COVID-19
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Entry and transit through Singapore (as of 24.03.2020): Please note that in order to contain the importation of new cases, the Singapore authorities have issued new travel restrictions. ALL short-term visitors (from anywhere in the world) will not be allowed to enter or transit through Singapore. The Ministry of Manpower will only allow the entry/return of work pass holders, including their dependents, for those providing essential services, such as healthcare and transport, subject to the approval of the Singapore Ministry of Manpower before they commence their journey. All Singapore citizens, Permanent Residents and Long Term Pass holders returning to Singapore will be issued a 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN). Persons under SHN must remain in their place of residence at all times. From 27 March 2020, 0900 hours, these travellers must submit a health declaration via the SG Arrival Card e-Service before proceeding with immigration clearance.
For binding information, consult the website of the Singapore Immigration & Checkpoints Authority and work pass holders the Ministry of Manpower before traveling to Singapore. Furthermore, we recommend to all Swiss nationals in Singapore to follow the information and recommendations of the Ministry of Health in Singapore, World Health Organization (WHO), and the Federal Office of Public Health in Switzerland. Please also consult the “Focus novel Corona Virus (COVID-19)” in the FDFA’s travel advice.
Swiss travellers: Please note that on 16 March 2020, the Swiss government called for all Swiss citizens who are on travel for business or leisure to return to Switzerland. If you are currently travelling abroad, you are asked to contact the airline immediately for information concerning the return journey to Switzerland. Also make sure you are registered on the “Travel Admin App” so that you can be contacted by the relevant Swiss embassy in an emergency. Furthermore, we would like to inform you that many airlines have now ceased flight operations on certain routes. Please find here a list of airlines (PDF, 99.9 kB, English) currently (as of 23.03.2020) still flying from Singapore to Europe (situation can change by the hour, please contact airline for binding information). At this stage, it is not possible to estimate how long these flight interruptions will last.
Closure of Schengen borders: On 18 March 2020, the Swiss Federal Council decided, that entry at the Schengen external borders is generally prohibited with few exceptions. Switzerland follows the practice of the other Schengen states. Until 15th June 2020, Switzerland will also no longer issue Schengen visas. National visas will also only be issued in exceptional cases, for example to family members of Swiss citizens with a right of presence in Switzerland who require a visa and to specialists from the health sector. For additional information, please consult the webpage of the State Secretariat for Migration SEM.
Relevant sources of information:
Ministry of Health, Singapore
Official push notifications per WhatsApp (Singapore): www.go.gov.sg/whatsapp
MoH general enquiry hotline: +65 6325 9220
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, Singapore
Ministry of Manpower, Singapore
Federal Office of Public Health, Switzerland
World Health Organization WHO
International Air Travel Association IATA
FDFA Travel Advice, Focus Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) , in German, French, Italian
Helpline, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA):
+41 800 247 365
+41 58 465 33 33
helpline@eda.admin.ch
Communication of 05.03.2020 (PDF, 321.9 kB, English)
Communication of 17.03.2020 (PDF, 488.7 kB, English)
Communication of 25.03.2020 (PDF, 233.5 kB, English)
