Key Takeaways· Singapore ranked second in the Law and Order Index of Gallup’s 2025 Global Safety Report, though police recorded 20,857 physical crime cases in 2025, up 4.4% on 2024. · Everyday rules carry fines: NEA compounds littering at S$300 for a first offence, and foreigners found with a vape have it seized and receive a composition notice. · Low crime does not lower a hospital bill: MOH’s private-hospital fee benchmark for a dengue admission is S$3,900 to S$8,100, before doctors’ fees and GST. |
Is Singapore safe to travel? Yes: Singapore ranked second in the Law and Order Index of Gallup’s 2025 Global Safety Report and second for Order and Security in the World Justice Project Index 2025 (Ministry of Home Affairs, safety and security situation in 2025, accessed 2026-09-17). Safe is not crime-free, though: for an Indian visitor the likelier problems are a scam, a fine for something legal at home, the heat, and a hospital bill.
This guide is maintained by Zurich Kotak General Insurance, an IRDAI-registered general insurer in India and part of the Zurich Insurance Group.
Last verified: 2026-09-17.
Is Singapore safe? What the crime figures show
Crime in Singapore is low for a city of its size, but it rose in 2025, and police name two crimes of concern. The Singapore Police Force’s figures for 2025 (SPF, Annual Crime Brief 2025, police.gov.sg , accessed 2026-09-17):
Measure, 2025 | Cases | Note |
Physical crime | 20,857 | Up 4.4% from 19,969 in 2024 |
Shop theft | 4,109 | Down 3.0% |
Outrage of modesty | 1,531 | A crime of concern; 164 cases were on the public transport network |
Theft in dwelling | 1,500 | A crime of concern |
India’s own government raises no flag: on 2026-09-17, Singapore was not among the 11 countries on the Ministry of External Affairs’ travel advisories page (MEA, Travel Advisories, mea.gov.in , accessed 2026-09-17).
Laws and fines that catch tourists
The rules that trip up visitors are everyday ones, and each has a published penalty set by a named agency. Rupee figures are at 1 SGD = INR 75.2 on 2026-09-17.
What you do | Penalty as published | Agency |
Litter | Composition fine of S$300 (about INR 22,560) for a first offence | NEA |
Smoke in a prohibited place | S$200 composition fine (about INR 15,040), or up to S$1,000 (about INR 75,200) on conviction | NEA |
Eat or drink on the MRT or LRT | Up to S$500 (about INR 37,600) for each prohibited act on trains | LTA |
Cross the road without using a crossing within 50 m | S$50 composition fine (about INR 3,760), as MHA stated in 2020 | MHA |
Smoking is also banned at bus stops, on overhead bridges, in all NParks parks, on 10 named beaches and in the Orchard Road No Smoking Zone outside its designated areas (NEA, Smoking prohibition, accessed 2026-09-17).
Vaping is a separate and much stricter offence than smoking, and a designated smoking area does not make it legal. Since 2026-05-01 the Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act allows fines of up to S$10,000 (about INR 7,52,000) for buying, using or possessing a vape (HSA, Vaping enforcement, accessed 2026-09-17), and MOH announced a S$700 composition notice (about INR 52,640) for first-time adult offenders from 2025-09-01. For visitors, gov.sg says a foreigner found with a vape has it seized and receives a Notice of Composition, and “Short-Term Visit Pass holders who re-offend will be banned from re-entering Singapore upon departure” ( gov.sg , Stop Vaping, accessed 2026-09-17).
Three more rules are absolute: Singapore Customs warns that drug traffickers may face the death penalty; a visit pass allows no work, paid or unpaid; and ICA states that overstaying is a punishable offence. There is also no duty-free allowance on cigarettes, and chewing gum is a prohibited import. See our guide to Singapore customs rules and duty-free allowances .
Scams to watch for
Scams reach visitors by message or phone rather than on the street, and MHA names the five most common types. MHA lists the top five scam types of 2025 by number of cases as e-commerce, phishing, job, investment and government official impersonation scams (MHA, accessed 2026-09-17).
· Officials do not ask for money by phone. ICA’s visa e-service states: “ICA will NEVER ask for money/bank log-in details by phone.”
· The SG Arrival Card is free on ICA’s own e-Service and the MyICA app, so a website that charges for it is not the official route.
· Check before you pay. Singapore’s 24/7 ScamShield Helpline is 1799 for anyone unsure whether something is a scam (ScamShield, scamshield.gov.sg , accessed 2026-09-17).
Travelling to Singapore? Get covered before you fly. Travel insurance for Singapore is not mandatory for entry, but visitors pay unsubsidised rates for hospital care there.
Safety for women, families and older travellers
Singapore is safe for women travelling alone, families and older travellers, and each group has one thing to plan for.
Women travelling alone
Singapore is a comfortable city for a woman travelling alone; the crime police flag that most affects women is outrage of modesty. SPF recorded 1,531 cases in 2025, 164 of them on the public transport network. Report an incident on 999 in an emergency or on the police hotline, 1800 255 0000, otherwise (SPF, Contact us, accessed 2026-09-17).
Families with children
For a family, heat and humidity are the everyday risks, not crime. Plan outdoor attractions for mornings and evenings, and plan drinks and snacks for before or after train rides, since eating and drinking are prohibited on railway premises except in designated places.
