The regime that applies
Most nationalities enter visa-free for stays of thirty or ninety days. Everyone must submit an electronic arrival card within three days before arrival — free, on the official government site, and refused by nobody, but the imitation sites charging for it are numerous.
Immigration is fast and firm. The permitted period is stamped or recorded digitally and is taken literally: overstaying carries severe penalties, including caning for long overstays, and is not negotiated at the counter.
Rules that visitors underestimate
- Chewing gum cannot be imported for sale; small quantities for personal use are tolerated but the reputation is founded.
- Vaping is illegal — possession, not just sale — and enforced with fines.
- Drug offences carry the death penalty, and this applies to transit passengers. There is no discretion.
- Littering, jaywalking and eating on the MRT attract real fines.
Health and practicalities
No vaccinations required; healthcare is excellent and expensive, so insurance is necessary. The climate is equatorial year-round — hot and humid, with short heavy downpours — and there is no cheap season.
Three rules that hold for every destination
- Use the official portal. Sites that "facilitate", "expedite" or "check" a visa charge for a service the state does not require, and collect your identity documents on the way. The official site is always cheaper and usually faster.
- A visa is not a right of entry. It is permission to present yourself at the border; the officer there decides. Carry the return ticket, the address of your stay and evidence of funds.
- Read your own foreign ministry's travel advice before booking, not after. It conditions your insurance and your consulate's ability to help.
The passport comes first
The commonest reason for being refused boarding is not the visa but the passport: insufficient validity beyond the return date, no free pages, a damaged document. Check it the day you decide to travel, not the week you leave — a renewal takes weeks.