Singapore to Welcome Vaccinated U.S. Tourists Starting Oct. 19

More than a year after Singapore shut its borders due to the coronavirus pandemic, the country will welcome American tourists to visit starting next week.

Starting Oct. 19, Singapore will allow vaccinated travelers from several countries — including the U.S. — to enter quarantine-free, according to the government. The opening is part of Singapore's "Vaccinated Travel Lanes" [VTL] program, which began on Sept. 8 with select countries and is now being extended to eight more, which also includes Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy.

VTL applications for American visitors are currently open.

Travelers must be fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine, including Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Astrazeneca, or Johnson & Johnson, as well as have spent the past 14 days in one of the approved countries. All travelers must show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 48 hours of their departure and fill out an SG Arrival Card within three days of their arrival.

All tourists will then have to pre-pay for an arrival test and isolate until they receive a negative result.

Short-term travelers must also obtain travel insurance with a minimum coverage of S$30,000 (about $22,173 USD) for potential COVID-19-related medical treatments.

Children 12 and under will not be required to present proof of vaccination but must arrive with a fully vaccinated VTL traveler.

Travelers will be required to arrive on a designated VTL flight. From the U.S., Singapore Airlines will operate qualifying nonstop flights to the country each day from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, and San Francisco International Airport, according to the airline. The carrier will also fly a qualifying flight from Seattle with a stop in Vancouver twice each week starting Dec. 4.

For those who can't wait to travel to the Southeast Asian city, travelers can explore Singapore through a virtual taxi ride or check out a Hawker-style food hall in Las Vegas where hungry tourists can sample hand-pulled noodles, Hainanese chicken rice, and more.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.