Immigration update: Singapore | New Vaccination Requirement

14 January 2019

New vaccination requirement for foreign-born children effective 1 February 2019

Effective 1 February 2019, foreign-born children aged 12 years and below who are applying for a Dependant’s Pass (DP), Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP) and Student’s Pass, will need to present documented proof of vaccination or evidence of immunity for diphtheria and measles to the Health Promotion Board (HPB) for verification. The DP / LTVP / Student’s Pass application can be submitted to the various issuing authorities once HPB has verified the document(s).

Who will be affected?

New applications for the following passes starting from 1 February 2019:

• Dependant’s Pass (DP)
• Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP)
• Student’s Pass

Background

Diphtheria and measles are two highly contagious and serious diseases that are easily contracted by children. With the increasing number of foreign-born children who are not vaccinated against diphtheria and measles, the new requirement is implemented to ensure high vaccination coverage among all children in Singapore.

Hence, effective 1 February 2019, it is mandatory for foreign-born children aged 12 years and below to submit documented proof of vaccination or evidence of immunity to the HPB for verification before applying for the DP / LTVP / Student’s Pass. Applicants will be issued with the “Verification of Vaccination Requirements (VR) (for entry to Singapore)” document before a DP / LTVP / Student’s Pass application can be submitted to the respective authorities – Ministry of Manpower (MOM) or Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

Application Fee and Processing Time

An Application Fee of $35 will be charged and there will be no refund.

The processing time for the HPB to complete the vaccination record verification is as follows:

• 1st application: about 10 working days
• Re-application: about 15 working days

Exemptions

• Existing pass holders of DP / LTVP / Student’s Pass who are renewing their passes on or after 1 February 2019, or when applying for a new pass (due to a change in the work pass holder’s employer), will not be subject to the new requirement.
• Foreign children who are born in Singapore will be exempted from the new requirement.
• Foreign-born children who are exempted from the diphtheria and measles vaccinations or wish to seek an exemption due to medical reasons will be required to submit the document certified by a doctor to the Health Promotion Board (HPB) via the Verification of Vaccination Requirements eService. If they can be exempted after verification by the HPB, they will be issued with the “Verification of Vaccination Requirements (VR) (for entry to Singapore)” document which can be used when applying for the DP / LTVP / Student’s Pass.
• Foreign-born children who are not due for the diphtheria and measles vaccinations should still apply to the HPB via the Verification of Vaccination Requirements eService and they will be issued the “Verification of Vaccination Requirements (VR) (for entry to Singapore)” document. They will be informed to follow up on the required vaccinations in Singapore when these are due.

Santa Fe Analysis

Employers may wish to highlight the changes to affected potential employees on the new vaccination requirements to factor in the processing time required by the HPB to verify the submitted documents, in addition to the processing time required by the MOM / ICA to review the DP / LTVP / Student’s Pass application.

It is recommended for the employee to apply directly to the HPB for the “Verification of Vaccination Requirements (VR) (for entry to Singapore)” document as a future follow up of the child’s immunisations may be required (where applicable).

If your child has passed his/her 12th birthday (i.e. 12 years 1 day old and onwards), he/she will not be required to submit the documented proof of vaccination to the HPB. The new vaccination requirements will only apply to foreign-born children up to their 12th birthday (i.e. 12 years 0 day and below).

Please access the Verification of Vaccination Requirements eService website which is available from 1 February 2019 onwards: https://www.nir.hpb.gov.sg/fcine/

For assistance with the Verification of Vaccination Requirements eService, please contact the HPB:

• Email: hpb_nir_fne@hpb.gov.sg
• Helpline: +65 6534 4908 / +65 6534 4907 / +65 6435 3512
• Operation Hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Public Holiday)

We are engaging with MOM / HPB on an ongoing basis for additional changes and/or information. Please refer to the below link for the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) available in the HPB portal: https://www.nir.hpb.gov.sg/nirp/eservices/foreignchildrenfaq

Should you have any questions, please contact:

Natalia Kho

Immigration Manager
Santa Fe Relocation
Singapore
D: +65 6398 3004
M: +65 9829 9080
E: natalia.kho@staging.santaferelo.com

Hallie Toh

Regional Immigration Manager
Santa Fe Relocation
Singapore
D: +65 6398 3015
M: +65 9004 6846
E: hallie.toh@staging.santaferelo.com

Soumeya Messadi

Head of Immigration – APMEA
Santa Fe Relocation
Singapore
D: +65 6398 3520
M: +65 9169 6061
E: soumeya.messadi@staging.santaferelo.com

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