Back to top

ICA to Issue No-Boarding Directives from 30 January 2026

            From 30 January 2026, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will issue No-Boarding Directive (NBD) notices to airline operators at Changi and Seletar Airports, to prevent undesirable or prohibited immigrants, and those who do not meet Singapore’s entry requirements, from boarding flights bound for Singapore. This upstream measure will enhance our border security.  

Use of Advance Traveller Information

2.        Currently, ICA leverages advance traveller information, including that provided in the SG Arrival Card (SGAC), flight manifests and other sources of data, to identify high-risk travellers before they arrive at our checkpoints. Upon arrival, these travellers are flagged for more stringent checks when they clear immigration.

3.        From January 2026, ICA will issue NBD notices to airlines against identified prohibited or undesirable travellers. Airlines that receive an NBD notice must not allow these travellers to board 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.

Objective of NBD

4.        The NBD allows ICA to prevent identified prohibited or undesirable travellers whom we are aware from advance traveller information that they are headed to Singapore, from boarding the flight for Singapore. This strengthens Singapore’s border security by keeping potential threats from reaching our shores in the first place. 

Operationalisation of NBD

5.        ICA has briefed the airline operators and will continue to work with them to ensure the smooth operationalisation of the NBD regime. Upon receiving advance traveller information from the airlines, ICA will screen the travellers due to travel to Singapore. Prohibited or undesirable immigrants and those who are ineligible for entry into Singapore will be subject to an NBD. When such travellers check-in for a flight to Singapore, the airline which has been issued the NBD notice must deny these travellers from boarding the flight. In some cases, the airlines may be required to perform additional checks, such as verification of visa or SGAC submission, before allowing the passenger or crew member to board the flight.   

6.        Travellers who are denied boarding but still wish to travel to Singapore will be required to write to ICA (via the ICA Feedback Channel) to seek approval for entry, before arranging a new flight to Singapore. 

Enforcement

7.        Airline operators which fail to comply with an NBD notice will be guilty of a strict liability offence, under the Immigration Act 1959, and will be liable on conviction to a fine of up to $10,000. If a pilot of the aircraft or an employee of the airline operator enables a person subjected to an NBD to board an aircraft (whether by act or omission), he or she will be liable on conviction to a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment for a term of up to 6 months, or both.

 

IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
28 NOVEMBER 2025