MoneyDigest - Personal Finance, Lifestyle, Money Saving Tips

Singapore’s latest entry policy

VTL entry

As of midnight on March 3, the Civil Aviation Authority has issued 348,518 Vaccinator Passes (VTPs) to travellers from 30 countries and territories, and 456,215 people have entered Singapore through the VTL so far.

Currently: Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Maldives, Netherlands, Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States, Hong Kong, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Israel and Philippines

In the future, Singapore will expand the Vaccinator Travel Gateway VTL programme to more cities in Malaysia, Indonesia and India, and launch VTL programmes with Greece and Vietnam.

From 16 March, Singapore’s airline VTL scheme with Malaysia will be extended to Penang with four return VTL flights daily, and Indonesia’s airline VTL scheme will be extended to Bali on the same day with two daily VTL flights to Singapore.

Travellers from Greece and Vietnam will also be able to enter Singapore under the VTL scheme from March 16 onwards. Short-term travellers and work permit holders who wish to enter the country under the scheme can apply for a Vaccinator Pass from 10am on 13 March.

Border measures

The Singapore Ministry of Health has released a number of policies to continue to liberalise Singapore’s border measures! Firstly, border measures will be simplified by standardising the home notification period to seven days.

Existing Category 2, Category 3 and Category 4 countries and territories will be categorised as General Travel, while those requiring stricter border measures will be categorised as Restricted, although no countries or territories currently fall under the latter category.

Under the General Travel category, all travellers arriving from 11.59 pm on the 21st will only have to fulfil a seven-day home notification, as the incubation period for Omicron is shorter. Travellers who have completed their vaccinations and entered via VTL, as well as those from Category 1 countries or territories, will continue to be exempt from quarantine. The travel history of travellers will also be reduced from 14 days to seven days.

Instead of having to undergo a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test upon arrival, VTL and travellers from Category 1 countries or territories will be able to undergo a supervised Rapid Antigen Test (ART) at one of the testing centres across the island within 24 hours of entry into the country.

In addition to work permit holders, vaccinated long-term document holders will no longer be required to obtain a Vaccinator Travel Permit (VTP) or entry permit upon entry into the country. However, they will still be required to comply with border health measures upon entry.

The Health Minister pointed out that following the end of the Omicron outbreak, Singapore should gradually transition to allow all vaccinated travellers to be exempted from quarantine and no longer require the Vaccinator Travel Track (VTL).

He also noted that imported cases now account for about 1% of the total number of daily cases. The authorities are now concerned whether travellers entering Singapore are sufficiently protected so that they do not place a burden on the local healthcare system. In practice, therefore, there should be less emphasis on home notification and testing of travellers, and instead ensure that they complete their vaccinations and additional doses.

Consideration of Car Insurance When You Need One

Unlike practically everything else in the world (even vehicles!) where it’s quite straightforward to comparison-shop for the cheapest costs, car insurance is a hard one since pricing for premiums are provided on a case-by-case basis. On top of that, not every insurance would divulge their costs easily or offer you a price online.

When it comes time to renew or get auto insurance, it makes perfect sense to use free internet resources to compare rates.

In Singapore, How Much Does It Cost To Insure a Car?

Need to get a Singapore car insurance? A year’s worth of coverage might cost anywhere from $700 to $1,000 — or even more! — depending on your location.

Your yearly auto insurance premium is computed on an individual case-by-case basis. In general, insurers attempt to determine how probable it is that you will be involved in an accident and how expensive it will be for them to cover the costs (i.e., the risk they assume).

How Can I Get the Best Deal on Auto Insurance?

It’s impossible to alter one’s driving history, driving record, or automobile. You may, however, search around to find the greatest deal for your specific profile and vehicle. To begin, obtain insurance estimates from at least five or six different firms. With the help of MoneySmart’s Car Insurance Wizard, you can easily obtain this information.

Insuring your vehicle should not be as inexpensive as it appears. Cheap insurance is worse than having no insurance since you’re wasting your money and putting yourself at risk.

High excess (the amount you must pay ahead before the insurer begins to pay for the remainder) and/or terrible terms & conditions (i.e. you can’t claim crap since EVERYTHING is excluded) are often associated with cheap rates. Check the fine print of your policy to make certain you’ll receive the protection you desire.

Directly Through an Insurance or Through a Broker, Which Should I Choose?

Keep in mind that rival insurers may offer lower rates to attract new clients. After all, our auto insurance specialists will perform the comparison for you while you rest and enjoy your time off. In the event that your current insurance provider offers a better bargain, at least you won’t have to worry about missing out on a better deal.

You may, of course, get automobile insurance on your own if you don’t mind going over the tiny print and checking out the facts.

