The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (ICA) has urged travellers frequently visiting Singapore for business or leisure, to participate in a Frequent Traveller Programme (FTP) for free. The program allows eligible travellers to enjoy convenient immigration clearance via automated clearance facilities, which is also known as the enhanced-Immigration Automated Clearance System (eIACS).

ICA stated that the authority has extended the FTP to eligible holders of UK passports and all holders of the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC), since Thursday, June 13 2019. This will allow foreign travellers to use the eIACS at the checkpoints in Singapore. In a news release, ICA also mentioned that the eligible holders of Singapore passports were recently allowed to use the automated immigration clearance facilities in the UK. As per ICA, this mutual move between both countries will accord such travellers much greater convenience.

Travellers from the UK, aged six and above who have a passport with more than six months’ validity, and have visited Singapore at least twice in the past two years, as well as all holders of the ABTC, will now be able to apply for FTP. People who would like to enjoy such facilities can now apply for the FTP at the enrolment centres located at Terminal 3, Changi Airport, the Visitor Services Centre at the ICA Building as well as at both the checkpoints in Woodlands and Tuas.

However, ICA clarified that the application cannot be done if the applicant’s fingerprints are faint, scarred or excessively dry or wet and they should have a machine-readable passport which is International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) compliant to apply. If anyone successfully applies to use eIACS but later wishes to opt out, then those people can present their enrolled passport at any eIACS enrolment centre for assistance.

For more information on the FTP, people can visit ICA’s website at www.ica.gov.sg.