Singapore-Australia VTL

We recently travelled to Singapore - our first international travel experience since the pandemic. We’re happy to report it was well worth the effort especially with a lot of the stringent testing requirements having been removed since 15 March 2022.

A full list of all requirements are available from  Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (https://www.mfa.gov.sg/Overseas-Mission/Canberra/Mission-Updates/2021/10/Vaccinated-Travel-Lane---Australia-to-Singapore) but in summary, here are the general requirements for entry into Singapore under the VTL:

1. Have booked a designated Vaccinated Travel Lane flight.

2. Been issued with a Vaccinated Travel Pass (Air).

3. Be fully vaccinated and have an accepted proof of vaccination.

4. Have only been to one or more of the VTL countries/regions, and/or Singapore, in the last 14 consecutive days before departing for Singapore.

5. Undergo a COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test or Antigen Rapid Test (ART) within 48 hours before departure for Singapore and obtain a negative test result certificate with your relevant information

6. Immediately take private transportation, taxi, or private hire car from the airport to the place of accommodation as declared in the VTP (Air) application and remain isolated at the place of accommodation, apart from attending the supervised self-administered ART.

7. Take private transportation, taxi, or private hire car to and from the Quick Test Centre (QTC) or Combined Test Centre (CTC), undergo a COVID-19 supervised self-administered ART at a within 24 hours of arrival in Singapore, and remain isolated at the declared place of accommodation until the test result is confirmed to be negative.

8. Disclose, and agree to the test provider and test laboratory disclosing his/her personal particulars and COVID-19 test results to the relevant Singapore Government authorities for public health purposes.

9. Download and use the TraceTogether app

10. purchase travel insurance, with a minimum coverage of S$30,000 for COVID-19-related medical treatment and hospitalisation costs in Singapore, prior to travelling to Singapore.

11. Adhere to all prevailing public health measures while in Singapore.

12. Always remain contactable while in Singapore via your declared mobile number and email address.

The flight

We flew Qantas’ business class product from Sydney to Singapore and are pleased to say things are pretty much back to normal. Well, pretty much. 

The good – Qantas’ business class lounge is currently closed so business class passengers are able to enjoy the first-class lounge which is a bit of a treat. The food and service on board was of a good standard and it was really great to see the world of aviation coming back to life. During our flight, business class was at 30% capacity, and we were told the rest of the plane was at 60% capacity with the numbers increasing steadily daily.

The bad - Masks must be worn at all times during your flight apart from when you’re eating and drinking. It’s of course for everyone’s safety but it was as to be expected, a tad uncomfortable given the flight was over 8 hours. The standard of food on board has also suffered slightly with more boring plane food options than pre-pandemic. 

Our trip to Singapore

Travelling during the endemic was incredibly enjoyable. In Singapore, masks are still required at most venues and also outdoors, but we got used to this pretty quickly. The TraceTogether App check in processes also quickly become second nature and yes, you truly do get to enjoy Singapore.

Here is a curated list of hotel, restaurants and bar reviews - a collection of what we experienced during this recent trip, and would recommend.