S'pore to extend VTL to Vietnam, Greece, more cities in M'sia, Indonesia, India
SINGAPORE — Vaccinated travellers from Vietnam and Greece will no longer have to serve quarantine on arrival in Singapore from 16 March, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) on Friday (4 March).
The Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) will also be extended to more cities in Malaysia, Indonesia and India.
In a news release on Friday, the CAAS said that with the addition of Greece from 16 March, Singapore would have established two-way quarantine-free travel with all countries in Europe that have direct flights to Singapore.
From 16 March, CAAS will also broaden the travel history requirement for the VTL to include the entire European Economic Area (EEA), which comprises the 27 EU states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
This means that travellers who have been in any country in the EEA (including any transit stops) within the last seven consecutive days prior to departure to Singapore, may count his or her stay in the EEA country towards fulfilling the seven-day VTL travel history requirement.
Under the VTL, fully vaccinated travellers from VTL countries/regions may enter Singapore without quarantine and just need to undergo COVID-19 testing.
VTL extended to Penang, Bali
In its news release, the CAAS said the VTL for Malaysia will extend beyond Kuala Lumpur from 16 March to include Penang, starting with four daily flights each way between Singapore and Penang.
The VTL for Indonesia will extend beyond Jakarta from the same day to include Bali-Denpasar, starting with two daily flights from Bali-Denpasar to Singapore.
Meanwhile, the VTL for India will also extend beyond Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai to include all Indian cities. Airlines that plan to operate from these points under the VTL may submit their plans for designated flights to CAAS for approval.
In a Facebook post, Minister for Transport S. Iswaran said, "Happy to announce that we will take further steps to expand our VTLs, as part of our plans to press on with the safe reopening of our borders and reclaim Singapore’s position as a global business and aviation hub."
Since 8 September last year, when the scheme was launched, Singapore has established VTLs with 30 countries and regions. As of 3 March 2022, the CAAS has issued 348,518 Vaccinated Travel Passes to travellers between 8 September last year and 16 March.
Meanwhile, 456,215 VTL travellers have entered Singapore since the launch. These VTL travellers comprise 132,099 short-term visitors; 119,289 long-term pass holders and IPA holders; 167,380 Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents; and 37,447 children aged 12 years and below.
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