Various Kinds of Car Insurance to Consider

Comprehensive Car Insurance

This sort of auto insurance, as the name indicates, covers practically everything, even the expense of repairing or replacing your own vehicle. This sort of insurance is the most frequent in Singapore because of the high cost of automobiles here.

Third Party Only (Tpo) Car Insurance

This is the most basic and least expensive sort of insurance since it only covers damage to the property of others. You’ll be on the hook for repairs to your own vehicle if something goes wrong with it. Most experts advise against attempting to fix a really old automobile that has reached the end of its COE lifetime.

Third Party, Fire & Theft (Tpft) Car Insurance

An enhanced form of TPO vehicle insurance. Except that TPFT also covers your automobile for loss, theft, and fire damage. Despite the fact that it provides a little extra security, this is typically just an option for drivers of older vehicles.

Most insurance companies in Singapore use a $500 or $600 deductible as a baseline for their estimates. The average amount that automobile owners are prepared to spend out of their own money may be derived from this figure. When comparing auto insurance rates, it’s important to consider both the premiums and the excess. If you choose a high excess, you can save money on your premium, but are you really willing to pay $2,000 if you are involved in an accident? It’s probably not going to happen.

Here’s how to quit your job properly

Leaving a company on shaky terms can have long-term consequences, such as being shunned by other firms in your field or harming your professional image.

In Singapore, many industries are pretty small. It can be damaging to your next application process if people realize that you left your last job badly and on a sour note, or that you are quitting a freshly obtained position.

Here’s how to quit your job properly.

Set a meeting

A courteous approach is to set up a meeting with your superior. Managers are frequently packed, so emailing them a well-crafted meeting request in advance will assist you in setting up a swift meeting. Request a time slot on their schedule so you may speak with them face-to-face. Instead of quitting over an email, it’s best to have an honest chat.

Have your speech ready

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Organize your thoughts, then make a list of whatever you need to say to your boss before reading them aloud. This gives you an indication of how much time you will need to chat, which you will need to know when scheduling your meeting’s duration. Having prepared your speech also aids you in determining whether you require the participation of a third person in your discussion, such as an HR manager to assist you with an assertion.

Serve your required notice

A month is the typical notice period you should give a company before leaving. If you’ve entered an employment agreement, though, be sure you’re following any notice requirements. You may be content to remain longer than the standard one-month timeframe, based on your availability, more so if your new work doesn’t commence immediately. Whatever amount of notice you give, make sure you notify your organization as quickly as feasible and include your last day in your letter of resignation.

Do a proper handover before you leave

two women talking while using the laptop

Image Credits: unsplash.com

After notifying your workplace of your departure, you will most likely have some time remaining in your position before you formally leave. You should finish existing work and assignments and discuss with your manager to identify who should take over your current projects.

Keep track of your daily routines, where you’ve stored records in a database, and other relevant details that will help the next person taking over. This will guarantee a seamless transition for the new hire that takes your place. Your coworkers will also appreciate your professionalism if they have to be the ones who will share your workload for the time being.

Your business connections may help you find new possibilities in the future, and the way you leave a company creates a lasting impact. On your exit, don’t say anything negative about your boss. Make an effort to leave a favorable lasting impression, not just because it’s the respectful thing to do, but also because it can lead to chances down the road. You could end up working for the same firm, with the same coworkers, or for the same employer next time, so leave on a good note.

Singapore Bids Farewell to Passport Stamps for Short-term Visitors

Passport stamps have long been regarded as a keepsake of your time abroad. It can function as a conversation starter to show off your adventures. However, many countries are ditching this practice to opt for alternative tracking methods.

A passport stamp is an inked impression found in a passport, which is a symbol given upon entering or exiting a territory. Authorities have used stickers apart from rubber stamps (e.g., entry stamps from Japan).

While most countries issue both entry and exit passport stamps, a few countries issue entry stamps alone. Other countries do not stamp passports upon entry nor exit. These countries include Hong Kong, Israel, Macau, and South Korea. These countries issue landing slips as documentation to travelers.

What about Singapore? The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA) recently announced that all short-term visitors will no longer have their passports stamped. Instead, electronic visit passes (e-Pass) will be issued. This transition is a part of ICA’s efforts to provide a “more secure, safer, and more seamless immigration clearance” as Singapore gradually reopens its borders, according to the agency.

e-Pass Provides Seamless Immigration Clearance

e-Passes were first issued at Changi Airport in October 2021. Since then, its issuance has been progressively extended to all checkpoints.

Short-term travellers will now receive the electronic passes through the email addresses they provided in their arrival cards after clearing immigration. The email will contain details of the visit pass granted, such as the maximum days of stay and the last day of stay allowed in Singapore.

