Singapore Imposes Visa Requirements on Citizens of 10 African Countries

Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority published a full list of countries whose passport holders must obtain a visa before entering the city-stateNigeria is not among the African nations listed, however alongside, Egypt, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan, and several others across the continentSingapore's ICA also requires visas from holders of specific travel documents, including Palestinian Authority passports and UAE temporary passportsGhana’s top stories, now easier to find. Discover our new search feature!

Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), the government body responsible for managing the city-state's border control, has published a comprehensive list of countries whose nationals are required to hold a valid visa before travelling to Singapore.

Ghana is not among the African countries named on the list. The African nations included are Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mali, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Tunisia.

Singapore’s ICA published its visa-required countries list, including Nigeria and other African nations Image credit: Per-Anders Pettersson, dimarik/Getty Images Source: Getty ImagesFull list of countries requiring a Singapore visa The complete list spans nations across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. It includes Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Egypt, Georgia, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Moldova, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

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Citizens of these countries must apply for and receive a visa before attempting to enter Singapore, regardless of the purpose of their visit.

Beyond passport nationality, the ICA stipulates that holders of certain specific travel documents must also obtain a visa. These include refugee travel documents, Alien's passports, Palestinian Authority passports, temporary passports issued by the United Arab Emirates, Documents of Identity issued by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Travel Permits from the Macao Special Administrative Region, and PRC Travel Documents.

The authority also issued several important clarifications for prospective travellers. The SG Arrival Card, which some visitors may be familiar with, is not a visa and serves an entirely separate administrative purpose. Crucially, the validity period of a visa does not determine how long a visitor may remain in Singapore. The permitted length of stay is instead set by the Visit Pass issued at the checkpoint upon arrival.

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The ICA also noted that holding a valid visa does not automatically guarantee entry into Singapore, meaning border officers retain discretion at the point of arrival.

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Singapore had published official guidelines detailing which foreign nationals are eligible for the country's 96-hour Visa-Free Transit Facility (VFTF).

This covers nationals from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Georgia, India, Turkmenistan and Ukraine, as well as certain Chinese nationals who do not hold ordinary, diplomatic, public affairs or service passports issued by the People's Republic of China (PRC).

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Philip Boateng Kessie (Head of Human Interest Desk) Philip Boateng Kessie is the Head of the Diaspora Affairs Desk at YEN.com.gh, where he has worked since 2022. He has over eight years of journalism experience and holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from the University of Cape Coast. Philip previously served as Head of the Human Interest Desk at YEN.com.gh and has also worked as a reporter for Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) and a content writer for Scooper News. He also holds certificates in Advanced Digital Reporting and Fighting Misinformation. Email: [email protected]