After You Land in Singapore: First-Weeks Checklist

Book the appointment via SOLAR once the medical report is accepted and the issuance fee is paid. Some universities (e.g. NTU) run ICA off-site enrolment sessions directly on campus during set weeks each August; otherwise the appointment is at the ICA Services Centre. Bring the physical IPA, original passport, a physical passport photo, and the electronic visit pass notification.

• Completion of Formalities and Issuance of Student's Pass, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), Singapore
• Student's Pass Application for Fulltime Undergraduates (AY2026-27), process notes (PDF), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), reproducing ICA/SOLAR steps

Register for Singpass (Singapore's national digital identity system), it is needed to report any change of address to ICA. Students must inform ICA of an address change (including switching halls) within 14 days, and of any passport change within 14 days, both via ICA's e-services.

• Student's Pass Application for Fulltime Undergraduates (AY2026-27), process notes (PDF), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), reproducing ICA/SOLAR steps

Full-time students at NUS/NTU/SMU (and equivalents) are automatically enrolled in a compulsory hospitalisation/surgical insurance scheme billed through miscellaneous student fees, there is no opt-out. For NUS, cover for new international students starts on arrival in Singapore (or one month before the official start date, whichever is later) and gives an overall annual claim limit of S$30,000 for international students, covering treatment at Singapore's government restructured hospitals (private hospital treatment is only 50% covered for international/graduate students, vs not covered at all for local undergraduates). Confirm the university's own equivalent scheme and coverage limits.

• Student Insurance, National University of Singapore (NUS), University Health Centre
• NUS Group Hospital & Surgical Insurance (GHS), Fact Sheet (PDF), National University of Singapore (NUS), underwritten by Income Insurance
• NTU Student Insurance Policies, Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
• Medical Insurance, Singapore Management University (SMU)

International students who are full-time matriculated undergraduates at eligible institutions (NUS, NTU, SMU, polytechnics, and others) can apply for a student Concession Card via SimplyGo using their original passport and Student's Pass (FIN), this gives unlimited travel on basic bus/train services for a fixed monthly fee (bus-only ≈ S$55.50, train-only ≈ S$48, combined/hybrid ≈ S$81/month; excludes express/premium/City Direct services). Students who prefer pay-as-you-go can instead use a standard EZ-Link card.

• Undergraduate Concession Card, SimplyGo (Land Transport Authority-appointed fare system operator)

With the Student's Pass and passport, open a Singapore bank account (most major banks offer student accounts). If not already settled in on-campus housing, finalise a private rental, budget for a security deposit (commonly one to two months' rent, set by the landlord, not by law in the way Germany's Kaution is capped) and be prepared for a competitive rental market, especially near campus.