The long-awaited move mirrors Malaysia’s reopening and according to Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong, travel to the city-state will be almost like it was before Covid-19.

In what is being called Singapore’s most significant move yet towards reopening its borders, fully vaccinated travellers and children aged 12 and below will be able to enter Singapore with nothing more than a pre-departure Covid-19 test from 11.59pm on March 31.

As of that date and time, travellers will also no longer be required to take only designated flights to enter Singapore quarantine-free, and will not have to take a Covid-19 test within 24 hours of arrival in Singapore. The same is true of visitors from Singapore arriving in Malaysia, as well.

There will also be no more quotas on the number of daily arrivals and no entry approvals needed for all vaccinated travellers.

The new travel scheme, named the Vaccinated Travel Framework, will replace the existing Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme.

The new border policies, according to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, will make the travel experience almost like it was before the pandemic.

ONE IF BY AIR, NONE IF BY LAND

Though fully vaccinated travellers flying between the two countries will need only to take a pre-departure Covid test (two days before travel), those travelling via the land crossing are fully exempt from testing on either side. When considered with the no-quarantine protocol, this is as close as we’ve seen to normal travel between Malaysia and Singapore since the first half of March 2020.

According to a joint statement released by the PMs of the two countries, beginning April 1, land travel between Singapore and Malaysia will resume to a close approximation of the pre-Covid-19 era, with fully vaccinated travellers exempted from quarantine and Covid-19 testing before and after arriving.

NOT FULLY VACCINATED? READ ON

Non-fully vaccinated long-term pass holders and short-term visitors aged 13 and above are generally not allowed to enter Singapore, though exemptions will be made for long-term pass holders who are medically ineligible for vaccines, long-term pass holders aged 13 to 17, and long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with other valid entry approvals.

These visitors will experience a more complicated entry process than fully vaccinated travellers: They will be required to take a pre-departure test within two days before departure for Singapore, undergo a seven-day stay-home notice (SHN), and take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at the end of their SHN period.