Singapore Visa for Indians

The Singapore visa process has changed in recent times and I got a good idea of this when I applied for my tourist visa for Singapore last week. Below is the detailed process to help you prepare for your tourist visas to Singapore.

Earlier, Singapore used to allow personal walk-ins to the embassy for submission of visa applications. Now, you can only go through authorized travel agents like Natvisa.com. And they have abolished the sticker type visa for Indians. Instead, they are issuing e-visas and the travel agent can apply for this directly. Following are the documents required for the Singapore tourist visa application:



1) Original Passport with a minimum of 6 months validity and 2 empty pages

2) Completed Singapore application form and duly signed

3) 1 Passport size photograph with white background and in matte format (You can refer the Singapore office in Delhi for details)

4) Return Flight Tickets

5) Letter of introduction, if any

6) Your Hotel Booking vouchers will also come in handy

The travel agent will apply for the e-visa through their credentials on the Singapore visa portal. The e-visa takes one full working day to be ready. The typical cost of the tourist visa is INR 1800. This includes the non-refundable visa fee of 30 Singapore Dollars and the agent service fee of INR 300. However, your travel agent might charge a bit more for processing, courier and other things. Do check with your travel agent on their price.

This e-visa will allow you multiple entry into Singapore for a period of 12 months with each visit allowing you to stay in Singapore for a maximum of 30 days.

Note: You get a multiple entry visa only if you apply from India. If you apply from outside India, you only get a single entry visa (if you are going as a tourist; Indians who are residents in other countries might get multiple entry visa).

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How to get a Singapore visa from Jakarta

Getting a Singapore tourist visa in Jakarta is pretty simple. I applied for my visa this Tuesday and got it this Friday evening. This post is to help you understand the visa submission and collection process.

Singapore Embassy in Jakarta is on Jalan Rasuna Said in Central Jakarta.

Embassy working days are Monday to Friday, except for Singapore and Indonesian holidays.

Visa Submission time: 8:30 AM to 11 AM

Visa Collection time: 4 PM to 5 PM

Document required for submission: 1) Original Passport with 6 months validity and 2 blank pages
2) One color passport size photograph
3) One photocopy of passport front and back pages
4) Onward and return flight tickets
5) Completed visa application form (form can be collected at the embassy free of cost)

Visa cost: 237,000 rupiah (The embassy requests you to provide exact change). They don’t accept any other currency.

After submission, you are given a receipt for the visa fee and an acknowledgement for your visa submission. You are supposed to bring this acknowledgement on the 4th day after submission (Submission + 3 days). On the evening of collection, you can collect your e-visa printout. It is as simple as that. My visa says that I am allowed entry for 30 days and it is valid for multiple entry even though I thought I applied for single entry.

Key things to note:
1) The embassy allows you to apply for the Singapore visa only when your flight date is less than 5 weeks away from the visa submission date. I went to the embassy with the form 7 weeks before my actual travel and they declined to accept my application.

2) The embassy security guards are very strict about the embassy timings. So, do plan to be in early to accommodate for the notorious Jakarta traffic.

3) The embassy security guards do not allow anything in except your passport, documents and wallet. The rest of the stuff needs to be put in a safety locker that they provide at the entrance. It is best to go with very less stuff.

4) If you are staying in the Cikini area or the tourist hub of Jalan Jaksa, a ojek ride should take you 30 minutes and between 20,000 and 25,000 rupiah. A taxi should cost you the same or more depending on traffic, but will definitely take more time.

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