Older travellers
Older travellers can visit Singapore comfortably, but heat and insurance age limits need planning. Keep sightseeing to cooler hours. Zurich Kotak’s Smart Travel plans for Singapore, an Asia-geography destination, accept travellers up to age 70, and there is no Senior Citizen plan on the Asia geography. Travellers aged 71 or over can read about travel insurance for senior citizens . From age 56, medical cover carries sub-limits, including ICU up to USD 3,250 a day and surgery up to USD 15,000. Pre-existing conditions are generally excluded; the optional add-on covers one only when it is declared at purchase, accepted and recorded in the policy schedule.
Weather, heat and haze
Singapore is hot, humid and rainy all year, and thunderstorms are the everyday weather hazard. Meteorological Service Singapore (accessed 2026-09-17) says days rarely go above 31 to 33°C, humidity averages about 82%, and hot afternoons above 32°C are common from late March to May. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms, at times severe, mark late March to May and October to November; from June to September, occasional squalls bring gusts of 40 to 80 km/h.
Haze varies from year to year and cannot be predicted from the calendar. MSS says slight to moderate haze is “common during the Southwest Monsoon and in light wind conditions during the inter-monsoon months”, and severe transboundary episodes have cut visibility below 1 km. Check live air quality on NEA’s haze.gov.sg during your trip, especially if anyone in your group has asthma.
Hospital costs: why cover matters
A visitor pays unsubsidised rates at Singapore’s hospitals, public or private. At the National University Hospital, non-residents are not eligible for admission to subsidised wards (NUH, Fees and charges, accessed 2026-09-17). At Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, also public, the A&E services and facility fee alone is S$174 (about INR 13,085), paid on registration, and a non-resident being admitted is asked for a letter of guarantee from a local firm, an earning Singaporean or an insurance company, or a banker’s guarantee (NTFGH, Charges and payment, accessed 2026-09-17).
Private hospitals cost more. MOH’s private-sector fee benchmarks below are for a single-bedded ward and exclude doctors’ fees (except the last row) and GST (MOH, Hospital bills and fee benchmarks, accessed 2026-09-17):
Condition or procedure | MOH benchmark | About, in INR | Typical stay |
Intestinal infection, no severe complication | S$3,000 to S$5,900 | 2,25,600 to 4,43,680 | 2 days |
Dengue | S$3,900 to S$8,100 | 2,93,280 to 6,09,120 | 3 days |
Appendix removal (without drainage): hospital fee | S$10,200 to S$14,600 | 7,67,040 to 10,97,920 | 2 days |
The same operation: surgeon and anaesthetist fees | S$5,900 to S$9,500 | 4,43,680 to 7,14,400 |
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Travel insurance is not mandatory for a Singapore visa or for entry, but it is strongly recommended because medical treatment for visitors is expensive. Zurich Kotak’s Smart Travel plans cover Singapore under the Asia geography on two tiers: Excel, with sum insured up to USD 100,000, and Prime, up to USD 500,000. Assistance runs 24x7 through Europ Assistance India on +91 22 6734 7863; for cashless treatment, call within 24 hours of admission. The Singapore network includes hospitals such as Mount Elizabeth (list subject to change, verify before use). A complete claim is settled within 15 days of the documents. See what a policy covers under travel insurance for Singapore .
Emergency numbers and the Indian High Commission
Save these before you fly: 999 for police and 995 for an ambulance or fire. Sources: SPF, SCDF and MHA, accessed 2026-09-17.
Service | Number | Use it for |
Police | 999 | Emergencies |
Police hotline | 1800 255 0000 | Non-urgent police matters |
SCDF ambulance and fire | 995 | Life-threatening emergencies only; SCDF charges S$274 (about INR 20,605) for a non-emergency case it conveys |
Non-emergency ambulance | 1777 | Until 2026-12-31: the line ceases on 2027-01-01, after which the NurseFirst helpline, 6262 6262, advises on non-emergency conditions |
ScamShield Helpline | 1799 | Checking a suspected scam, 24/7 |
The High Commission of India is at 31 Grange Road; its phone numbers, including after-hours emergency lines, are on its contact page at hcisingapore.gov.in . Contact it about a lost passport, an arrest, a hospitalisation or a death.
Before you go
Indian passport holders need a Singapore visa before they fly: there is no visa on arrival, and the application goes in through an authorised visa agent appointed by the Singapore mission for your state. See our guide to the Singapore visa for Indians and check ICA’s website before you book. To budget flights, hotels and daily spend, see Singapore trip cost from India .
FAQs
Q: Is Singapore safe for Indian tourists? A: Yes. Singapore ranked second in the Law and Order Index of Gallup’s 2025 Global Safety Report, and on 2026-09-17 it was not on India’s Ministry of External Affairs travel advisories list. Police still recorded 20,857 physical crime cases in 2025, so take ordinary care.
Q: Is Singapore safe for solo women travellers? A: Yes, with normal precautions. The crime police flag that most affects women is outrage of modesty, with 1,531 cases in 2025, 164 of them on the public transport network. Report an incident on 999 in an emergency or on 1800 255 0000 otherwise.
Q: What fines should tourists know about in Singapore? A: Littering carries a S$300 composition fine for a first offence and smoking in a prohibited place a S$200 composition fine (both NEA), and eating or drinking on trains up to S$500 (LTA). Vaping is stricter: foreigners found with a vape have it seized and receive a composition notice, and short-term visit pass holders who re-offend are banned from re-entering Singapore.
Q: Do I need travel insurance for Singapore? A: It is not mandatory for a Singapore visa or for entry, but it is strongly recommended because medical treatment for visitors is expensive. Non-residents cannot be admitted to subsidised wards at the National University Hospital, and MOH’s private-hospital fee benchmark for a dengue admission is S$3,900 to S$8,100 before doctors’ fees and GST.
