Indonesia, Singapore Form Travel Bubble for Essential Trips amid Covid-19 Pandemic

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Residents of Indonesia and Singapore can now travel between the two countries under a bilateral deal for a travel corridor arrangement (TCA) for essential business and official trips in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the only point of entry in Indonesia, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has made some preparations, including providing a special lane for eligible passengers under the arrangement, which is also referred to by Singapore as the reciprocal green lane (RGL).

President Director of Indonesia’s biggest airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II Muhammad Awaluddin said some departure and arrival procedures that have been agreed upon under the TCA will be applied at the airport.

Also read: Indonesia to Use Diplomacy to Obtain More Covid-19 Vaccines

“Several checkpoints will require health protocols procedures for passengers under the TCA/RGL arrangement,” Muhammad Awaluddin said in a statement on Sunday, October 18.

Here below are the procedures for Singapore-bound passengers under the TCA/RGL scheme at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport:

1. Passengers must pass through the thermal scanner at the terminal.

2. Upon check-in, passengers are required to present a health certificate with a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results that are valid for 72 hours and verify the e-HAC (electronic health alert card) application.

3. Proceed to the boarding gate.

Also read: IMF: Indonesia Economy to Contract 1.5 Percent Next Year due to Covid-19

Meanwhile, the procedural steps upon arriving at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport are as follow:

1. Passengers arrive in the arrival hall.

2. Passengers proceed to the checkpoint clearance for e-HAC application that should be completed before departure.

3. Passengers proceed to the immigration and customs counters.

4. Passengers must undergo a PCR test at a designated checkpoint. If the results turn negative, the passengers can continue to their final destination in Indonesia. If the results turn otherwise, the passengers are required to follow the quarantine process.

“Currently, PT Angkasa Pura II is preparing laboratory test facilities at Soekarno-Hatta Airport,” said Awaluddin.

Also read: Singapore to Track Incoming Travellers Quarantine Compliance Via Electronic Device

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that Indonesian citizens are not required to apply for a visa when entering Singapore. However, Retno said, Indonesian travelers must have a sponsor from a Singapore government agency or enterprise and are required to apply for SafeTravel Pass to enter the city-state under the RGL arrangement.

She went on to say that Singaporeans seeking to enter Indonesia must also have a sponsor from the Indonesian government or enterprise and apply for an online visa at the Immigration Department.

Indonesian eligible travelers must also be registered in Singapore’s contact tracing applications called TraceTogether and SafeEntry, she added.

Meanwhile, Singaporean eligible travelers must be registered in e-HAC application and PeduliLindungi (care and protect) application while staying in Indonesia.

(Writer: Akhdi Martin Pratama | Editor: Sakina Rakhma Diah Setiawan)

Source: https://money.kompas.com/read/2020/10/18/120100926/wni-bisa-lakukan-perjalanan-khusus-ke-singapura-ini-syaratnya?page=all#page2.