To support the travellers, ICA launched an enquiry portal where they can check their short-term visit pass records.

e-Pass Promotes Greater Convenience

The lack of pages in your passport is no longer an issue! ICA said: “With the full implementation of the e-Pass, all foreign visitors on short-term visit pass will no longer have to worry about the lack of pages in their passports to accommodate immigration stamps.”

Visitors just need to enter the Disembarkation/Embarkation (DE) number issued to them through the portal after they have submitted the SG Arrival Card application. They will have the convenience of retrieving their e-Pass information through the ICA’s e-Pass Enquiry Portal on the SG Arrival Card e-Service platform any time they want.

Visitors were reminded to provide an accurate and valid email address in the SG Arrival Card. This card should be submitted within three days before the date of arrival in Singapore.

How about for family members without personal email accounts? You can provide a proxy email address.

e-Pass Leverages Technology

The implementation of the e-Pass is an important part of its shift towards automated immigration clearance.

According to ICA: “The e-Pass is one of the building blocks for ICA’s New Clearance Concept (NCC). The NCC, which would be operationalised at our checkpoints from 2023, will automate immigration clearance for all travellers.”

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Governments and immigration authorities relied on passport stamps to monitor the travel movements of travellers. Due to technological advances, many countries including Singapore steered away from the old practice. Adapting to these new policies is essential to future automation.

Sources: 1, 2 & 3

Cultivate your artsy-fartsy side with these ongoing art exhibitions

Do you know that artists frequently employ common things around us to alter our perceptions of the physical realm? When you intentionally dwell upon what you’ve seen within the gallery, you will slowly notice that you start perceiving the outer world in a new light.

Additionally, art displays are powerful generators of new ideas. The more concepts you discover and the more you explore them in your head, the more probable it is that you will come up with your own. This is fantastic for anyone who works in the creative business or simply wishes to engage with their artistic side.

Continue reading for some of the fanciest ongoing art exhibitions running till selected dates in April on our little red dot.

Topic No. 6 Eat Read Use

Date: Till 5 April

Location: National Design Centre, 111 Middle Road, Singapore 188969

Topic No. 6 Eat Read Use, a compilation of eight surprise box sets, is presented by National Vending Gallery. Each box comprises an edible, a visual book, and a practical item, all of which are linked by a unique tale expressed in a catchphrase.

All things in the box sets are made on our sunny island by an artist, brand, writer, or designer. There will be new objects on display, as well as standouts from prior subjects that have been reintroduced.

Design Superposition

Date: Till 10 April

Location: National Design Centre, 111 Middle Road, Singapore 188969

Superposition is a term used in quantum physics to describe the combination of all conceivable states in a system. A similar phenomenon is happening in aesthetics and its various fields: design is nothing and everything. It makes us question the significance of the designing process. Is design beneficial to society, or is it just jargon for businesses and design enthusiasts?

The DesignSingapore Associates Network (DAN), which was founded by DesignSingapore Scholarship winners in 2017, investigates design’s schizophrenic character via self-reflection in Design Superposition. 10 participants look into their distinctive routines to elicit experiences that make them think about the significance of design for oneself and their community.

Good Design Research: The Local Tree Project by Roger&Sons

Date: Till 10 April

Location: National Design Centre, 111 Middle Road, Singapore 188969

The Local Tree Project by Roger&Sons exhibits thanks to Good Design Research. This exhibition combines technical requirements with an awareness of the many types of local wood to investigate more efficient resource utilization.

They study the procedures of developing better use of local wood where trees fallen in Singapore are repurposed into meaningful artifacts and furnishings as part of their attempt to restore them. You will see for yourself the process that occurs behind Singapore’s fallen trees and realize the value of employing resources in the great outdoors, as well as basic information on local timber.

Between the Silent Eyes

Date: Till 17 April

Location: Objectifs, Lower Gallery, 155 Middle Road, Singapore 188977

This display takes a look at the life of Máy, one of Nhàn Tran’s subjects. Máy’s tenacity and precarity as she copes with the trials of starting a family at 19 years old are captured in the form of photographs.

Many young Hmong women, who form one of Vietnam’s largest indigenous minority groups, face comparable challenges in reconciling traditional rituals with modern requirements, as well as their youthful spirit with household responsibilities. Beyond everything, this initiative emphasizes the significance of listening to and caring for underrepresented and disadvantaged populations as part of a larger push for social, economical, and sexual equality.

In Singapore, How Much Does It Cost To Insure a Car?

How Can I Get the Best Deal on Auto Insurance?

Directly Through an Insurance or Through a Broker, Which Should I Choose?

Various Kinds of Car Insurance to Consider

Set a meeting

Have your speech ready

Serve your required notice

Do a proper handover before you leave

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