Singapore is one of the most connected cities in the world. Signal reaches the MRT tunnels, the hawker centres and the gardens, and almost everything, from transport to payments, works through your phone. The things to get right are at the edges: a form to file before you land, a fee on foreign bank cards, and laws that are much stricter than many visitors expect. Singapore is not part of the EU's Roam Like at Home area, and European plans usually charge roaming by the day.
Key facts for Singapore
- EU roaming: not covered by Roam Like at Home
- Local networks: Singtel, M1 (depending on the plan)
- Emergency numbers: police 999; ambulance and fire 995
- Embassies: in Singapore, many of them in the Tanglin area near Orchard Road
Before you land: the SG Arrival Card
Every visitor must submit the SG Arrival Card online in the three days before arrival, the day of arrival included. Use the official ICA website or the MyICA app; unofficial sites that offer to file it for you charge fees for a form you can complete yourself in a few minutes.
MRT, buses and taxis
The MRT and buses accept contactless bank cards and phone wallets at the gates and readers, though cards issued outside Singapore carry an admin fee. Grab, Gojek and TADA cover ride-hailing, and taxis wait at marked stands. Coverage holds across the network, underground stretches included, so you can keep messaging between stations.
Laws that catch visitors out
Vaping is illegal in Singapore: possessing or using an e-cigarette is an offence, and since September 2025 visitors caught a second time can be barred from returning. Drug offences carry very heavy penalties, including death for trafficking. Littering, jaywalking and eating or drinking on the MRT are fined.
Johor Bahru and the causeway
Near the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints your phone can pick up Malaysian networks. A Singapore plan does not cover Malaysia; for a day trip to Johor Bahru, choose an Asia plan that covers both countries.
Getting connected
A travel eSIM installs at home with a QR code and starts its validity with the first connection in Singapore. It is a data line: your usual number keeps receiving texts and bank codes, while maps, Grab and messaging use the eSIM's data.
Singapore prepaid SIMs are sold at Changi Airport and in convenience stores, and they are registered with your passport.
Consular protection: who to call in Singapore
- 999 is the police and 995 the ambulance and fire service; if you cannot speak, an SMS to 71999 reaches the police.
- 1777 calls a non-emergency ambulance.
- Embassies and high commissions are in Singapore, many of them in the Tanglin area. The Telcomia app shows yours, with address and phone.
- If you are an EU citizen and your country has no embassy or consulate in Singapore, the embassy of any other EU country must help you on the same terms as its own nationals (Article 23 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU).
Singapore travel-safety page →
Questions travellers ask about Singapore
Do I need to fill in a form before arriving?
Yes, the SG Arrival Card, online, in the three days before you land.
Can I pay for the MRT with my bank card?
Yes, with a contactless card or a phone wallet; cards from abroad carry an admin fee.
Which networks does a Telcomia eSIM use in Singapore?
Singtel or M1, depending on the plan, with 4G and 5G where available.
Is vaping allowed in Singapore?
No. Possessing or using an e-cigarette is illegal, for visitors too.
The short version
Submit the SG Arrival Card, install the eSIM before you fly, pay for the MRT with your card or phone, leave any vape at home, and save 999 and 995.
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