Visiting from China: planning a visit to Singapore
Medically reviewed by Dr Sin Yong · Last reviewed · 3 min read
Visitors from mainland China fly in direct from Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and other cities, and there is no time difference. Singapore and China have a mutual 30-day visa exemption for ordinary passport holders, which makes short visits simpler to plan. The visit follows the same sequence as for anyone: a WhatsApp message to plan, an in-person assessment with Dr Sin Yong, a written plan, then treatment and follow-up after you return home.
Dr Sin Yong, invited to share his clinical expertise in Seoul.
Key facts
Travel
Guangzhou / Shenzhen: About 4 hours by air
Time
China and Singapore are both on GMT+8, so there is no time difference
Pre-visit
WhatsApp +65 8023 7170; photographs help plan the visit
Times are approximate and vary by route and season. The clinic is on Orchard Road; from Changi Airport it is usually 25 to 35 minutes by taxi or ride-hail outside peak hours, and the MRT also connects the airport with Orchard.
Time difference and clinic hours
China and Singapore are both on GMT+8, so there is no time difference. WhatsApp messages to +65 8023 7170 are answered during clinic hours, Monday to Friday 10am to 8pm and Saturday 11am to 3pm, Singapore time (GMT+8). A message sent outside those hours is answered the next working morning.
Entry, arrival card and records
Singapore and China have a mutual visa exemption for ordinary passport holders for stays of up to 30 days; check the current conditions on the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) website before booking. Submit the SG Arrival Card within the three days before arrival, free of charge on ICA’s website or the MyICA app.
Bring a list of your medicines and supplements, and the names, areas and dates of any earlier aesthetic treatments. If treatment was done in China and you have no records, the assessment still goes ahead; the filler done overseas page explains how unknown filler is assessed.
Language and follow-up at home
Consultations are in English, and WhatsApp messages in Chinese are accepted. If WhatsApp is not available to you in mainland China, the enquiry form works as well. Simplified Chinese pages start at 中文主页.
You leave with written aftercare, and questions after you return come back through the same WhatsApp line. Urgent signs, such as white or mottled skin, worsening pain or any change in vision after filler, need emergency care locally without waiting for a reply. If a local doctor is involved in your follow-up, a written summary can be provided.
Planning your stay
Consultation first, a night to consider the written plan, then treatment if you decide to go ahead, and a check before you fly where the treatment needs one. Three to five days covers most injectables and devices; thread lifts and resurfacing lasers are better planned with about a week, and programmes such as acne scar revision are usually a series of shorter trips. The trip planner sets out typical stays by treatment, and flying after treatment explains the intervals. This practice does not publish fees; they are quoted in writing after assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
A pre-visit conversation by WhatsApp message can be arranged to plan the trip. It cannot replace examination, so treatment plans and quotes are given after an in-person assessment.
Two days is the shortest useful visit; three to five days covers most injectables and devices; about a week for thread lifts and resurfacing lasers.
Ordinary passport holders can visit for up to 30 days under the mutual visa exemption; check current conditions with ICA.
Yes. WhatsApp messages in Chinese are accepted; consultations are in English.
The same way as for everyone: in writing, after assessment, itemised by treatment, area and product.
References
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority: SG Arrival Card. source
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority: visa requirements. source
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore: mutual 30-day visa exemption arrangement with China. source
