Record 245 million travellers passed through Singapore’s checkpoints in 2025: ICA

SINGAPORE - Close to 245 million travellers passed through Singapore’s checkpoints in 2025, surpassing the 230 million figure seen in the previous year, and the 217.3 million recorded in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Feb 23 said around three in four travellers had entered the country through the land checkpoints.

The highest number recorded in a single day was on Dec 19, 2025, when close to 589,000 travellers made the journey into Singapore through its land checkpoints.

There was a 9.5 per cent increase in vehicles cleared at the land checkpoints in 2025, with cars and motorcycles accounting for about 94 per cent of the total vehicle volume.

ICA said the passport-less clearance initiatives it introduced have made immigration clearance at the checkpoints “faster, and more efficient and seamless for travellers”.

It noted that about 127 million travellers cleared immigration without being required to present their passports in 2025.

ICA said: “Following the full implementation of QR code clearance at the land checkpoints in January 2025 and the progressive roll-out of tokenless clearance at the air and sea checkpoints, clearance times have been reduced.

“This has also enabled ICA to better manage the increasing volume of travellers, especially at the land checkpoints.”

The agency added that those looking to travel from Singapore to Johor Bahru through the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link will likely go through the immigration process with the QR code clearance system.

The RTS Link, which will transport up to 10,000 travellers per hour in each direction, is targeted to become operational by the end of 2026.

The announcement follows figures showing rising adoption of QR code immigration clearances at the land checkpoints.

Some 134 million travellers have used the system at the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints since it was rolled out in March 2024.

ICA figures reveal that QR code adoption among bus passengers more than doubled in 2025, surging from 28 per cent in January to 60 per cent by December.

Motorcyclists have also continued to adopt the system – 57 per cent used QR codes for clearance in December 2025, compared with 32 per cent in January 2025.

ICA said the take-up rate by those travelling in cars has remained consistently higher, with 69 per cent using the QR code in December 2025, compared with 68 per cent in January 2025.

“To encourage greater adoption, ICA has stepped up public education through videos, digital signage and posters, with step-by-step guides,” it said.

“Officers are also deployed on site to assist travellers who require guidance on using QR code for clearance,” said ICA, adding that it will roll out more initiatives in 2026 for those travelling through Singapore’s land checkpoints.

These include automated systems for those travelling in cars, motorcycles and cargo vehicles, which will be rolled out from the end of 2026.

For motorcycles, ICA will use facial recognition for both riders and pillion riders, replacing the current process of using fingerprints.

Selected manual car lanes at Woodlands Checkpoint will be retrofitted so that they can work as automated motorcycle clearance lanes.

Singapore residents and departing foreign visitors can also clear immigration by using facial and iris biometrics, without the need to present their passports or a QR code.

The system was implemented at Changi Airport and Marina Bay Cruise Centre in 2024, and extended to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and Seletar Airport by July 2025.

Immigration threats

ICA said the passport-less clearance initiatives rolled out have allowed its officers to focus more on profiling and investigations. This has led to a spike in the number of foreigners being turned away.

The agency conducts pre-arrival risk assessment by leveraging advance information and data analytics to identify high-risk travellers, vehicles and cargo for enhanced checks at the checkpoints.

Foreigners denied entry into Singapore jumped 38 per cent in 2025 to 45,700, up from 33,100 in 2024.

They were refused entry after having been assessed to pose immigration threats, and include those who may work illegally or who have the potential to overstay their visits, and individuals who pose security risks to the nation.

Said ICA: “Through this upstream targeting and enhanced front-line detection, more foreigners were picked up for enhanced screening in 2025, and subsequently refused entry.

“More contraband smuggling cases were also detected compared with 2024.”

The number of contraband cases grew from 43,900 in 2024 to 57,400 in 2025.

“Through the Integrated Targeting Centre’s targeting capabilities and the improved profiling skills of checkpoint officers, coupled with close collaboration with other enforcement agencies, there was a 30.6 per cent increase in foiled contraband smuggling attempts,” said ICA.

The Integrated Targeting Centre is a facility under ICA that uses advance information and data analytics to identify high-risk individuals before they arrive in Singapore.

ICA officers also detected 223 cases of travellers using multiple identities, compared with 233 cases in 2024. The agency said these travellers could have been persons of interest to the authorities as they could have previously committed crimes in Singapore and are banned from re-entering.

In 2025, ICA arrested a total of 538 immigration offenders, two more than in the previous year. The number of harbourers and employers of immigration offenders arrested by ICA fell to 277 in 2025, compared with 389 in 2024.

There was a sharp dip in the number of people arrested for marriage-of-convenience-related offences in 2025, with 15 individuals arrested compared with 41 in 2024.

On the vaping front, ICA said its officers detected 667 cases in 2025, and seized more than 350,000 vapes and related components across its checkpoints.

“In line with Singapore’s zero-tolerance stance against vaping, ICA stepped up publicity and enforcement against vape smuggling at the checkpoints, in close cooperation and through joint operations and information sharing with other enforcement agencies,” it said.