Moving to Singapore? Ask our regular expats in Singapore questions on relocation and their experience here. Ask about banking, employment pass, insurance, visa, work permit, citizenship or immigration issues.
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kgaurav
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by kgaurav » Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:15 pm
Dear board members,
I'm moving to Singapore along with my wife from India.
I've got the IPA letters for my EP and my wife's DP. The text in both the IPA letters says: "This letter includes a pre-approved Single-Journey Entry Visa for entry into Singapore".
I want to confirm if these IPA letters are sufficient enough for our entry into Singapore (clearing both India and Singapore immigration). Or do i need to apply a short term visa separately.
Thanks
Kumar
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revhappy
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by revhappy » Wed, 19 Sep 2012 10:04 am
kgaurav wrote:Dear board members,
I'm moving to Singapore along with my wife from India.
I've got the IPA letters for my EP and my wife's DP. The text in both the IPA letters says: "This letter includes a pre-approved Single-Journey Entry Visa for entry into Singapore".
I want to confirm if these IPA letters are sufficient enough for our entry into Singapore (clearing both India and Singapore immigration). Or do i need to apply a short term visa separately.
Thanks
Kumar
IPAs include the visas, so you dont need to apply any visas nor do you need any return ticket. Just make sure that you have the whole IPA printed out without any pages missing. Take atleast 2 copies each and place one in your checkin luggage and one in you cabin luggage. Welcome to Singapore

Last edited by
revhappy on Sun, 14 Oct 2012 11:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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nakatago
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by nakatago » Wed, 19 Sep 2012 10:29 am
For reference for future readers, which countries would require some sort of document so that they can leave their own country? I know the Philippines does. Pakistan, I only vaguely recall being so.
"A quokka is what would happen if there was an anime about kangaroos."
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zzm9980
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by zzm9980 » Wed, 19 Sep 2012 11:10 am
nakatago wrote:For reference for future readers, which countries would require some sort of document so that they can leave their own country? I know the Philippines does. Pakistan, I only vaguely recall being so.
Many airlines in many countries will require this document if you don't have a return ticket (e.g., moving). I've been asked at airports in the US, HK, and Japan for proof of residency/visa for Singapore.
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revhappy
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by revhappy » Wed, 19 Sep 2012 11:19 am
..
Last edited by
revhappy on Sun, 14 Oct 2012 11:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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nakatago
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by nakatago » Wed, 19 Sep 2012 1:23 pm
zzm9980 wrote:nakatago wrote:For reference for future readers, which countries would require some sort of document so that they can leave their own country? I know the Philippines does. Pakistan, I only vaguely recall being so.
Many airlines in many countries will require this document if you don't have a return ticket (e.g., moving). I've been asked at airports in the US, HK, and Japan for proof of residency/visa for Singapore.
I'm referring to documents aside from a return ticket. For the Philippines, we have the stupidly overreaching, one-time use only
overseas employment certificate (5.50 SGD each) if you're a worker or an even more stupidly overreaching paid-for
invitation letter (45 SGD each) if you're just visiting and is of working age.
"A quokka is what would happen if there was an anime about kangaroos."
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kgaurav
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by kgaurav » Wed, 19 Sep 2012 1:56 pm
revhappy wrote:kgaurav wrote:Dear board members,
I'm moving to Singapore along with my wife from India.
I've got the IPA letters for my EP and my wife's DP. The text in both the IPA letters says: "This letter includes a pre-approved Single-Journey Entry Visa for entry into Singapore".
I want to confirm if these IPA letters are sufficient enough for our entry into Singapore (clearing both India and Singapore immigration). Or do i need to apply a short term visa separately.
Thanks
Kumar
IPAs include the visas, so you dont need to apply any visas nor do you need any return ticket. Just make sure that you have the whole IPA printed out without any pages missing. Take atleast 2 copies each and place one in your checkin luggage and one in you cabin luggage. Welcome to Singapore

Thanks.
I'll share my experience and seek ur advice on this whole immigration and settlement process.
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kishorek
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by kishorek » Tue, 26 Mar 2013 5:46 pm
kgaurav wrote:revhappy wrote:kgaurav wrote:Dear board members,
I'm moving to Singapore along with my wife from India.
I've got the IPA letters for my EP and my wife's DP. The text in both the IPA letters says: "This letter includes a pre-approved Single-Journey Entry Visa for entry into Singapore".
I want to confirm if these IPA letters are sufficient enough for our entry into Singapore (clearing both India and Singapore immigration). Or do i need to apply a short term visa separately.
Thanks
Kumar
IPAs include the visas, so you dont need to apply any visas nor do you need any return ticket. Just make sure that you have the whole IPA printed out without any pages missing. Take atleast 2 copies each and place one in your checkin luggage and one in you cabin luggage. Welcome to Singapore

