| About Singapore | Arrival in Singapore | Living in Singapore |

ABOUT SINGAPORE

An Island Republic
Singapore is a small tropical island with over 63 surrounding islets, which together form a total land area of 699.4km 2. It lies just 1 deg. North of the equator.


History
Located at the tip of the Malay Peninsula, Singapore was first called “Temasek” or “ Sea Town”. According to a legend, a 14 th century Sri Vijayan prince saw an animal he mistook for a lion on the island and Singapore’s modern day name Singa Pura (meaning “Lion City”) came about.

In 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles founded Singapore and established a trading station so that the British could refit, feed and protect the fleet of their growing empire. Independence as a sovereign, democratic nation was attained on 9 August 1965.


Population
Singapore has a multi-racial, multi-lingual resident population of about 4.4 million people. Chinese constitute 77% of the population, the Malays 15% and the Indians 6%. Other ethnic groups make up the remaining 2%.


Languages
There are 4 official languages – Malay, Chinese (Mandarin), Tamil and English. Malay is the national language and English is the language of administration as well as the main medium of instruction in schools and other educational institutions. Singapore’s multi-racial and multi lingual culture has brought a diversity of festivals celebrated throughout the year. This includes Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Christmas and Hari Raya.


Climate
Singapore’s climate is warm and humid, with slight variations between the average maximum of 33ºC and minimum of 23ºC. Rain falls throughout the year but more frequently during the monsoon season from November to January.

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ARRIVAL IN SINGAPORE

Immigration & Customs Checks
You are required to go through immigration clearance on arrival into Singapore. You will be given a Social Visit Pass for a minimum of two weeks. During this period, you must apply for a Student’s Pass [or collect the Student’s Pass from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) if you have applied by post] unless you are taking a short course of less than 30 days that does not involve hands-on practical occupational training and/or industrial attachment.

You are not permitted to engage in any form of business, profession, occupation or paid employment while in Singapore.


Baggage Clearance
You are required to present your baggage for checks at the Red and Green Channels operational at all entry checkpoints. Proceed to the Red Channel if you carry :

Prohibited item such as cigarettes with the prefix ‘E’ printed on the packets, chewing gums, firecrackers, controlled drugs, etc. For a list of prohibited and controlled goods, please check the website: http://app.ica.gov.sg/travellers/entry/dual_channel.asp
Controlled or restricted items;
Taxable or dutiable items exceeding your GST Relief or Duty-Free concession; or
Items for which no GST Relief or duty -free concession is granted.

At the Red Channel, declare orally to the ICA officers that you have with you any of the above-stated item(s), show the item(s) to the officer and produce the import permit, if any.

Proceed to the Green Channel if you do not carry any of the above-stated items. At the Green Channel, ICA officers may still conduct random checks on visitors' baggage.


Free Local Calls at Airport
There are phones within the airport terminal before the luggage collection area where you can make free local calls.


Money Changing
There are money changers at the airport. However, you may wish to change only a small amount of money, sufficient to cover your initial expenses, for example, transport and meals for the first few days.


Overstaying
Overstaying is a punishable offence under the Immigration Act. Please take note of the expiry dates of your Social Visit Pass upon arrival and of your Student’s Pass and apply for renewal about 4 weeks before the date of expiry.

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LIVING IN SINGAPORE

Accommodation
More than 80% of Singaporeans live in housing, built and maintained by the Housing and Development Board (HDB). There HDB apartments are located in housing estates, which are self-contained towns with amenities such as sports and recreational facilities, clinics, schools, supermarkets and food centres. You can either rent a room or the whole apartment from the owner of the housing. Rental is expected to be paid at least one month in advance and a one month security deposit may be required.

When looking for accommodation, you may wish to take note of the following:

• Flats must be approved for rental by HDB
• Location is near to campus/College
• Accessibility to public transport
• Provision of basic furniture and furnishing

Banking Facilities
Many banks in Singapore offer a wide range of services. You may open an account at a bank of your choice. Major banks include Development Bank of Singapore (DBS), Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) and United Overseas Bank Ltd (UOB).


Opening a Bank Account
Different banks have different requirements as well as different types of savings and checking accounts. You may wish to bring enough cash to cover your expenses while deciding on the bank you wish to open an account with. To open an account, please bring along your Passport and Student’s Pass. Most banks require an initial deposit of S$500. Even though most banks impose a penalty (ranging from S$20 to S$50) for early account closure within 6 months, it is still advisable to open a savings account so as to avoid carrying a large amount of cash.


Transfer of Funds
You may receive additional funds using bank drafts made out in Singapore dollars and drawn from a Singapore bank. These can be credited to your accounts and drawn in 1-2 days. Cheques drawn on banks with no branches in Singapore may take about 3 weeks to clear. Telegraphic transfers may also be made indirectly through another bank to your own account. Most banks impose a fee for telegraphic transfer. Please note that with effect from Nov 2007, you will need to declare to the customs if you are leaving Singapore with cash amount of S$30,000 or more.


