SINGAPORE – From Jan 30, Singapore-bound flights will be issued notices listing travellers identified as undesirable or who do not meet Singapore’s entry requirements, and are thus barred from getting on the plane.
The move is aimed at strengthening border security by keeping potential threats from reaching Singapore’s shores in the first place, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a statement on Nov 28.
The no-boarding directive (NBD) notices will also cover travellers barred from entering Singapore, and will be issued to airline operators at Changi and Seletar airports.
ICA said: “The NBD allows ICA to prevent identified prohibited or undesirable travellers whom we are aware of from advance traveller information that they are headed to Singapore, from boarding the flight for Singapore.
“ICA may also issue NBDs against travellers who do not meet Singapore’s entry requirements, such as possessing a valid visa or a travel document with at least six months’ validity.”
Airlines that receive an NBD notice must not allow the flagged travellers to board the flight. ICA added that it has briefed airline operators and will continue to work with them to enforce the NBDs.
Currently, advance traveller information, such as those provided in the SG Arrival Card (SGAC) and flight manifests, are used by ICA to identify high-risk travellers before they arrive at Singapore’s checkpoints.