Thanks.
I'll share my experience and seek ur advice on this whole immigration and settlement process.
Hi Gaurav, Please share your experience on the immigration clearance. Especially did you require a return ticket?
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maidsrch
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by maidsrch » Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:23 am
There's no need for a return ticket. Valid passport and IPA is all thats needed. As mentioned in the earlier post, make sure to print out all the pages of the IPA (should be 7 or 8 - including the blank page).
I initially travelled on a DP IPA alone and lugged along 2 dogs for company. Did not face any problems with immigration.
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ani_india_01
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by ani_india_01 » Thu, 28 Mar 2013 7:27 pm
The IPA format is recently changed so if the immigration officer at the point of boarding have not seen the new format before then might ask few qs otherwise no one 'll ask for any other document/question...IPA & passport is enough!!!
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XPAT10728
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by XPAT10728 » Thu, 09 Apr 2015 1:57 pm
I know this post is from the stone age. Still I want to share my experience of leaving for Singapore for the first time on IPA. There are some ignorant people in the emigration dept of Indian airports who don't know the value of IPA. I was not granted clearance and I had to speak with the Singapore Airlines officials to talk with the emigration officers into granting me clearance. Airlines always play the villain role in all the anecdotes I have come across, but I'm glad that it was different in my case. Subsequent travels were all fine as I had my pass with me.
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the lynx
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by the lynx » Thu, 09 Apr 2015 2:13 pm
XPAT10728 wrote:I know this post is from the stone age. Still I want to share my experience of leaving for Singapore for the first time on IPA. There are some ignorant people in the emigration dept of Indian airports who don't know the value of IPA. I was not granted clearance and I had to speak with the Singapore Airlines officials to talk with the emigration officers into granting me clearance. Airlines always play the villain role in all the anecdotes I have come across, but I'm glad that it was different in my case. Subsequent travels were all fine as I had my pass with me.
Thanks for sharing. Good to know that there are some immigration officers who are not familiar. And that airlines can help out if they are familiar.
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ecureilx
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by ecureilx » Thu, 09 Apr 2015 3:13 pm
XPAT10728 wrote:I know this post is from the stone age. Still I want to share my experience of leaving for Singapore for the first time on IPA. There are some ignorant people in the emigration dept of Indian airports who don't know the value of IPA. I was not granted clearance and I had to speak with the Singapore Airlines officials to talk with the emigration officers into granting me clearance. Airlines always play the villain role in all the anecdotes I have come across, but I'm glad that it was different in my case. Subsequent travels were all fine as I had my pass with me.
vs running the gauntlet -> crossing Philippines Immigration (and 10,000 passengers are offloaded a year, by Immigration at PH, by a conservative estimate, though an average of 100 a days is the norm), India is a walk in the park I guess
In your case, the SQ ground crew were knowledgeable to side with you. Mostly they avoid siding with the customer if they are not sure, since, if you get denied entry in Singapore, SQ has to fly you back at their cost !
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shadowShaman
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by shadowShaman » Mon, 18 Dec 2017 1:43 am
Sorry for replying to the wrong post.
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shadowShaman
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by shadowShaman » Mon, 18 Dec 2017 1:48 am
revhappy wrote:kgaurav wrote:Dear board members,
I'm moving to Singapore along with my wife from India.
I've got the IPA letters for my EP and my wife's DP. The text in both the IPA letters says: "This letter includes a pre-approved Single-Journey Entry Visa for entry into Singapore".
I want to confirm if these IPA letters are sufficient enough for our entry into Singapore (clearing both India and Singapore immigration). Or do i need to apply a short term visa separately.
Thanks
Kumar
IPAs include the visas, so you dont need to apply any visas nor do you need any return ticket. Just make sure that you have the whole IPA printed out without any pages missing. Take atleast 2 copies each and place one in your checkin luggage and one in you cabin luggage. Welcome to Singapore

Hi,
I have the same query, that whether an IPA letter and a valid passport is enough to clear Indian Immigration. Though the answer has been posted earlier, but just want to confirm whether the same is valid in today's date also. Though polices, such as these, doesn't change all of a sudden, but this post is from 2012, so I just wanted to confirm.
Thanks in advance
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Will DP IPA get approved if already having EP IPA??
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