Postal Services
SingPost has a network of post offices located throughout Singapore. Postal services include Speedpost (islandwide and worldwide) to most countries, sale of Money Orders, Postal Orders, parcel packing cartons (Postpac), Parcelpost, envelopes, international phonecards as well as sale and encashment of American Express Traveller’s Cheques. In addition, there are authorised agencies and stamp vendors providing essential postal services. For service round the clock, there is always the more than 200 Self-service Automated Machines (S.A.Ms). S.A.M is a 24-hour automated post office that allows you to weigh your packages, buy stamps, pay for your telephone bills and other miscellaneous services.


Telephone Services
Public payphones accept phonecards or coins in denominations of 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents and S$1. All cardphones provide the following services using a phonecard.

International Direct Calling
Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) for Malaysian calls
Local calls

Phone cards for local calls are available in denominations of S$2, S$3, S$5, S$10, S$20 and S$50. They are sold at all Post Offices, NTUC Fairprice and 7-Eleven stores. The SingTel Worldcard is a card that can be used for overseas calls, available in denominations of S$10, S$20 and S$50.


Getting Around
Getting around in Singapore is easy and economical. An efficient public transportation network offers taxis, buses and the modern Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) rail system.


Bus Services/Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)
Fares may be paid in cash or by EZ-link card, which can be used on both the MRT and buses. The EZ-link card is a contactless card system. The fare of your journey will be automatically deducted as you exit the bus/MRT. To encourage a cashless system, fares using EZ-link card is lower than using cash, for example, the minimum bus fare using the EZ-link card is S$0.64 but S$0.90 if cash is used. For more information on the public transport travel, visit http://www.transitlink.com.sg


Taxi Services
There are more than 20,000 air-conditioned taxis in Singapore. Fares are S$2.50 for the first 1km or part thereof. Each taxi is allowed a maximum of 4 passengers. To call for a taxi (24 hours) or to verify charges/surcharges, please contact the taxi services at the following numbers :

Healthcare
In Singapore, there is a dual system of healthcare delivery. The public system is managed by the Government while the private system is provided by the private hospitals and general practitioners. The healthcare delivery system comprises primary health care provision at private medical practitioners' clinics and outpatient polyclinics, and secondary and tertiary specialist care in the private and public hospitals.

The operating hours of the polyclinics are from 8am to 4.30pm (excluding lunch time: 1pm-2pm) on weekdays and 8am to 12.30pm on Saturday. At the polyclinics, the consultation fee is about $20 for foreigners. Please refer to the following URL for a full listing of the polyclinics: http://www.moh.gov.sg/corp/est/polyclinics/index.do

In addition, there are 6 national specialty centres for cancer, cardiac, eye, skin, neuroscience and dental care. Please refer to the following URL for a full listing of the hospitals and specialty centres: http://www.moh.gov.sg/corp/est/hospitals/index.do


Social Culture
People are expected to form queues to either board buses, or to wait for service. It is impolite to push ahead of someone who is in the queue ahead of you. Do be punctual. Allow yourself sufficient time to travel. It is also considered impolite to miss an appointment. Address the people you meet with titles such as Mr, Mrs, Miss, Dr or Professor unless you are invited to use their first names.


Food Culture
Food centres in local neighbourhoods or air-conditioned food courts located conveniently in shopping complexes offer you a wide variety of dishes. When dining at a food court or hawker centre, get a table, note the table number and then look at the pictures at the stall to order. Give the stall operator your table number and wait for your food to be delivered before making payment. Do take note that some stalls are self-service and you are expected to make payment, wait and bring the food to your table.


Vandalism
Defacing public and private property carries a severe penalty.


Standard Voltage
The standard voltage for electrical appliances in Singapore is 240 volts. The electrical accessories such as the 3-pin plug, multi-plug and extension drum should bear the safety mark approved by PSB to ensure electrical safety.


Smoking
Smoking is prohibited in most buildings and public areas, especially in enclosed/air-conditioned areas.


Littering
Singapore has strict laws against littering.


Drugs
Drug abuse is viewed seriously. The trafficking, manufacturing, importing or exporting of drugs carries a death penalty. Unauthorised consumption also carries a heavy penalty.


What to Wear
In tropical Singapore, loose and light summer clothing is recommended especially for outdoor activities. You should be appropriately attired in campus compound. Improper attire includes shorts, slippers and clothing with indecent words or pictures.


Bargaining
Bargaining is not normally practised in Singapore shops. The prices marked are the prices at which the goods are sold.


Goods and Service Tax (GST)
A 7% Goods and Services Tax is levied on all services.


Tipping
Tipping is not necessary as a service charge of 10% is normally levied at restaurants, hotels and other establishments. A tip should only be exercised in instances where the bill does not include a service charge.