Singapore and South Korea have agreed to establish a travel corridor to allow quarantine-free travel between the two countries for people who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, starting November 15.

Singapore’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) said in a statement Friday (October 8) that Singapore will jointly launch Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) with South Korea that will allow fully vaccinated travellers to travel between Changi Airport and Incheon International Airport, and be subjected to Covid-19 PCR tests, in lieu of serving quarantine or stay-home notice.

There will be no restrictions on the purpose of travel or requirements for a controlled itinerary or sponsorship, it added.

The jointly launched VTLs will be the first of its kind between two major aviation hubs in Asia and build on longstanding relations to safely revive cross-border air travel and people-to-people flows, said the ministry.

The agreement was marked by a video conference on October 8 between Singapore’s transport minister S Iswaran and South Korea’s minister of land, infrastructure and transport Noh Hyeong Ouk.

To support the VTLs, the two countries have also reached an agreement on the mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccination certificates, which will take effect from November 15. This will allow fully vaccinated travellers with proof of vaccination issued in either Singapore or South Korea to enjoy vaccination-differentiated safe management measures in both countries.

“Singapore and the Republic of Korea enjoy excellent bilateral relations, with strong people-to-people ties. I am pleased that both countries have agreed to jointly launch Vaccinated Travel Lanes that will reopen general travel between our two countries, which has been disrupted for the past 20 months,” Iswaran said.

“Both Singapore and the Republic of Korea have made excellent progress in vaccinating our populations and the VTLs reflect the trust both countries have in each other’s ability to manage the Covid-19 situation. This is another milestone as we reopen Singapore’s borders, and resume air travel in a careful and calibrated manner.”

More details of the VTLs will be announced in due course, said the ministry.

Before Covid-19, Singapore and South Korea were among each other’s top travel destinations, with a total of 64 weekly passenger services connecting the two countries and carrying 1.6 million passengers annually.