Planning to visit Singapore? Better make sure you don't have any skeletons in your closet.
Around 41,800 foreigners deemed undesirable have been turned away at Singaporean checkpoints in the first 11 months of 2025 - and would-be visitors will face even greater scrutiny from 2026.
A new "no-boarding" directive initiative will mean the unwanted will not even get to board flights to Singapore, let alone make it to the immigration desks.
From January, Singapore Airlines, Scoot, Emirates, Turkish Airlines and AirAsia will implement the NBD directive, with more airlines to follow in March.
The new move will bar travellers from boarding their flights if they are found to be ineligible for entry into Singapore, the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said.
Undesirable or prohibited immigrants, and those who do not meet Singapore’s entry requirements, will not be allowed to board flights bound for Singapore.
The ICA currently uses advance traveller information, including that provided in the arrival card, flight manifests and other sources of data, to identify high-risk travellers when they arrive at checkpoints. These travellers are flagged for more stringent checks when they clear immigration.
Now airlines that receive an NBD notice must not allow these travellers on board.
The move aims to strengthen Singapore’s border security by keeping potential threats from reaching the country in the first place.
Airline operators that fail to comply with an NBD notice will be guilty of a strict liability offence.
If a pilot of the aircraft or an employee of the airline operator enables a person subjected to an NBD to board an aircraft, he or she will be liable on conviction to a fine of up to S$10,000 or imprisonment for a term of up to six months, or both.
The Straits Times reported that the 41,800 foreigners turned away so far this year represents a jump of 26% over 2024 and 46% more than those refused entry in 2023.
Around 41,800 foreigners deemed undesirable have been turned away at Singaporean checkpoints in the first 11 months of 2025 - and would-be visitors will face even greater scrutiny from 2026.
A new "no-boarding" directive initiative will mean the unwanted will not even get to board flights to Singapore, let alone make it to the immigration desks.
From January, Singapore Airlines, Scoot, Emirates, Turkish Airlines and AirAsia will implement the NBD directive, with more airlines to follow in March.
The new move will bar travellers from boarding their flights if they are found to be ineligible for entry into Singapore, the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said.
Undesirable or prohibited immigrants, and those who do not meet Singapore’s entry requirements, will not be allowed to board flights bound for Singapore.
The ICA currently uses advance traveller information, including that provided in the arrival card, flight manifests and other sources of data, to identify high-risk travellers when they arrive at checkpoints. These travellers are flagged for more stringent checks when they clear immigration.
Now airlines that receive an NBD notice must not allow these travellers on board.
The move aims to strengthen Singapore’s border security by keeping potential threats from reaching the country in the first place.
Airline operators that fail to comply with an NBD notice will be guilty of a strict liability offence.
If a pilot of the aircraft or an employee of the airline operator enables a person subjected to an NBD to board an aircraft, he or she will be liable on conviction to a fine of up to S$10,000 or imprisonment for a term of up to six months, or both.
The Straits Times reported that the 41,800 foreigners turned away so far this year represents a jump of 26% over 2024 and 46% more than those refused entry in 2023.
What are the cupboard skeletal parameters I’m wondering?
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