ABOUT SINGAPORE

Located in Southeast Asia, Singapore is one of the smallest countries in the world and the smallest in the region. However, despite its humble geographic size, Singapore is a bustling cosmopolitan city of high-rise buildings, landscaped gardens and heritage-rich precincts that embody aspects of both the East and West in many interesting ways.

Registrants are encouraged to read through the Visitor’s Guide to Singapore in order to fully explore this wonderful city.

To find out more about Singapore and all its wonderful possibilities, visit YourSingapore.com

LANGUAGE

English is the language primarily spoken in Singapore. Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and other local dialects are used as well.

WEATHER

Singapore is known for its hot and humid weather, with little variation throughout the year. The average daytime temperature is 32ºC (90ºF), dropping to around 26ºC (79ºF) in the evenings. The relative humidity typically ranges from 61% (mildly humid) to 95% (very humid) over the course of the year. March tends to be one of the muggier months with humidity levels averaging around 95%.

CELL PHONE USAGE & PREPAID CARDS

Singapore’s international dialing code is +(65).

Singapore supports dual-band, tri-band, quad-band mobile phones. The prepaid SIM cards in Singapore come in various denominations ranging from S$10 to S$50. There are 3 mobile phone service providers that offer prepaid phone service in Singapore – SingTel, MobileOne (M1) and Starhub.

Prepaid SIM cards in Singapore for any of the three phone companies can be purchased at the following locations:

• Retail outlets of Singtel, Starhub, and M1
• 7-eleven stores
• Cheers Convenience Stores
• Singapore Post

Since 2006, Singapore government has made the prepaid SIM registration a mandatory requirement. This means the card must be registered under the name of the person who will be using it, in this case you. As a result, you will be required to produce your passport or Singapore ID at the time of buying the prepaid mobile card. Once registered, the card is ready for use immediately.

Prepaid SIM Card balance in Singapore is normally valid for 6 months which means any unused balance will expire after 6 months.

TIPPING

Tipping is not widely practiced in Singapore as most hotels and restaurants apply a default 10% service charge.

SMOKING

Smoking is considered an offence in all air-conditioned or public areas such as: shopping centers, restaurants, entertainment outlets and cinemas, on the SMRT (Singapore Mass Rapid Transit system), public buses, taxis and in lifts. Recently, the smoking ban has also been imposed on public eateries and within a five-meter radius from most building entrances, except for allocated smoking areas that are clearly marked with bright yellow paint.

TAXIS

All Singapore taxis operate under a metre system with starting fares ranging from S$3.00 to S$3.40. City and peak hour surcharges apply.

Pre-booking of taxis can be done via the official taxi hotline: +65 6-DIALCAB (+65 6-342 5222).

CURRENCY EXCHANGE

Singapore’s currency is the Singapore dollar (S$ or SGD).

Money changing services can be found at Singapore Changi Airport, shopping centers and hotels around the island. There are also an abundance of automated teller machines (ATMs) which accept most major credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard and American Express.

GST REFUNDS

To enjoy a refund on the 7% Goods and Services Tax (GST) paid on your purchases, you need to make at least S$100 worth of purchases from participating outlets which display a “Tax Refund” logo or a Global Blue “Tax Free Shopping” logo. Request for a refund voucher upon purchase, which you should present with your purchases, receipts and passport at the Tax Refund Counter of the airport before you fly off.