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Those who know me know that when it comes to planning a trip, I like to do everything myself. The planning, the logistics, and the papers. I have never been a fan of packaged tours. So, when the thought of a small holiday to Singapore crossed my mind, the first question that popped up in my mind was about the VISA.
Blame it on the size of our country or the other obvious things but when it comes to applying for a visa, you realize the Indian passport is not one of the most welcome documents. However, the arrival card for Indians is pretty straightforward. Let me share my experience of applying for a Singapore VISA in Bangalore.
How to apply for a Singapore Tourist VISA in Bangalore?
After some basic research, I found that, unlike a lot of other countries that have registered agencies like VFS for VISA processing, there was no registered visa agency for Singapore in Bangalore. It was a good thing and a bad one for me. Good because I have always found agencies like VFS more crowded and so you can’t drop in, drop your passport and leave. And it was a slightly bad thing for me because I was not sure which agency to go for. Also, no two travel agencies were charging the same visa fee. Some time back there used to be some way of applying on your own online but that is a thing of the past now.
Documents required for Singapore Tourist VISA for Indians
Once I had finalized the agency, the next thing was to figure out the documents that were required. I knew that because I was applying to the Chennai consulate (residents of South India are supposed to apply to the Chennai consulate) and because my passport was issued in Assam, I will have to furnish more than the regular set of documents. The question however was, what (or what all)? The agency too was not very sure about it and had to follow up with me for more documents after I had submitted my application. Below is the list of documents required for a Singapore tourist VISA in Bangalore (and Chennai).
- Air-tickets. Arrival. (I had to submit my Malaysia VISA as I was entering from Melaka).
- Departing air-tickets.
- Hotel booking for the entire period of your stay.
- Two copies of 3.5cm X 4.5cm passport-sized photos (Matte finish)
- Properly filled and signed the Singapore Tourist VISA application form.
- Passport with a minimum of 6 months’ validity.
- HR Letter on company letterhead mentioning my local address. (You don’t need this if your passport has been issued in South India)
Also Read: One Week Itinerary For Singapore-Malaysia Trip
Validity and Fee of Singapore Tourist VISA
It took around five working days for the VISA to come to my hands. Fair enough for the amount I had paid. Unlike a conventional VISA which is stuck in your passport by the passport issuing authority, Singapore issues eVisas for tourists. The validity for the multiple-entry visa of just a month (Malaysia VISA has a validity of 1 year.) .
The fee I paid was Rs. 2,750/- (which is around S$54). The official VISA fee as printed on the VISA is S$30 and the rest is charged by the agency for their services.
Thoughts
Given the fact that Singapore has a very strong Indian connection and also because it sees a continuous flow of a significant number of tourists, wouldn’t it make more sense to have a VISA on Arrival for Indians or at least an ETA, just like Sri Lanka has?
[[Update: 16-Nov-2018]]
As per Abhishek, a reader of this blog, there have been some additional requirements for Singapore VISA for Indians. Quoting his update as follows:
Passports issued in South India also need HR Letter and Company Leave letters as mandatory documents for Singapore tourist visa. Basically now its mandatory for any passport applying from anywhere in India. I confirmed with Trawellday and other agencies in Bangalore and Chennai.
How have been your experiences in applying for the Indian Passport?
Informative post Rajiv ji!!!! Gonna share with friends 🙂
Thank you Sneha __/\__ 🙂
A good ready-reckoner. 🙂
Thank you Ami 🙂
Hi can you tell me which agency you approched
It was VISA agency was Trawellday.
Very informative. Thanks for sharing the post
Thank you 🙂
Hi Rajiv,
could you let me know which agency you hired and I am travelling from 18th to Bangalore & 22nd 12.45 am leaving from Singapore to australia..not sure which visa has to be applied and with who..any help will be appreciated.
Hi Smita,
The name of the agency I applied through ia mentioned in one of the comments above. I will mention it here again, it was travelway. Because you are going to two different countries, you will need visa for both of them.
Thanks,
Rajiv
hi rajiv,
like you I also prefer doing my visa paperwork on my own. Just reclarifying again…for a singapore visa…going through an agent is the only option. they have no system of or evisa or a an umbrella organisation like vfs, or a direct application to the consulate…right.
maya
Yes Maya, for a Singapore visa there is no option as the Singapore eVisa doesn’t exist any more for Indians.
in which location Bangalore?
Which location what?
Hey Rajiv, thanks for the very informative post. Super helpful. Just wanted to know – in case you have an idea – we’re transiting through Singapore. 24 hrs layover in Sing between Bangalore and Indonesia. Is there an option to apply for a transit visa? We do not plan on staying in a hotel, so no booking etc. Will that come in the way?
Hey Joey!
I don’t think there’s a transit visa option for Singapore. In all probability, you will have to apply for a tourist visa. Few years back, there was a free transit visa for Indian nationals but I guess that was withdrawn sometime back.
You have to try and book some accommodation. Or, why not call up the consulate and check with them?
Do share what do they have to say.
Good luck!
Rajiv
Seems like you need a hotel booking for a visa! I didn’t manage to speak with the consulate, but I asked all the travel agents I know. Go figure.
I am sure you can figure it out 😉
Hi Rajiv,
Could you please share your itinerary of your Malaysia Singapore trip ?
I am like you who loves planning these trips and I have run into issues of flight times. To give you some background, my initial plan was to ask my parents travel from Bangalore to Malaysia via Singapore. I will be in Taipei on business and would be traveling to Malaysia via Singapore. All of us have valid US visas (I have a work visa, my parents have tourist visa), so in Singapore, we can get a transit visa if our connecting flight is less than 96 hours (purely to save time, effort and cost of applying for a Singapore visa). This way, I could have covered both countries in one shot. However, the flight times I see online are not matching with this schedule and I might end up needing a separate Singapore visa.
Regards,
Vinay Hegde
Hello Mr. Vinay,
Please feel free to follow the seven-day itinerary for you Singapore and Malaysia Trip here: https://webguy.in/2017/08/31/one-week-itinerary-for-singapore-malaysia-trip/
Thanks,
Rajiv
Wow. I could have never imagined that Singapore, out of all countries, doesn’t have VOA for Indians. I don’t understand these countries.
Sadly, that’s what the case is. But given the actions of a lot of Indians abroad, honestly, I am not surprised.
Hi,
If you are travelling for an official training (To a new company), would a tourist visa be enough ?
In that case, why would you bother for the VISA. Your company is the one who is supposed to take care of all the formalities pertaining to your Singapore VISA.
Yes, my future employer has provided all the documents needed for me but my consultant is asking for a reliving letter from my current company (Which is not possible as I am still serving my notice). A person from the embassy also spoke and said that a tourist visa would be the best approach in this case. Wanted your advise.
To be honest, I am not really sure if this would be an ethical thing to do. However, if someone from the embassy is suggesting you to go ahead with a Singapore Tourist VISA then maybe, that’s a good option.
Good luck and keep me informed.
Hi, The article sums-up nicely, covered good info about visa.
Thanks.
Thank you.
Just an update if you may add – Passports issued in South India also need HR Letter and Company Leave letters as mandatory documents for Singapore tourist visa. Basically now its mandatory for any passport applying from anywhere in India. I confirmed with Trawellday and other agencies in Bangalore and Chennai.
Thanks, Abhishek!
Adding the same to the post.