Flying to Singapore? Here’s Your Essential Pre-Trip Checklist

Singapore is one of my favorite places to be and visit. I seem to never get tired of visiting this city. The food is amazing, everything works like clockwork and the people are super nice. It had been more than 10 years since my last visit, and I fitted in my trip across Asia traveling from Rome to South Korea via: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong. But if you're not a seasoned traveler what must you and need you prepare before embarking on a flight to Singapore?

Preparing for Singapore — A Quick Pre-Flight Checklist

There is only one, in some cases two, things you necessarily must do before checking in for a flight to Singapore. Then there are some other that can help make you stay much easier and smoother. So here's my short list of things to do:

• Visa – Doesn't apply to everyone. Most nationalities get a visa on arrival in Singapore.
• Electronic Arrival Card – Everyone must fill it in.
• Install the app Grab – For easy transport and food deliveries.
• Get a mobile data/voice plan – It'll make your stay so much easier.

The Electronic Arrival Card — Singapore’s Smart Entry System

This is the compulsory step in the checklist that everyone must comply to. Regardless of what passport you hold, anyone planning to enter Singapore, who isn't a Singaporean citizen, will need to fill this in.

What It Is and When to Submit It

The electronic arrival card replaced the paper slips allowing the entire airport immigration process at Changi international airport to go paperless massively speeding up the process of getting from the plane to the curb.

You can only apply for the electronic arrival card within 3 days prior to your arrival in Singapore, and it must be completed before boarding your flight. The checkin clerks at the airport will generally remind you as a last safety net. However, I strongly advise you don't leave it so late, it does take some time to fill it in, especially if for more than one person.

On that note, if you're traveling as a person you can submit a single application for the entire family. That one application will then contain information about all family members. Then at immigration you all go through the Smart Gates Together.

I advise to clear 10 to 15 minutes to fill in the arrival card and have handy this information:

• Arrival date
• Arrival flight number
• Departure date
• Departure flight number
• Passport numbers
• Birthdays of all applicants
• Hotel or AirBnb address for you stay

You will also be asked about some basic health information and if you have recently visited some sensitive locations for epidemic outbreaks.

How It Works at the Airport

At the airport it's super simple. You go to immigration and there are only smart gates, so you can't go wrong. Also staff is on premises and will help you with any question or if you have any doubt.

If you are a single traveler you go through the smart gate following the instructions on the screen and the entire process takes about 30 seconds.

If you're traveling as a family with infants or toddlers, there are bigger gates designed for this and you all enter together with the machine scanning biometric data of each member one by one. It took us about 2 minutes to get it all done.

Grab — The App You’ll Use the Most

Moving down the list, is Grab. This is something that I advise to do, as installing the app will massively simplify moving around in Singapore.

In simple terms Grab is the regional equivalent of Uber in the US. You can book rides exactly as you can on Uber along with ordering food deliveries and tapping into other services.

Each terminal in Changi International Airport has designated pickup points which are very well explained within the app when booking a ride.

However, here's some advice from my experience with the app. I suggest you install the app before leaving for you trip and also configure your payment method. If you don't setup a payment method the app will default to cash payment, which can be an issue if you don't have any Singapore Dollars straight off the plane.

I made this mistake and in the end had to get my hotel reception to pay out for me and then charge it to the room. The Swissotel staff in Singapore and the Grab driver were very nice and understanding about my mistake. Some hotels might not allow something on this note, so keep that in mind.

Get Connected — Choosing a Data Plan or eSIM

Next item on the list piggybacks off the prior one. To make your trip stress free and moving around easier I would advise to get a voice or data plan valid for Singapore.

When booking rides with Grab drivers might send you messages while they are on their way to meet you. If you're not connected you might not be able to receive them. Also getting a ride might be tougher if you don't have mobile data.

Also having calls available is an additional bonus as you can call your hotel or airline in case of necessity without having to rely on landlines or burning data allowance.

For this trip, having planned to visit multiple countries I decided to get an eSIM with Airalo (aff.) which covered most countries worldwide. I opted for the Discover Global package, that included:

• 20GB of mobile data
• 200 minutes of calls
• 200 SMS

With a validity of 365 days and a cost of 78 Euro. That covered me in all the countries I visited on this trip with more than enough data to keep me going for the 70 days I'm out of my home country.

You can look into a data or voice plan with Airalo and support my site by using this link and completing your purchase.