Schwann

I'm trying to find out and will post in here as soon as I have developments!

Alchemist007

This might not be the best place to ask but I'm having trouble understanding some of Singapore's rules and how they calculate seven days. If I were to enter VTL country on say a Tuesday at 2AM, would I be able to fly out to Singapore on the next Tuesday late in the evening?

Schwann

As per the new rules you need to have spent the previous 7 days in a VTL country prior to your Singapore trip.

rberk

Yes - a VTL country, or Singapore. (E.g., you can leave Singapore for a VTL country, and come back within seven days.)

For example - you can fly direct from London to Frankfurt, and then to Singapore on a VTL flight, because both the UK and Germany are VTL countries. If you fly from London to Frankfurt via Belgium, no good, because Belgium is not a VTL country (and transit counts for VTL purposes).

China (including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, although Hong Kong is being reclassified as VTL) were Category I, and were as good as VTL countries - e.g., if your 7 day travel history included China, it was OK. I'm not sure if this survives the recent rule change, but unless you are already in either Singapore or China, your entire 7-day travel history must include only VTL countries (including transits, even if you don't leave the airport).

So if in the last seven days you have been in the UK, Germany, Australia, Malaysia India, Sweden, Canada, Cambodia, and Fiji, and nowhere else, you are OK, because these countries are all VTL countries.

Italy is a VTL country, but there is a recent case of someone who was quarantined for going to the Vatican museum - the Vatican is a different country, and not VTL.

The number of VTL countries is increasing, the long-delayed extension to Qatar and UAE is now taking place. Soon there will be 30 VTL countries, which means 164 countries are not VTL (give or take, depending on your definition of a "country"). There are currently no VTL countries in Africa (well, the Canaries are covered by the Spanish VTL status), and in the Americas, only Canada and the US.

If you are flying from New York to Copenhagen, and your aeroplane has a mechanical and makes an unscheduled landing in Norway, there goes your VTL . . . for seven days at least.

rberk

Removed - I am not sure answer is correct.

roc83

yes. the day of arrival to a VTL country counts as Day 0 and you are allowed to fly to SG by Day 7 or later. Just make sure it is the departure which counts not arrival day in SG

rberk

Removed - I am not sure answer is correct.

Schwann

And apologies to OP for my fairly vague answer. I thought OP was asking if he could spend a day only in the VTL country before flying to SG. Should read the post a bit more closely in the future!

rberk

Just received the email.

Starting Feb 28, the Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday flights are VTL. Which actually fits my schedule. So I may fly for the first time in over two years now.

clsdn

Was that an e-mail from Qatar Airways ? Would you mind pasting a copy here ?

Bouncingsouls

This is now on Qatar website
https://www.qatarairways.com/en-sg/vtl.html

Schwann

Was just about to post this too.

For my European colleagues, ex-EUs from Stockholm are currently cheap for Singapore on QR.

rberk

Yes, from QR.

It was just a very short bit of text, plus a link to the website that Bouncingsouls has already posted.

Bouncingsouls

I wonder if Qatar will be pro actively reaching out to people with bookings, to tell them that they are booked on a VTL flight?
I presume there will be some people already booked on flights that don’t qualify to be on the VTL.

Schwann

Apparently emails are to be sent out in the next week or so.