Green List but as of 15 Nov, Singapore is on their RED list, hence the hotel quarantine.
thanks for this. IATA database not updated yet, but yes, I see it here: https://covid19.moph.gov.qa/EN/Documents/PDFs/RED-LISTED-COUNTRIES.pdf
Is it really a VTL โagreementโ? As we are given to understand that VTL has all along been unilateral (except the one with S Korea)
It’s unilateral except for South Korea and Malaysia.
At the moment, Indonesia does not permit entry to travelers from Singapore.
https://kemlu.go.id/singapore/en/read/faq-during-covid-19-outbreak-for-indonesian-citizens-and-foreigners-who-wants-to-go-to-indonesia/1047/important-information
How about Etihad? And when the list of VTL flights with EK/EY will come out?
Are EK definitely doing VTL flights? Still nothing on their website but would like to pull the trigger on a booking while the price is still right.
I’m thinking about Etihad more. S$600 SIN=AUH in economy
I hope EY is a VTL flight – I booked CNY for 351 SGD. with free tickets to Dubai Expo ๐
Hi Aaron,
The VTL flight must book under the same airline for a round trip? Or can book 2 one way ticket under different airline?
thanks.
Hi Aaron, Dont think Indonesia currently allows any Singapore residents to come in to Indonesia. Except if you are Indonesian citizens / pass holders who happen to be SG residents. But I expect that might change soon…
edited
Very bizarre omission – how come no Thailand either VTL or at least downgrade to Cat 2?