Travelling to Singapore has become more convenient for visitors from countries where Singapore visas are required , since the introduction of the e-Visa by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA, http://www.ica.gov.sg/ ). Instead of a physical sticker, the visa for these visitors will be replaced by an electronic document that can be printed online.

Prior to the introduction of the e-Visa, a visitor who needed a visa to Singapore would have to submit his visa application through his local contact or through ICA's trusted partners in Singapore using the ICA's online facility SAVE (Submission of Application for Visa Electronically). Upon successful submission, the local contact would print a copy of the application form and send it to the applicant for his signature. The application form, duly signed by the applicant and his local contact, would be submitted to ICA together with a copy of the applicant's passport biodata page.

The e-Visa brings about greater convenience for travellers who need a visa to enter Singapore.

Upon approval of the visa application, the local contact or trusted partner would proceed to collect the physical visa sticker at the ICA Building. The visa sticker would then be sent to the applicant before his trip to Singapore. This process meant that the customer had to bear some of the administrative efforts and time, as well as the delivery or postage costs.

With the e-Visa, users no longer incur additional costs to send application forms or to courier documents or visa stickers. Local contacts with a valid SingPass account will continue to submit their visa applications via SAVE. The electronic visa can be printed through SAVE, doing away with the need for the local contact or trusted partner to make a trip to the ICA Building to collect the visa. An estimated 824,000 trips saved by online customers to ICA and the Singapore Overseas Missions will translate to about S$2.47 million for these customers on transportation costs. ICA also expects to reap cost savings of about S$800,000 annually from cutting down on the printing of visa stickers. In addition, this saving is a yearly recurrence.

The SAVE system also comes with a "Status Enquiry" function to enable the local contact or the applicant to check on the status of the visa application online.

According to Mr Eric Tan, Commissioner of ICA, the e-Visa system is another example of the agency's efforts to serve the public better and more efficiently. The e-Visa follows the introduction of e-XTEND in December 2006, which enables foreign visitors to apply for an extension of their short term visit pass online; and the e-Appointment system in March this year, which significantly cuts down the waiting time for some immigration/registration facilities at the ICA Building.

"The important thing is that we are able to improve our service standards without compromising security," said Mr Tan. "For the e-Visa initiative, security is enhanced as it deals with the possibility of the visa sticker being forged or tampered with. Information on the visa applicant is transmitted electronically through the secure network to all checkpoints to facilitate immigration clearance. Visas may still be necessary for some foreigners but the e-Visa will make it more convenient for visitors to obtain them."