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SINGAPORE: Singapore will suspend reciprocal Green Lane Agreements (RGL) with Malaysia, Germany and South Korea for three months starting Monday (February 1).
In a statement issued on Saturday morning (January 30), Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said: “The Government of Singapore periodically reviews its border measures to manage the risk of importation and subsequent local transmission of COVID- 19 travelers.
“Given the resurgence of COVID-19 cases around the world, the Singapore government will suspend the reciprocal Green Lane agreements with Germany, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea, for a period of three months from Monday, February 1 2021,0001 hours.
“The Singapore Government will review the reciprocal Green Lane agreements at the end of the suspension period. Travelers who have already been approved to enter Singapore under these reciprocal Green Lane agreements may continue to do so,” the statement added.
MFA added that the Singapore government will continue to monitor the global situation and adjust border measures to manage the risk of importation and transmission to the community.
“Any changes to border measures will be updated on the SafeTravel website. Travelers are encouraged to visit the website to check for the most up-to-date border measures,” he said.
OTHER GREEN LANE ARRANGEMENTS
Singapore still has ongoing RGL schemes with Brunei and select cities in mainland China – Chongqing, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Tianjin and Zhejiang.
Singapore previously suspended RGL agreements with Indonesia and Japan in December when the two countries announced temporary bans on entry of foreign nationals (Indonesia) and non-resident foreigners (Japan).
Given the reciprocal nature of the agreement, travelers from Indonesia and Japan also cannot apply to travel to Singapore under the RGL.
The RGL agreement allows residents of the countries included in the program to take short trips for essential business and official purposes in Singapore for up to 14 days.
Travelers must test negative for COVID-19 before traveling and undergo another test upon arrival. They must remain in isolation until test results are published and must follow a controlled itinerary for the duration of their stay.
Apart from the green lane, another cross-border travel scheme is the Periodic Travel Agreement (PCA) that Singapore has with Malaysia.
Under the PCA, approved travelers must have been in their country of employment for at least 90 days before returning to their home country for a short-term license.
This is open to Malaysians who are permanent residents of Singapore working in Singapore, as well as citizens and permanent residents of both countries who have long-term immigration passes in the other country.
PCA travelers are required to deliver a 14-day stay-at-home notice at a dedicated facility in Singapore.
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