While travellers will be able to perform “self-clearance” in the comfort of their cars with minimal intervention by officers once the system is fully implemented, the in-car clearance process that begins this month is not yet fully automated as officers will still be stationed at the manual counters, ICA had said at its annual workplan seminar last May.
Travellers can thus still choose to present their physical passports to ICA officers at the counters instead of using QR codes.
The QR code initiative only applies to Singapore’s checkpoints at the moment. Travellers will still need their physical passports at Malaysia’s checkpoints.
How it works
To generate a unique QR code, travellers must download the MyICA mobile app.
Singapore residents – including Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders – can auto-populate their passport details via Singpass when they access the MyICA app.
Alternatively, these travellers can use the built-in camera function in the app to scan the machine-readable zone of their passport biodata pages. This refers to the two or three rows of characters at the bottom of the passport biodata page.
Singapore, Japan have most powerful passports, but so do 4 nations in Europe
Singapore, Japan have most powerful passports, but so do 4 nations in Europe
Foreign visitors who have visited Singapore before can also auto-populate their passport details by using the built-in camera function in the app to scan the machine-readable zone of their passport biodata pages.
However, a physical passport will be required for first-time visitors and those re-entering Singapore using a different passport from their last visit to the country.
These travellers will be able to use QR codes for immigration clearance on subsequent trips.
Generating QR codes
After populating their passport details in the MyICA app, travellers will be able to generate an individual or group QR code.
Those in the same car can generate one group QR code for immigration clearance. For example, a family of four can store their passport details on one family member’s MyICA app, and generate a family group QR code.
Travellers can also create multiple QR codes for travels with different groups of people. Each group QR code can be stored in the app with a name such as “Family” or “Friends”.
Each group QR code can include up to 10 travellers’ passport details.
An individual QR code will share the same expiry date as the corresponding passport, while the expiry date of a group QR code is pegged to the earliest passport expiry date of those in that group.
Clearing immigration
With their QR code generated and stored in the MyICA app, travellers can then scan the QR code themselves at a counter.
Travellers can also generate an individual QR code even if they are with a group. This simply means those in the vehicle will need to scan more than one QR code.
After the code is scanned, ICA officers will conduct “face-to-face checks” of the travellers using the data retrieved through the QR code. Those travelling in the same vehicle who are using a group QR code must ensure it contains their passport details.
Singapore sets its sights on passport-free departures, from bag-drop to boarding
Singapore sets its sights on passport-free departures, from bag-drop to boarding
If the QR code does not tally with certain details, it will be rejected.
The QR code initiative will allow a car of four travellers to save around 20 seconds, while a car with 10 travellers can expect to save around one minute, ICA noted on Tuesday.
Overall waiting times can be reduced by “more than 30 per cent” if most car travellers use QR codes for clearance.
Dedicated lanes for automated in-car clearance using QR codes will open at Tuas Checkpoint from 2026, and at the redeveloped Woodlands Checkpoint from 2028, ICA said last May.
It also plans to progressively extend QR code clearance to other clearance zones at the land checkpoints. More details will be announced at a later date.