As a Singaporean, Do I Need a Visa to Visit Any Country...?

Are you unsure as to which countries will require you to apply for a visa in advance of travel?

As residents of Singapore, we are lucky enough that there are many countries in the world where we do not need to apply for a visa either in advance or at all!

Here is our quick guide to which visa you may, or may not need for your next vacation:

Schengen Area

If you are looking to dilly dally around Europe, then we have some good news!

If you have a Singaporean passport you do not need to apply for a visa to travel within the Schengen area if your stay is less than 90 days in any 180-day period.

A full list of the countries that are part of the Schengen area can be found here.

Romania, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Croatia are not currently part of the Schengen zone; however, you can still visit these countries for 90days in any 180-day period.

UK

The UK is not part of the Schengen area, but you can still visit the UK for up to 6months visa-free.

Ireland

Ireland is also not part of the Schengen area but allows travel to the country for up to 3 months without a visa.

• USA
• To visit the USA, you must complete what is called an ESTA (Electronic System Travel Authorization) in advance of your trip. 
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• You can do this online and once approved, will last for 2 years, meaning if you visit again within this time you do not need to complete a new one.
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• Please note that an ESTA is not technically a visa, it is part of the visa waiver program which makes travel and entry into the United States a much simpler process by pre-screening travellers before they travel.
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• You must apply for your ESTA at least 72 hours before you travel (but you can do it much, much earlier). 
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• An approved ESTA does not guarantee entry but is a prerequisite to travel to the USA by air or sea.
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• Canada
• Similar to the USA, you do not need a visa to travel to Canada. 
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• You can stay, visa-free, for up to 6 months. 
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• You do however need to complete an eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization) if you are arriving in Canada by air (not by land or sea).
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• And eTA costs $7CAD and is valid for multiple trips to Canada for up to 5 years, or until the passport has expired.

The South American continent has different visa rules per country.

Venezuela, Guyana and Bolivia are the only countries in South America that require a Visa.

A visa for Bolivia can be applied for on arrival and will cost 52USD.

The following countries do not need a visa: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

Many of the East Asian countries do not require you to have a visit to enter. These countries include Mongolia, China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines.

You will need a visa to visit the following countries:

• Papa New Guinea: You can get a free visa on arrival to the country which lasts for 60 days
• India: You need to get an e-visa in advance of travel which lasts 60 days
• Sri Lanka: Visas are issued on arrival and last for 30 days with the ability to extend for another 150 days
• Bangladesh: A visa will be issued on arrival and lasts for 30 days
• Nepal: Visa issued on arrival and lasts for 90 days
• Maldives: A free visa will be issued on arrival and lasts for 30 days

Australia

To enter Australia, you will need an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA). These can be applied for online and through some travel agents. These do not usually take very long to gain approval but must be done before travel. Allow yourself over 72 hours to have this approved.

New Zealand

You do not need a visa to travel to New Zealand, and you can stay for up to 90 days.

UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait all need visas for entry with each having a different approved length of stay;

• UAE: Free visa on arrival for 30days. Can be extended for a fee
• Oman: Visa is given on arrival for up to 30 days
• Qutar: Visa is given on arrival for up to 30 days
• Bahrain: Visa available on arrival for up to 14 days. You can also apply online in advance
• Kuwait: Visa available on arrival for up to 3 months. You can also apply online in advance

South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, Cote d'ivoire, Burkina Faso and Senegal do not need a visa for Entry.

For Mozambique, Malawi, Somalia, Mauritania and the island of Madagascar, you do need a visa, but you can gain these on entry to the country.

For Gabon, you need to fill in an online Electronic Authorization form which can take up to 72 hours for approval.

For the rest of the continent, you will need to apply for a visa.

For a full breakdown of which countries need a visa and how long you can stay in each, please visit this site.

Last updated: 24 Feb 2018