Singapore’s checkpoints processed a record 245 million travellers in 2025, a 6.3% increase driven by new clearance systems and a surge in vehicle traffic.

SINGAPORE: The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) reported that a record 245 million travellers passed through Singapore’s checkpoints in 2025, marking a 6.3% increase from the 230 million visitors recorded the previous year.

The highest single-day entry figure was recorded on December 19, 2025, when close to 589,000 travellers entered the city-state through its land checkpoints.

Vehicle traffic through the land checkpoints also saw a significant 9.5% increase in 2025, with cars and motorcycles making up approximately 94% of the total volume.

ICA attributed the improved handling of rising traveller volumes to the full implementation of QR code clearance at land checkpoints in January 2025 and the progressive rollout of tokenless clearance at air and sea checkpoints.

The agency stated that these technological advancements have successfully reduced clearance times and enhanced operational capacity.

In a related development, the number of foreign visitors denied entry rose sharply by 38.3% to around 45,700 individuals in 2025, up from 33,100 the previous year.

This increase resulted from pre-arrival risk assessments that leverage advance information and data analytics to identify high-risk travellers for enhanced screening.

ICA explained that through upstream targeting and improved front-line detection, more foreigners were subjected to enhanced checks and subsequently refused entry.

Detected contraband cases also surged by 30.6% to approximately 57,400 cases in 2025, compared to 43,900 cases in the preceding year.

The authority credited this success to the enhanced profiling skills of checkpoint officers and the targeting capabilities of the Integrated Targeting Centre, working in close collaboration with other enforcement agencies.

 The Sun Malaysia