Singapore

Immigration

All visitors to Singapore must have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months from their date of arrival. Citizens of Australia, the European Union, New Zealand, Norway, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland the United Kingdom and the United States do not need a visa for stays of 90 days or less.

The Singaporean currency is the Singapore dollar, denoted by the symbol S$ or $ (ISO code: SGD). It is divided into 100 cents, denoted ¢. There are coins of 5¢ (bronze or gold), 10¢ (silver), 20¢ (silver), 50¢ (silver) and $1 (2nd series: gold; 3rd series: silver with gold rim). Notes are in denominations of $2 (purple), $5 (green), $10 (red), $50 (blue), $100 (orange), $1,000 (purple) and $10,000 (gold). The lower three denominations are issued entirely in polymer, the rest of the denominations are issued in paper. The latter two denominations are no longer issued but remain legal tender, ver…

Getting around Singapore is easy: the public transport network is extremely easy to use, affordable, and covers populated areas extensively. Furthermore, taxis/rideshares are reasonably priced and easy to hail via apps. CityMapper, Google Maps, and Apple Maps are all capable of figuring out the fastest route by rail and bus and even estimating taxi/rideshare fares between any two points.

Malay is enshrined in the constitution as the "national language", but in practice, the most common language is English, the primary language for half the population and spoken by almost every non-elderly Singaporean with varying degrees of fluency. However, the distinctive local patois, Singlish, may be hard to understand at times, as it incorporates slang words and phrases from other languages, including various Chinese dialects, Malay, and Tamil as well as English words whose pronunciation or…

Singapore is one of the safest major cities in the world by virtually any measure. Most people, including female travellers, will not face any problems walking along the streets alone at night. But as the local police say, "low crime does not mean no crime" — beware of pickpockets in crowded areas and don't forget your common sense entirely.

Tap water is safe for drinking with very high sanitation standards. The hot and humid climate means that drinking plenty of water is advisable. Malaria is not an issue, but dengue fever is endemic to the region and there are occasional cases of Zika virus. Singapore maintains strict mosquito control (leaving standing water around will get you fined), but the government's reach does not extend into the island's nature reserves, so if you're planning on hiking bring along mosquito repellent.

By phone

The international telephone country code for Singapore is 65. Phone numbers in Singapore have the format +65 XXXX XXXX. There are no area codes. Any number starting with 8 or 9 is a mobile phone, while numbers starting with 3 or 6are fixed lines. Toll-free numbers start with 800 or 1800, followed by 7 digits, and usually cannot be dialled from outside the country.

Singaporeans care little about formal politeness. What would be decent behaviour at home, wherever home might be, is unlikely to offend anyone in Singapore. In Singapore, unlike much of southeast Asia, women wearing revealing clothing or men wearing shorts and slippers are perfectly acceptable and only the fanciest bars and restaurants, government institutions (e.g. parliament and the courts), and some private clubs, enforce dress codes.

Singapore is a secular city state but due to its multicultural population, Singapore celebrates Chinese, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian holidays. The year kicks off with a bang on 1 January and New Year, celebrated in Singapore just as in the West with a fireworks show and parties at every nightspot in town. Particularly famous are the wet and wild foam parties on the beaches of resort island Sentosa.