How to submit a digital arrival card: SGAC and MDAC

What counts as an official digital arrival card?

A digital arrival card is filed with the government that controls the border you are crossing, using that government's own channel. In Singapore the form is the SG Arrival Card with Electronic Health Declaration, which ICA describes as the electronic version of the paper disembarkation/embarkation card — commonly called the white card — that foreign visitors used to hand in on arrival [2]. ICA says it stopped using the paper card from 27 March 2020 and that all travellers now give their arrival information through the SGAC e-Service or the MyICA Mobile application [2]. The submission is free of charge, and the arrival information is filed together with an electronic health declaration used for disease control [2].

Malaysia's equivalent is the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card, published on the website of the Immigration Department of Malaysia, which sits under the country's Ministry of Home Affairs [3]. The two are separate submissions to separate authorities: the Singapore form goes to ICA and the Malaysian form goes to the Malaysian immigration department [2] [3]. The timing and group rules set out below are the Singapore rules [2].

Who needs to submit the SG Arrival Card?

All travellers are required to submit the SGAC with Electronic Health Declaration before arriving in Singapore, with two exceptions: people transiting or transferring through Singapore without seeking immigration clearance, and residents entering through the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints [2]. "Residents" here means Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders, and ICA lists the long-term passes as the Student's Pass, Dependant's Pass, Long-Term Visit Pass and Work Pass [2].

The health declaration is part of the same submission, and ICA states that all travellers entering Singapore — residents as well as foreign visitors, including residents arriving by air or sea — submit it, subject to the same two exceptions [2]. ICA warns that a false declaration may be prosecuted under the Infectious Diseases Act [2]. Inside the e-Service, travellers pick one of two starting options: one route for citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders submitting a health declaration, and one for foreign visitors submitting arrival information plus the health declaration [2]. Holders of an In-Principle Approval letter fall into the foreign-visitor route [2].

The SGAC is not a visa [2]. It sits alongside, rather than instead of, the paperwork that decides whether you may enter; for that side of the trip see passport validity and entry checks, entry permission types and Malaysia visa and entry requirements.

When should you submit it, and can one person file for a group?

ICA requires the SGAC within three days before arrival, counting the day of arrival itself, and gives a worked example: someone arriving on 30 June 2023 could submit from 28 June 2023 onwards [2]. If your health status changes after you have filed, ICA asks you to update it through the "Update SGAC" feature on the e-Service rather than leaving the old declaration in place [2]. A successful submission produces an acknowledgement email sent to the address you declared [2], and the card must be filed before you reach the immigration counter, where you present your travel document to the officer [2].

ICA's "Group Submission" option is meant for a group of people travelling to Singapore together for one trip [2]; that is also ICA's answer to the question of whether a group submission can be used across multiple trips [2]. For repeat visits, the MyICA Mobile app keeps profile information that can auto-populate later submissions, and ICA encourages travellers to use the app for that convenience [2]. The app is free to download from the App Store for iOS or Google Play for Android [2].

How do you avoid fake arrival-card websites?

The single most useful check is cost: SGAC submission is free of charge, and ICA states that it does not support or endorse services offered by commercial entities that help travellers submit the SG Arrival Card at a fee, and that those entities are not affiliated with ICA [2]. ICA also publishes an advisory on fake or misleading websites, linked from its SG Arrival Card page [2]. Go to the SGAC e-Service or the MyICA Mobile app directly rather than through a paid intermediary, and treat any site that charges for the form as unaffiliated with the authority [2].

Exceptions and limits

• Transit and land crossings. Travellers transiting or transferring without seeking immigration clearance do not submit the SGAC, and residents entering through the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints are also outside the requirement [2].
• Not a visa or an entry guarantee. The SGAC is expressly not a visa, and general entry requirements, including visa requirements, are handled separately on ICA's Entering Singapore page [2]. Conditions checked at the border are a different subject; see onward ticket requirement.
• One trip per group submission. The group option is described as being for people travelling together for one trip, not as a way to file once for several visits [2].
• Each country keeps its own form. The Malaysian MDAC is published by the Immigration Department of Malaysia, and a submission to ICA is not a submission to that department [2] [3]. Read the Malaysian page for its own requirements before travelling [3].
• Declaration accuracy. A false health declaration may be prosecuted under the Infectious Diseases Act, and changes should be made through the "Update SGAC" feature [2].

Frequently asked questions

Is the Singapore SG Arrival Card free?

Yes. ICA states that SGAC submission is free of charge, and that it does not endorse commercial services that submit the card for a fee [2].

How early can I submit the SG Arrival Card?

Within three days before arrival, counting the day of arrival — for an arrival on 30 June 2023, submissions opened from 28 June 2023 [2].

Do Singapore citizens and permanent residents need to submit one?

Yes, residents arriving by air or sea submit the electronic health declaration as part of the SGAC, except residents entering through the Woodlands and Tuas land checkpoints and travellers in transit without immigration clearance [2].

Can one person submit the arrival card for the whole family?

The "Group Submission" option is intended for a group of people travelling to Singapore together for one trip [2]. The MyICA Mobile app also saves profile information so that later submissions can be filled in automatically [2].

Does the SG Arrival Card replace a visa?

No. ICA states that the SG Arrival Card is not a visa, and points travellers to its Entering Singapore page for visa requirements and other entry rules [2].

Related pages

Entry paperwork: passport validity and entry checks, Malaysia visa and entry requirements. Terms: entry permission types, onward ticket requirement, and the full frequent flyer glossary.

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. It covers the Singapore SG Arrival Card and the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card only; other digital arrival-card systems, including Thailand's, are not covered here.

1. ICA — SG Arrival Card (SGAC) with Electronic Health Declaration, checked 18 October 2026
2. Immigration Department of Malaysia — Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC), checked 18 October 2026