Singapore travel guide for Indians
Singapore — visa, money, eSIM, food and safetyCountry-wide essentials live on the Singapore guide — visa, money, customs and language. Last reviewed .
Visa & entrySingapore
- Type
- e-Visa (via authorized agent)
- Fee
- ₹3,400
- Validity days
- 30
- Processing days
- 3–5 (7–10 in peak season)
Documents
- Passport (6 months validity)
- Passport-size photo (white background, 35x45mm)
- Form 14A (agent provides)
- Confirmed return ticket + hotel booking
- Bank statement (last 3 months, healthy balance)
- Covering letter / leave letter for employed applicants
Steps
- Indians CANNOT apply directly to ICA — use an authorized agent (VFS Global, registered travel agents) or a Singapore local sponsor
- ₹2,100 government fee + ₹1,300 fixed agent fee; non-refundable, no extra charge for urgent applications
- e-Visa arrives by email; most tourists get MULTIPLE-ENTRY validity up to 2 years
- Fill the SG Arrival Card (free, online) within 3 days before arrival — separate from the visa
Alternatives
- 96-hour Visa-Free Transit (VFTF) — ₹0 · Only when transiting to/from a third country with a valid visa for AU/CA/DE/JP/NZ/CH/UK/US — strict conditions, check eligibility
MoneySingapore
- Currency
- SGD (Singapore Dollar)
Forex cards
- Niyo Global — Zero forex markup; SGD ATMs everywhere
- Scapia — No markup; tap-to-pay works on MRT gates too
- Amex/Visa credit — Cards accepted practically everywhere — Singapore is near-cashless
- Upi supported
- Yes
- Upi note
- UPI works at thousands of merchants via the UPI–PayNow linkage and NETS QR at hawker stalls — genuinely usable, but keep a card as primary.
- Cash vs card
- Near-cashless city. Keep ~SGD 50 cash for older hawker stalls; everything else is card/contactless.
CustomsSingapore
Into india
- Duty-free allowance ₹75,000 (returning resident, Baggage Rules 2026); one new laptop is duty-free on top
- 2L alcohol duty-free (Baggage Rules 2016) + 100 cigarettes; gold above free allowance must be declared
Into destination
- NO duty-free cigarettes — every stick must be declared and taxed; SGD 200+ fines per pack undeclared
- Chewing gum is banned (import), except therapeutic gum
- 1L spirits + 1L wine duty-free ONLY if arriving from outside Malaysia; e-cigarettes are illegal
- SGD 20,000+ cash (or equivalent) must be declared
LanguageSingapore
Official
- English
- Mandarin
- Malay
- Tamil
- English prevalence
- Universal — English is the working language. Tamil is an official language; signage often includes it.
Key phrases
- Can / Cannot — Yes it's possible / not possible (Singlish staple)
- Makan — Eat / food (Malay, used by everyone)
- Chope — Reserve a seat (tissue packet on a hawker table = taken)
Staying connected
Recommended
- Type
- eSIM
- Partner
- Airalo
- Plan
- Singapore 10GB / 15 days
- Price
- ₹800
Alternatives
- Singtel hi!Tourist — Local SIM · SGD 12 (100GB/14 days) · Changi arrivals, 7-Eleven — passport needed
- StarHub Travel SIM — Local SIM · SGD 12 · Changi & Cheers stores
- Whatsapp text
- Works normally
- Whatsapp calls
- Works normally
Free wifi
- Wireless@SG at malls/MRT (register)
- Changi (excellent)
- Most cafés
Airport to city
Options
- MRT (East-West line) — ₹130 · 45 · SGD ~2 to City Hall; tap any contactless bank card — no ticket needed
- Grab — ₹1,500 · 25 · SGD 22–30 to Marina Bay depending on hour
- City taxi — ₹1,700 · 25 · Metered + airport surcharge SGD 6–8
Getting around
- System
- MRT — world-class, everywhere you need
Card
- Name
- Any contactless bank card
- Note
- SimplyGo: tap your Visa/Mastercard or forex card directly at gates; EZ-Link only if you want a souvenir
Ride hailing
- Grab
- Gojek
- TADA
- ComfortDelGro (taxi app)
- Daily budget
- ₹600
Weather & packing
Best months
- February
- March
- April
- July
- August
Monthly
- All year — 31°C, humid, daily chance of a short thunderstorm
- Nov–Jan — Northeast monsoon — wettest stretch
- Jun–Aug — Slightly drier; Great Singapore Sale
What to pack
- Light breathable clothes
- Compact umbrella (always)
- Light jacket — malls & MRT are freezing
- Comfortable walking shoes
Food
Veg friendly
- Little India is a pure-veg paradise
- Hawker centres label veg stalls
- Ananda Bhavan & Komala Vilas institutions
Indian restaurants
- Komala Vilas — Little India · Since 1947 — dosa & thali, pure veg
- Ananda Bhavan — Multiple · Oldest Indian veg chain, Jain options
- MTR Singapore — Serangoon Rd · Bangalore's MTR, rava idli
- Typical meal cost
- ₹500
Safety
Scams
- Practically none — strictest enforcement in Asia
- Watch fines instead: jaywalking, eating on MRT (SGD 500), littering (SGD 300+)
Areas to avoid
- None
Emergency numbers
- Police — 999
- Ambulance/Fire — 995
- Indian High Commission — +65-6737-6777
Culture & etiquette
- Dress
- Anything goes; smart-casual for rooftop bars. Cover shoulders/knees at temples & mosques on Arab St/Little India.
- Tipping
- Not practised — 10% service charge is already on bills.
Dos
- Queue religiously
- Stand left on escalators (walk right)
- Return hawker trays (it's fined now!)
Donts
- No eating/drinking on MRT
- No chewing gum import
- No jaywalking
- Durian is banned on public transport (yes, really)
Top experiences
- Gardens by the Bay — gardens-bay.jpg · Supertrees, Cloud Forest and the free 7:45pm light show · ₹2,000 · 4 · Klook · gardens-by-the-bay
- Universal Studios Singapore — uss.jpg · Sentosa's movie park — Transformers to Minions · ₹5,200 · 8 · Klook · universal-studios-singapore
- Marina Bay Sands SkyPark — mbs-skypark.jpg · 56 floors up — the postcard skyline view · ₹2,100 · 1.5 · marina-bay-sands-skypark
- Night Safari — night-safari.jpg · World's first nocturnal zoo — tram through 7 zones · ₹3,400 · 4 · Klook · night-safari