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We are a group of friends who wish to travel to a foreign country. We have chosen Singapore for our vacation.

We all have Canadian passports, and according to information I find online, we do not need a visa to visit Singapore. For frequent travelers, here are my questions for you:

  1. For countries that offer "visa on arrival", how long usually is this process?

  2. For purchasing items, is it possible to use your Canadian credit card (and then when you return to Canada, you pay the appropriate Canadian dollars equivalent), or you must use Singapore dollars?

  3. Do airports offer a foreign money exchange center? For example, a place to purchase 5,000 Singapore dollars. It seems risky carrying this much cash and would be convenient if I can use my Canadian credit card.

Thank you.

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    As a reminder, please ask only one question at a time. For question 1, it depends on many things, some unpredictable, like which airport you're arriving at and what proportion of people on your flight need them. For the other two, please read When traveling to a country with a different currency, how should you take your money? first.
    – choster
    Feb 6, 2018 at 1:52
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    I think you should probably split this up into a question about the visa on arrival and another one on the money questions. But in short, the arrival won't take long at all, it used to take me 30 seconds or so at the counter at the airport in Singapore to get my passport stamped. Only if there's something weird in your form (which you can fill out on the airplane already) they will ask questions.
    – drat
    Feb 6, 2018 at 2:49
  • Please split this into several questions then flag to reopen. Don't forget to search this site to see if some of the questions you have already have an answer.
    – JoErNanO ♦
    Feb 6, 2018 at 4:31

2 Answers 2

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  1. Don't know the answer to that, I suggest contacting the Singapore Consulate or a good travel agent that will help you with all documents needed.

  2. Yes, you should be able to use your credit card (visa, mastercard...) in Singapore in most places (hotel, restaurants, "larger" stores. Just be certain to warn your bank that you will be traveling to Singapore so your card will not be locked.

  3. Yes, Airports have money exchange counters. Depending on the airport (Canadian side), they might not have Singapore dollars; I'd check at a good exchange office if you can order some Singapore dollars.

5000 Singapore dollars is about 4700 Canadian dollars today; it is a large amount of money to have on yourself; I'd get a 300, 400 singapore dollars to get started and use local ATM machines to get some more if needed.

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Question 1: immigration

As Canadians, you don't need a visa. Neither pre-arranged, nor on arrival. When you land in Singapore, you get in line at immigration, and get stamped in.

Visa on arrival is a procedure where you have to go to an office or counter, and apply for a visa, give a photo, pay for it, etc. That's not what you'll go through in Singapore.

Questions 2/3: money

Whatever you do, do no exchange money at the airport. They have the worst exchange rates. Withdraw money from ATMs, pay with your card. Many places (but definitely not all: one of my favorite restaurants is cash-only), including taxis, accept cards. My last trip there, I withdrew maybe 100 SG$, and used my card for the rest.

Your credit card will probably offer a better exchange rate anyway than exchange bureaus.

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