These Are The Tele-ART Providers That Operate 24/7 — So You Can Book Your Pre-Departure Test For Travel To Singapore
As Singapore gradually opens its borders, leisure travel is thankfully becoming simpler as travel measures are easing for fully-vaccinated travellers.
However, one travel requirement that remains is the pre-departure test (PDT) that all fully-vaxxed travellers must do within two days of departure for Singapore. For instance, if you’re flying back on Nov 3, you can take the test any time from Nov 1 to 3 before your flight.
That said, the pre-departure testing process has been simplified as well.
The good news is that you don’t have to hunt down a test centre or clinic overseas for a pre-departure antigen rapid test (ART) before you return to Singapore. Instead, you can book a tele-ART and do a supervised self-test remotely over a video call instead.
However, it’s important to note that the tele-ART provider — that is, the person on your screen who’s watching you do your swab test — is an approved one based in Singapore.
You also need to have your own ART kits ready and may only use test kits that are approved for distribution and use in Singapore or the relevant country or region. If you want to err on the side of caution, it’s probably a good idea to stock up on ART kits from Singapore and take them along with you on your travels.
While PCR tests and professionally administered ARTs are still accepted as pre-departure tests, tele- ARTs are the most convenient and wallet-friendly option at the moment — if you’re eligible, that is.
Who’s eligible for tele-ARTs
Only Singapore citizens, PRs, work pass holders and other long-term pass holders may use tele-ARTs to fulfil the PDT requirement for travel into Singapore. Short-term visitors are not eligible.
The tele-ART option is only available to these folks travelling from selected countries. At the time of writing, there are over 50 countries in the list released by MOH.
They include: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechstenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Cyprus, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City, Yemen.
Will more Asian countries be added to the list soon? Only time will tell — it seems that the list is regularly expanded, with countries like Canada, Switzerland and Turkey just added today (Mar 28).
Tele-ART providers based in Singapore operating 24/7
There are 52 approved tele-ART providers in Singapore that you can book a supervised self-swab test with at the time of writing.
If you don’t want to work around the time difference, there are a handful of tele-ART providers operating 24 hours (most of the providers keep regular working or clinic hours).
24-Hour Tele-ART Providers In Singapore:
#1: Raffles Medical Group: $30 per test. Book via the Raffles Connect app or here.
#2: Kingston Medical Clinic Pte Ltd: $12 for a booking from 9am to 6pm (Singapore time); $25 for bookings before 9am or after 6pm. Book here.
#3: Belief Family Clinic: $30 per test (surcharges apply for weekday bookings between 6pm and 9am, and weekend bookings). Book an appointment here.
#4: Clinic @ Costa: $25 per test. Book here.
#5: Chua Medical Clinic and Surgery Pte Ltd: $30 for appointments on weekdays, 9am to 5pm; surcharges up to $50 apply otherwise. Book here.
#6: Kingsway Medical 24-Hr Clinic: $25 per test. Book here.
The full list of MOH-approved supervised tele-ART providers is available at https://go.gov.sg/remote-art-overseas-sg.
Main photos: Raffles Medical Group
Other photos: Unsplash/L. Filipe C. Sousa, Roman Wimmers
