Singapore Denies Entry to Nearly 42,000 Foreign Travellers as New No-Boarding System Looms
Singapore is strengthening its border security to stop high-risk and unwanted travellers from entering the country. From January 2026, a new rule called the No-Boarding Directive (NBD) will be introduced. Under this rule, some travellers may not be allowed to board flights to Singapore if they are found ineligible.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that travellers are not denied entry just because they are marked as high-risk. Instead, they are stopped at automated lanes after arrival for extra checks. Officers then interview them to understand their purpose of travel and decide if they can enter Singapore.
ICA already uses passenger information shared by airlines and data analysis to identify such travellers before they reach Singapore. People with criminal records, fake identities, or those banned from entering the country can be detected through these systems and face stricter checks.
In the first 11 months of 2025, around 41,800 foreigners were refused entry into Singapore. This number is much higher compared to previous years. ICA said many of these cases were found due to new security systems like biometric checks and forgery detection at checkpoints.
From January 2026, airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Scoot, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, and AirAsia will start following the new rule. More airlines will join from March 2026. This means some travellers may be stopped even before boarding their flights.
Similar systems are already used in countries like the United States and Australia, where passenger details are checked against security lists to prevent risky travellers from flying.
Singapore said this step will help improve safety and reduce the number of unwanted travellers entering the country.
