Immigration Act 1959

Immigration Act 1959 2020 REVISED EDITION This revised edition incorporates all amendments up to and including 1 December 2021 and comes into operation on 31 December 2021 An Act relating to immigration into, and departure from, Singapore. [16 September 1963] PART 1 PRELIMINARY Short title 1. This Act is the Immigration Act 1959. Interpretation 2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires — “advance passenger information” means information relating to any passenger required to be furnished to the Controller prior to the arrival in Singapore of the vessel, aircraft, train or bus (as the case may be) on which the passenger will be travelling to Singapore; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/07/2025] “arrestable offence” and “non‑arrestable offence” have the meanings given by section 2(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/12/2024] “arrive” means — (a) in relation to an aircraft, the aircraft coming to a stop after landing; (b) in relation to a vessel or ship, the securing of the vessel or ship for any purposes, including for the embarkation or disembarkation of its passengers or the loading or unloading of its cargo or stores or both; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/07/2025] (c) in relation to a train, the train coming to a stop at a train checkpoint; (d) in relation to a bus, the bus reaching an authorised point of entry; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/07/2025] (e) in relation to any mode of land transport other than a train or a bus, the mode of land transport reaching an authorised point of entry; or [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/07/2025] (f) in relation to a person who travels to Singapore on foot, the person proceeding to an immigration control post; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/07/2025] “authorised airport”, “authorised landing place”, “authorised train checkpoint”, “authorised point of entry”, “authorised departing place” and “authorised point of departure” mean, respectively, an airport, a landing place, a train checkpoint, a point of entry, a departing place or a point of departure declared as such under section 5; “authorised area” means an authorised airport, authorised landing place, authorised train checkpoint, authorised point of entry, authorised place of embarkation, authorised departing place, authorised point of departure or immigration control post declared as such under section 5; “auxiliary police officer” means a person appointed as such under Part 9 of the Police Force Act 2004; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/12/2024] “certificate” means a certificate of status issued under the provisions of any regulations made under section 55; “Controller” means the Controller of Immigration appointed under section 3; “Controller of Work Passes” means the Controller of Work Passes appointed under section 3 of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act 1990; “country” includes a State or territory; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/12/2024] “crew” includes every seaman on a vessel, and every person employed in the operation of an aircraft, a train or a bus or in any service rendered to the crew or passengers of an aircraft in flight or a train, or a bus, in motion; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/07/2025] “Director of Marine” means the Director of Marine appointed under section 4(1) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 and includes the Deputy Director of Marine appointed under that subsection and such other officers appointed under section 4(3) of that Act as the Director of Marine may authorise to carry out any of his or her duties under this Act; “document” includes — (a) any endorsement; (b) any paper or other material where there is writing; (c) any paper or other material on which there are marks, figures, symbols or perforations that are — (i) capable of being given a meaning by persons qualified to interpret them; or (ii) capable of being responded to by a computer, a machine or an electronic device; (d) any article or material from which information is capable of being reproduced with or without the aid of any other article or device; or (e) any electronic record; “electronic record” has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Electronic Transactions Act 2010; “employ” means to engage or use the service of any person, whether under a contract of service or otherwise, with or without remuneration; “entry” means — (a) in the case of a person arriving by sea, disembarking in Singapore from the vessel in which he or she arrives; (b) in the case of a person arriving by air at an authorised airport, leaving the precincts of such airport; (c) in the case of a person entering by land and proceeding to an immigration control post under section 26 or an authorised train checkpoint under section 25A, leaving the precincts of such post or checkpoint for any purpose other than that of departing from Singapore by an approved route; (ca) in the case of a child born in Singapore on or after 15 January 2005 who is not a citizen of Singapore, his or her birth in Singapore; and (d) in any other case, any entry into Singapore by land, sea or air, but shall not include in any case an entry made for the purpose of complying with this Act or an entry, expressly or impliedly, sanctioned by an immigration officer for the purpose of any enquiry or detention under the provisions of this Act; “entry permit” means a permit issued under section 10; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 01/12/2025] “harbour” means to give food or shelter, and includes the act of assisting a person in any way to evade apprehension; “immigration control post” means a post established as such by the Controller at a place declared to be an immigration control post under section 5; “immigration depot” means any place designated by the Controller for the examination, inspection or detention of persons under this Act or any other written law; [Act 13 of 2024 wef 09/04/2024] “immigration officer” means any person appointed under section 3; “immigration signal” means such signal