Singaporeans can travel to Germany and back quarantine-free from Sep 8

From Sep 8, Singapore will launch quarantine-free travel lanes with Germany and Brunei.

​This means that fully vaccinated Singapore residents can travel back from Germany and Brunei, without having to serve any stay-home notices. Instead, they will undergo several COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and a short period of self-isolation, replacing quarantine requirements.

Upon return, travellers will go through a pre-departure test 48 hours before the scheduled flight, an on-arrival test at Changi Airport, and two post-arrival tests at a designated clinic in Singapore.

Singaporeans can also travel to Germany without having to serve any quarantine.

There will be seven designated flights from Germany to Singapore each week for a start operated by Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa.

A check on the SIA website showed that economy ticket prices for a round trip to Germany cost about $2,000.

Three flights will also be designated for fully vaccinated travellers between Brunei and Singapore each week operated by Singapore Airlines and Royal Brunei Airlines, although Singaporeans travelling to Brunei will have to serve certain restrictions.

Travellers arriving in Singapore must travel on non-stop designated flights, and the number of travellers will be limited by available flights dedicated to the travel lanes.

A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after they have received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty, Moderna or other vaccines listed under the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency use list.

This means that children under the age of 12, who cannot be vaccinated yet, will not be able to travel under this scheme.

Meanwhile, the travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong that was postponed twice has been cancelled because of the different strategies in place to cope with COVID-19 for both countries. Instead, Singapore is easing border restrictions for travellers from Hong Kong and Macau.

While Singaporeans returning from Hong Kong no longer need to serve any quarantine, they will need to undergo a 14-day quarantine order while arriving in Hong Kong.

Similarly, travellers from Hong Kong or Macau will be required to undergo a COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival and will be allowed to go about their activities in Singapore only if the PCR test result is negative.

Those looking to travel are advised to check the SafeTravel website first for the latest border measures for their associated country or region before travelling.