COVID-19 Travel Insurance and Medical Treatment for Inbound Travellers
This page contains information on the following issues:
- COVID-19 Travel Insurance
- Recovery Protocols for COVID-19
- Costs Associated with Medical Treatment and Recovery
1. COVID-19 Travel Insurance
Short-term visitors who are not fully vaccinated and are required to have travel insurance for their COVID-19-related medical treatment and hospitalisation costs in Singapore should ensure that their insurance has a minimum coverage of S$30,000 (based on COVID-19 bill sizes at private hospitals).
Short-term visitors who are fully vaccinated, and non-fully vaccinated children aged 12 and below, are not required to have travel insurance for their COVID-19 related medical treatment and hospitalisation costs in Singapore. However, travellers are still encouraged to ensure sufficient travel insurance coverage as they will have to pay for their own treatment costs if the insurance coverage is insufficient.
Visitors can purchase travel insurance prior to travelling to Singapore, from any insurer providing such services in their country/region. Travellers may also consider Singapore-based insurers* offering such services if it suits their needs:
Insurer | Product Name and Application Page |
---|---|
AIG Asia Pacific Insurance Pte. Ltd. | Singapore Travel Assist |
Chubb Insurance Singapore Limited | SG Travel Insured |
HL Assurance Pte. Ltd. | ChangiAssure Covid Insurance |
*Note: ICA has no affiliations to the insurers listed above and we are unable to assist with any queries relating to product information or the application process. Should you require further assistance during the course of application, please enquire directly with the insurers. For more information on our third-party sites' policy, please click here. |
Insurance for Long-Term Pass Holders
Employers are no longer required to buy COVID-19 travel insurance for all (new and existing) Work Permit, Training Work Permit and S Pass holders, before they enter Singapore. For more information please refer to MOM’s website.
All other pass holders are responsible for all costs associated with COVID-19 related treatment an recovery (see Section 3) and are encouraged to buy medical insurance with the appropriate coverage before entering Singapore, and should ensure sufficient coverage should they develop COVID-19 symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 in Singapore.
2. Recovery Protocols for COVID-19
Home Recovery Programme / In-situ Recovery
Travellers who test positive for COVID-19 will either enrol into the Home Recovery Programme (if they have a place of residence in Singapore) or in-situ recovery (if residing in hotels) by default. They will have access to telemedicine services if they require medical advice. Travellers will continue to be responsible for any costs associated with their testing, treatment and recovery, including any necessary extensions to their stay at their accommodation. Please visit MOH’s website on in-situ recovery at hotels and the related FAQs for more information.
Medical Treatment Facilities for COVID-19
COVID-19-positive patients who are assessed to be ineligible for home recovery may be conveyed to and accorded the necessary medical treatment at a suitable COVID-19 care facility. These facilities can be public and private hospitals, COVID-19 Treatment Facilities (CTFs) and/or Community Isolation Facilities (CIFs), depending on the patient’s condition.
Patients may not choose the specific hospital or facility to be treated at, and all decisions to convey the patient to the appropriate COVID-19 care facility made by the Government of Singapore will be final.
Patients who are first admitted to a hospital for COVID-19 management may subsequently be transferred to a CTF or CIF for continued care. Such patients will be medically managed at the facility until they are fit for discharge.
Patients who deliberately refuse treatment or leave the facility before a formal discharge, or otherwise behave in a manner that exposes others to the risk of infection, may be prosecuted for offences under the Infectious Diseases Act. Upon conviction, the offender may be imprisoned and/or fined.
3. Costs Associated with Medical Treatment and Recovery
The following groups of travellers are responsible for all costs associated with COVID-19 treatment and recovery:
- All Short-Term Pass Holders, throughout their stay in Singapore
- SCs/PRs/LTPHs who are not fully vaccinated– specifically, those aged above 12 years (i.e. born before 2010), and have not been formally certified to be medically ineligible for COVID-19 vaccines on the National Vaccination Programme
- All SCs/PRs/LTPHs who are subjected to Restricted Category* border measures and test positive or develop onset of symptoms for COVID-19 within 7 days of their arrival to Singapore, regardless of their vaccination status. (* There are currently no Restricted Category countries/regions.)
In line with the prevailing charging policy for local community cases (i.e., non-travellers), SC/PR/LTPH travellers who (i) have been fully vaccinated or (ii) are certified to be medically ineligible for COVID-19 vaccines under the National Vaccination Programme or (iii) are children aged 12 years and below (i.e., born in or after 2010), and are subjected to General Travel Category border measures will not be required to pay for the medical bills incurred if they require admission for COVID-19 treatment in hospitals and CTFs.
SCs and PRs may access Government subsidies, MediSave and MediShield Life/Integrated Shield Plans, where applicable. LTPHs and STVPs may tap on private insurance, if applicable. There are no subsidies available to LTPHs and STVPs and they will have to rely on their private insurance if any, to cover their medical costs.
Charges for hospitals and community facilities are billed separately. All paying patients may enquire about the relevant charges during financial counselling at the point of admission to the facility.
This cost of hospitalisation at the hospitals and/or community facilities are separate from the cost of Stay-Home-Notice (SHN) Dedicated Facilities.