Singapore Yellow Fever Certificate Checklist — When You Need One
Singapore is free from yellow fever. If you have been in a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission in the six days before arrival, you must show a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate to the ICA officer at the border — and that rule applies to Singapore residents too. Here is the entry checklist, verified against ICA (Immigration & Checkpoints Authority), October 2026.
Stage A — Decide whether the rule applies to you
- ☐ Have you been in a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission in the past six days before arriving in Singapore? (Regardless of which area, city or region you visited.)
- ☐ Did you spend more than 12 hours in airport transit in one of those countries in the same six-day window? That counts too.
- ☐ If either answer is yes — including if you are a Singapore resident — you must be ready to produce a valid certificate on arrival.
Stage B — Get a certificate that is valid in time
- ☐ Hold a valid International Certificate of Vaccination for yellow fever.
- ☐ Note the timing: the certificate becomes valid 10 days after vaccination. A certificate issued too close to your travel date will not yet be valid on arrival.
- ☐ Once valid, it lasts for the life of the person vaccinated.
Stage C — Know the consequence of arriving without one
- ☐ Travellers without a valid certificate — unvaccinated people, those who cannot be vaccinated (for example children aged 1 year and below and people with contraindications), and those whose certificate has not yet become valid — are liable to be quarantined under the Infectious Disease Act.
- ☐ Quarantine runs for six days from the date of departure from the risk country, to cover the incubation period for yellow fever.
- ☐ If your certificate has not yet become valid on arrival, you must still complete the quarantine even if it becomes valid during the quarantine.
- ☐ Quarantine is served at a designated vector-free government quarantine facility.
- ☐ Non-residents who refuse quarantine will be denied entry into Singapore.
Stage D — Check the country list before you fly
ICA publishes the countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission. The list, correct as of 18 November 2022, is:
Africa (30): Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Uganda.
Latin America (14): Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela.
☐ Confirm the list against ICA’s page before you travel — it can be updated, and your itinerary may include a country you had not considered.
Before you fly — a 30-second check
- ☐ Been in a risk country (or >12 h airport transit there) in the last 6 days?
- ☐ Certificate valid (issued at least 10 days ago)?
- ☐ Certificate at hand to show the ICA officer on arrival?
- ☐ No valid certificate? Plan for 6-day quarantine — or, as a non-resident, the risk of being denied entry.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter Singapore?
Only if you have been in a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission in the six days before you arrive. Singapore is free from yellow fever, and travellers with recent travel to a risk country — including Singapore residents — must show a valid certificate to the ICA officer on arrival.
Does airport transit count?
Yes. The requirement also applies to travellers who spent more than 12 hours in airport transit in a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission in the six days before arrival.
When does the vaccination certificate become valid?
The International Certificate of Vaccination for yellow fever becomes valid 10 days after vaccination, and its validity lasts for the life of the person vaccinated.
What happens if I do not have a valid certificate?
Travellers without a valid certificate — including unvaccinated individuals, those ineligible for the vaccination such as children aged 1 year and below and people with contraindications, and travellers whose certificate has not yet become valid — are liable to be quarantined under the Infectious Disease Act for six days from the date of departure from a risk country.
Why six days of quarantine?
The six-day period covers the incubation period for yellow fever. If your certificate has not yet become valid on arrival, you must still complete the quarantine even if the certificate becomes valid during it, because you were not fully protected during your time in the affected country and could already be incubating the infection.
Where is the quarantine served?
Quarantine must be served at a designated vector-free government quarantine facility.
What if a non-resident refuses quarantine?
Non-residents who refuse quarantine will be denied entry into Singapore.
Which countries are on the yellow fever risk list?
The list, correct as of 18 November 2022, has 30 African countries and 14 Latin American countries. Check ICA's page for the current list, as it can be updated.
Related: the Singapore Arrival Card (SGAC) checklist, the checklists hub, and the Singapore passport photo specification. Source: ICA, “Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate” (ica.gov.sg), retrieved 2026-10-01. Requirements and the country list can change — confirm on ICA before you travel.