New Vaccinated Travel Lanes – 3 Things You Need to Know
We have all heard the good news. Singapore has opened travel lanes for vaccinated passengers. Fully vaccinated travellers from the following ten countries- Brunei, Germany, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States- (Ruehl, 2021) although it should be noted that this list is constantly updating, and concise and updated information should be referred to MOH COVID-19 website.
It’s been awhile since anyone has left the country. And frankly, traveling is no longer as simple as planning your itinerary and packing your luggages. With the newly implemented travel lanes, leaving the country has gotten slightly more complex. But, it isn’t as daunting as it sounds. So here are the 3 key things you need to know about the new Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTL).
What are VTLs?
VTL is basically a term for fully vaccinated travellers between approved countries, for example, Singapore and Germany, to travel to and fro without quarantine requirements. In comparison, non-vaccinated individuals or travellers from other countries that are currently excluded from Singapore’s travel bubble will have to be quarantined.
To enforce this, Singapore will be designating specific flights for passengers with a Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP) which will be located on the other end of the lane. VTPs are ready to be applied for on designated flights. However, Singapore citizens and permanent residents do not need to apply for them to travel back home.
How to apply for VTP?
The pre-requisite to apply for a VTP is to be fully-vaccinated, which is 2 weeks after receiving their designated number of doses as per vaccine brand.
Next, travellers must submit their applications 7 to 30 calendar days before their intended flight date.
Do note that although quarantine will not be required for passengers who are travelling via VTLs, a RT-PCR test must still be conducted 48 hours before their departure time and pay for their post-arrival Day 3 and day 7 covid PCR tests in advance while applying for their VTP.
Travelling for non-vaccinated passengers
Non-vaccinated passengers can still travel. However, they will be placed under quarantine requirements once they have arrived in Singapore.
More things to note
This article is merely a general guideline to simplify the explanation of VTLs. Considering the fluctuations of the pandemic’s impact, it is important that we review the latest set of travel guidelines by the government and more importantly, the latest travel restrictions implemented by the designated country.
Despite the implementation of VTLs, some countries may only accept travellers who received a certain brand of vaccine. For example, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be announcing their list of accepted vaccines.
Furthermore, countries like England may not require the PCR test after October 2021.
So, which country are you travelling to first?