as may be prescribed for vessels which arrive in Singapore; “leave” means — (a) in the case of a person leaving Singapore by sea, embarking in Singapore on a vessel which is about to leave Singapore and remaining on board such vessel at the time of its departure for any place outside Singapore; (b) in the case of a person leaving Singapore by air, boarding an aircraft in Singapore which is about to depart from Singapore; (c) in the case of a person leaving Singapore by land — (i) boarding and remaining in a train or a bus which is about to leave Singapore; or (ii) departing from an authorised point of departure by any other mode of land transport or on foot, for any place outside Singapore; or [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/07/2025] (d) in the case of a vessel, an aircraft, a train or a bus leaving Singapore by sea, air or land (as the case may be), departing from any authorised departing place in Singapore by sea, or from any authorised airport, authorised train checkpoint or authorised point of departure in Singapore, for any place outside Singapore; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/07/2025] “master” — (a) in relation to a vessel, means any person (except a pilot or harbour master) having for the time being control or charge thereof; (b) in relation to an aircraft, means the captain thereof; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/07/2025] (c) in relation to a train, means the driver of the train or any person having for the time being control or charge thereof; or [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/07/2025] (d) in relation to a bus, means the driver of the bus; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/07/2025] “non-citizen” means any person who is not a citizen of Singapore; “occupier”, in relation to any premises or place, includes — (a) the person having the charge, management or control of either the whole or part of the premises or place, either on the person’s own account or as an agent; and (b) a contractor who is carrying out building operations or construction works at the premises or place on behalf of some other person; “omnibus” means a bus which is used on a scheduled service and in which passengers are charged separate and distinct fares, and in respect of which a public service vehicle licence is in force under Part 5 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 (or an equivalent licence is in force in Malaysia) authorising the use of the bus as an omnibus; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/07/2025] “pass” means a pass issued under the regulations entitling the holder thereof to remain, or enter and remain, temporarily in Singapore; “passenger” means any person carried in a vessel, an aircraft, a train or a bus, other than the members of the crew; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/07/2025] “permanent resident of Singapore” means the holder of a valid entry permit; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 01/12/2025] “permit” includes an entry permit and a re-entry permit; “personal identifier” means any of the identifiers specified in the Schedule (including any in digital form); “prohibited immigrant” means any person who is a prohibited immigrant as defined in section 8; “re-entry permit” means a permit issued under section 11; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/12/2024] “regulations” means regulations made under this Act; “seaman” includes the master and any person carried in a vessel as a bona fide member of the staff employed in the operation or service of the vessel and, if the vessel has articles, entered on the articles; “Singapore visa” means a Singapore visa granted under Part 2A; “stowaway” means a person who is secreted in a vessel, an aircraft, a train or a bus without the consent of the master or other person in charge of the vessel, aircraft, train or bus and includes such a person who is arriving in or departing from Singapore on board any vessel, aircraft, train or bus without the consent of the master or other person in charge of the vessel, aircraft, train or bus; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/07/2025] “through passenger” means any passenger who arrives in Singapore by a vessel, an aircraft or a train and who is continuing his or her journey in the same vessel, aircraft or train to a place outside Singapore; “transportation company” means any government, municipality, body corporate, or organisation, firm or person carrying or providing for the transit of passengers, whether by vessel, aircraft, train, bus or otherwise, and includes any 2 or more such transporting companies co‑operating in the business of carrying passengers; [Act 31 of 2023 wef 31/07/2025] “vehicle” means any vehicle whether mechanically propelled or otherwise; “vessel” includes any ship or boat or other description of floating craft used in navigation, and includes any tackle, equipment, book, document, goods, cargo or things carried therein or thereon. [18/2012] Appointment and powers of Controller and immigration officers 3.—(1) The Minister may appoint a Controller of Immigration and such number of immigration officers as the Minister may consider necessary for the proper carrying out of the provisions of this Act. (2) The powers and discretions vested in the Controller under this Act, and the duties required to be discharged by the Controller may, subject to section 4 and to such limitations as the Controller may impose, be exercised and discharged by immigration officers duly authorised by the Controller to act on the Controller’s behalf. Power of Minister to issue directions 4.—(1) The Minister may from time to time give the Controller directions of a general character, and not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, as to the exercise of the powers and discretions conferred on the Controller by, and the duties required to be discharged by the Controller under, this Act or any regulations or orders made under this Act, in relation to all matters which appear to the Minister to affect the immigration policy of Singapore. (2) The Controller must give effect to all directions given under subsection (1).