Planning For Your VTL Holiday?

With more and more countries opening up their borders thanks to the Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTL) scheme, you might be planning your year-end holiday now. So here are some tips or check-list of sorts, to help you plan a stress-free vacation!

Getting proof of vaccination

Download a copy of your vaccination certificate from HealthHub (Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents) or Notarise (for travellers vaccinated in Singapore). You may want to print a copy of it as well so that you have both a digital and hardcopy in case.

Booking your COVID-19 tests

If you’ve booked your trip through an agency such as Trip.com, then you can schedule appointments for the COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) pre-departure test at the time of booking your flights. You may take your pre-departure test at any of the 36 clinics in the Raffles Medical Clinic Network, and may book your appointment through Trip.com’s App or website, Raffles Connect or Raffles Medical’s website. Do check with the authorities of the destination country/region on when the pre-departure tests need to be done (48 to 72 hours).

You will need a copy of the negative test results to either apply for a visa to your destination or at the immigration counter once you’ve arrived.

Some countries require you to pre-book and pay for your COVID-19 test upon arrival, which you can either check with your booked hotel or to the destination country’s immigration website to check.

Getting insurance

Ensure that you get your travel insurance before departure and that it covers COVID-19 related medical expenses. Some insurers also allow you to do a top-up to pay for the pre-departure PCR test. Do check with your insurer for more details.

Bringing the right kind of masks

While most countries will allow most kinds of masks, do a little bit of research before you go to your destination country/region. For example, Germany’s laws demand that masks be worn indoors or in enclosed spaces and only surgical or N95-equivalent masks are allowed.

Travelling with unvaccinated children

Most countries do not require minors to be quarantined in the destination country when accompanied by a fully-vaccinated adult. However, some countries/regions do require minors to take COVID-19 tests before or upon entry.

Getting all your documents ready

Quite a few countries require travellers to complete either a Health Control Form or Passenger Locator Form before boarding their flights. As such, either speak to your travel agent or check out your destination country’s immigration website for more details. We suggest keeping a copy of all such completed forms in both soft and hard copy so that you can easily show them to the authorities when necessary.

Some countries may require you to download certain apps prior entry, which you may also be using during your stay. Overall, it may be a little more troublesome to travel since we can’t simply pack and go, but with just a little bit more research and work, you can finally enjoy a holiday overseas after a 2-year hiatus!

Images: Envato, Raffles Medical Group and unsplash (header)