Singapore is introducing a brand new set of immigration controls, No-Boarding Directives (NBDs), aimed toward stopping high-risk travellers earlier than they enter the nation.
From 2026, the directive will empower immigration authorities to instruct airways and delivery corporations to disclaim boarding to passengers flagged as safety, public well being, or immigration dangers.
The No-Boarding Directives (NBDs) are a part of a wider nationwide technique that features expanded biometric clearance methods and extra stringent immigration protocols throughout all entry checkpoints.
In response to the federal government, the transfer is designed to bolster nationwide safety, safeguard public well being, and stop unlawful entry earlier than it occurs.
The No-Boarding Directives (NBDs) had been launched following the Immigration (Modification) Act, which took impact on December 31, 2024.
Underneath the brand new guidelines:
Land checkpoints akin to these utilized by buses and personal automobiles coming into from Malaysia should not but included, although the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is contemplating how one can prolong screening to these routes.
The objective is to cease undesirable travellers earlier than they arrive at Singapore’s borders. ICA plans to make use of knowledge evaluation, safety checks, and biometric profiling to establish potential threats early.
The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) stopped 43% extra foreigners from coming into Singapore within the first half of 2025 than it did throughout the identical interval in 2024, following the usage of stronger checks and higher screening instruments.
The rise is tied to efforts to identify high-risk people earlier than they attain Singapore’s border, as a part of measures to enhance safety. ICA hasn’t given precise particulars, however these turned away possible fall into the next classes:
Officers say the objective is to not cease real guests, however to catch potential threats earlier and defend Singapore’s safety and public well being.
Extra individuals are passing by Singapore’s borders. In 2024, 230 million travellers used its checkpoints, up from 197 million in 2015.
With three main infrastructure tasks underway, the numbers are anticipated to rise additional:
The problem is that ICA can’t maintain growing its employees on the identical tempo. As an alternative, it’s placing extra assets into higher expertise.
Underneath ICA’s New Clearance Idea, which started in 2019 and is now totally in place, all travellers, no matter nationality, can clear immigration utilizing biometrics:
By June 30, 2025, 93 million individuals had cleared immigration with out displaying a passport. That quantity continues to rise.
Many travellers from the area nonetheless fly into Malaysia and enter Singapore by automotive, taxi, or bus. These land routes have had much less pre-screening, as transport operators aren’t required to share advance passenger knowledge like airways do.
Singapore’s authorities are conscious of the hole and are working to repair it.
ICA plans to deliver no-boarding-style checks to land crossings as properly. Whereas this can take time, travellers ought to count on extra knowledge assortment and monitoring on cross-border street journey within the coming years.
