From today, 26 August 2026, the Singapore Arrival Card looks different. ICA announced the refresh last week, and travellers can now access the enhanced version on the ICA website.
If you have already submitted your card using the old version, you do not need to do it again. One submission is one submission, whichever version you used.
What actually changed
- More languages. The Singapore Arrival Card is now available in up to 19 languages, expanded from 12.
- Passport scan autofill. Scan your passport and selected fields fill themselves, which cuts out the most error-prone part of the process.
- Refreshed interface. ICA describes it as smoother, easier navigation, with a cleaner submission flow.
The MyICA Mobile app will get the same treatment subsequently, so app users may still see the older layout for now.
The autofill is the part that matters
Anyone who has filled in an arrival card at 1am in a departure lounge knows exactly where things go wrong. Passport numbers get transposed. Expiry dates get entered in the wrong format. Names with three parts get squeezed into two fields.
Scanning the document instead of retyping it removes most of that. It also helps travellers who are not comfortable in English, which is presumably why the language expansion arrived alongside it.
It is free. Say it again.
Submission through ICA’s official channels remains free of charge. This is the single most important line in the whole announcement.
There is a persistent ecosystem of third-party sites that take payment to submit an arrival card on your behalf. They are not affiliated with ICA and they charge for something the government gives away. Some also harvest passport details, which is a considerably worse problem than losing twenty dollars.
If a site asks for a fee, close the tab. Go to the ICA website directly rather than clicking a search advert.
Who needs to submit one
The card applies to travellers entering Singapore, including foreign visitors and pass holders. Singapore Citizens and PRs do not need to submit it.
Timing matters more than people realise. Submit within three days before arrival, and have the acknowledgement handy. Doing it while you are already in the immigration queue is a recipe for a bad morning.
A short checklist before you fly to Singapore
- Go to the ICA website directly, not through a paid search result
- Have your passport in hand so the scan feature can do the work
- Check that your passport has enough validity remaining
- Submit within three days of your arrival date
- Keep the acknowledgement, either as a screenshot or in your email
- If you have already submitted, leave it alone and do not resubmit
For anyone hosting relatives from overseas over the coming school holidays, this is worth forwarding. The autofill and extra languages will save you the usual round of screenshots and voice notes explaining which box goes where.
Full details and the submission portal are on the ICA website.
