More visitors to Singapore will be able to submit an electronic arrival card online or on their mobile phones up to 14 days before they arrive in the Republic.

The move will be an extension of an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) trial on electronic arrival cards since October last year.

Visitors will have to produce only their passports for immigration clearance, as the ICA's immigration system would already have the details on their electronic arrival cards that were submitted in advance, the ICA said yesterday.

The trial will involve those travelling to Singapore on AirAsia, Jetstar Asia, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines as well as the coach service Transtar Travel, and ferry operators BatamFast, Bintan Resort Ferries, Horizon Fast Ferry and Majestic Fast Ferry.

However, visitors arriving at sea checkpoints on cruise liners, land checkpoints via trains, cars, motorcycles and lorries, and work-pass holders will not be part of the trial.

The SG Arrival Card e-service can be accessed on the ICA's website or downloaded as a free mobile application on the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Those who use the mobile app can scan their passport biodata pages without keying in the information manually. They can also save previously submitted information for use on subsequent trips to Singapore.

In the ICA's earlier trial, foreign visitors who arrived at the checkpoints but have not yet completed the paper-based disembarkation/embarkation card were approached by ICA officers to participate in the trial and provide feedback.

In its statement, the ICA said that implementing the electronic arrival card is in line with its move towards paperless immigration clearance.

The electronic arrival card is expected to replace paper-based cards by 2021.