Arrival Cards and Health Declarations
Several countries now require travellers to file an electronic arrival card, or arrival card plus health declaration, before they land. The detail that trips people up is that these are not visa documents: they are entry declarations, filed in a narrow window before arrival, often free, and with their own deadlines. This guide brings together the official rules for Singapore, New Zealand, Malaysia and the Philippines. Based on official guidance retrieved 2026-09-29.
An arrival card is not a visa
Singapore’s guidance states it directly: the SG Arrival Card is not a visa. It is the electronic version of the paper disembarkation/embarkation card — commonly the white card — that foreign visitors used to submit on arrival. It is a separate step from any visa or entry permission you may hold. Related to this: the period of stay in Singapore is not tied to the validity of your visa. It is determined by the duration of the Visit Pass issued at the checkpoint on entry, in the form of an electronic visit pass (e-Pass).When to submit
Singapore: you must submit the SG Arrival Card within three (3) days, including the day of arrival, before arrival in Singapore — to avoid unnecessary delays at immigration clearance. For a 30 June arrival, submissions open from 28 June. New Zealand: the earliest you can submit your Traveller Declaration depends on how you travel. Travelling by air, the earliest is 24 hours before you start your trip, and it needs to be submitted by the time you reach passport control in New Zealand. Travelling by sea, the earliest is 24 hours before departing the vessel’s last foreign port before arriving in New Zealand, and it must be in by the time the vessel has berthed at its first New Zealand port.Who has to submit
Singapore requires all travellers to submit the SG Arrival Card with electronic health declaration before arriving, except those transiting or transferring through Singapore without seeking immigration clearance, and residents (Singapore citizens, permanent residents and Long-Term Pass holders) travelling through the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints. New Zealand requires everyone travelling into New Zealand to complete a declaration, including New Zealand passport holders, and a declaration must be completed for each traveller, including babies and children. If you are a New Zealand visa or NZeTA holder, you must complete an NZTD as well.It is free — and beware paid lookalikes
Singapore: SGAC submission is free of charge. ICA states it does not support or endorse services offered by commercial entities assisting to submit the SG Arrival Card at a fee, and that those services are not affiliated with ICA. New Zealand: the Traveller Declaration is FREE, and can be done on the online form or the NZTD app. Philippines: the eTravel service states plainly that eTravel is FREE, and also offers the eGovPH app. Where a service offers to file a free declaration for a fee, the official channel is the one named by the authority.The health declaration
Singapore folds a health declaration into the SG Arrival Card. It is submitted for purposes of disease control, specifically to guard against importing diseases of concern and to protect the health of Singapore residents. Those who make false declarations may be prosecuted under the Infectious Diseases Act. If your health status changes after you have submitted, update it through the “Update SGAC” feature of the e-Service.Language and passport link
New Zealand: the Traveller Declaration questions are available in multiple languages, but answers must be in English. Your declaration is linked to your passport, and is checked when you arrive at the eGate or by a border officer. The information collected covers travel, customs, immigration and biosecurity — including passport details, contact details in New Zealand, travel details, travel history from the last 30 days, and visa or NZeTA details if you need one.Malaysia’s MDAC portal
Malaysia’s official Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) portal provides four entry points: Registration, Check Registration, Check Visit Pass, and Check Egate Eligibility Status. The portal lists recommended browsers as Firefox 30+, Safari 7+ and Internet Explorer 11+. The portal’s home page does not publish a submission time window or an exemption list, so none is asserted here; use the four entry points it provides.What is not published
This page gathers four examples — Singapore, New Zealand, Malaysia and the Philippines — and does not claim that other countries use the same system; the rules for other destinations were not retrieved and are not asserted. For the Philippines, only the statements that eTravel is free and that an app is available were retrievable, so the detail is limited to those. The EU’s ETIAS and EES are a separate system and were not retrieved this round, so they are not described here.Related guides
Pair these with the relevant document checklists: Singapore PR documents, Singapore LTVP documents, Singapore student pass documents, New Zealand visitor visa documents, Israel ETA and Korea K-ETA. For the files behind a submission see photo sizes, the document scanner and digital file requirements.Frequently asked questions
Is an arrival card the same as a visa?
No. Singapore’s guidance states that the SG Arrival Card is not a visa, and the period of stay is determined by the Visit Pass (e-Pass) issued on entry, not by the visa.
When can I submit the Singapore SGAC?
Within three (3) days, including the day of arrival, before arrival in Singapore. For a 30 June arrival, submissions open from 28 June.
Can I submit the New Zealand declaration early?
Travelling by air, the earliest is 24 hours before you start your trip; travelling by sea, 24 hours before departing the vessel’s last foreign port before arriving. It must be submitted by passport control (air) or berthing (sea).
Do babies and children need their own declaration?
Yes. New Zealand requires a declaration for each traveller, including babies and children, and everyone travelling into New Zealand must complete one, including New Zealand passport holders.
Do these services cost anything?
The SG Arrival Card submission is free of charge, the NZTD is free, and eTravel is free. Singapore’s ICA states it does not support or endorse commercial services that submit the SGAC for a fee.
What happens if I declare something falsely?
For Singapore, those who make false declarations may be prosecuted under the Infectious Diseases Act.
Source: ICA Singapore, “SG Arrival Card with Electronic Health Declaration” (ica.gov.sg) and “Check if You Need an Entry Visa”, retrieved 2026-09-29; Malaysia Immigration, MDAC portal (imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac), retrieved 2026-09-29; New Zealand Traveller Declaration (travellerdeclaration.govt.nz), retrieved 2026-09-29; Philippine Travel Information System, eTravel (etravel.gov.ph), retrieved 2026-09-29. Rules change, so confirm the current guidance before you travel.