Singapore website for travel pass application crashes after opening for Malaysian travellers
SINGAPORE - The SafeTravel website, where foreign travellers wishing to enter Singapore can apply for a vaccinated travel pass, crashed for several hours on Monday (Nov 22), the first day applications were open for those entering from Malaysia.
The Straits Times understands that the site went down at about noon, displaying a message that it was undergoing scheduled maintenance.
A check at 3pm showed that it was back up, but a text box, citing high volume, advised users to log in later if they were unable to access the application service.
When contacted by ST, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said: "We apologise for the inconvenience and seek the public's continued understanding as we bring the system back to normalcy. We are working to resume operations of the system."
Applications for the vaccinated travel pass for short-term visitors and long-term pass holders from Malaysia opened at 10am on Monday, ahead of the Vaccinated Travel Lane between Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport that is due to begin next Monday (Nov 29).
Vaccinated travel pass applications for travellers from India and Indonesia are also set to open on Monday, at 6pm, which could further increase traffic on the site.
ICA said users should refer to the website for further updates.
Travel between Singapore and Malaysia has been anticipated for quite some time since Malaysia shut its borders in March last year.
Many families have members on both sides of the border, and the two countries have strong business links. More than 10,000 Malaysians continue to live and work here after nearly 20 months of not being able to be with their families in Malaysia.
Pre-Covid-19, Singapore-Kuala Lumpur was the busiest international air route in the world, with about 40 flights daily and an average of 7,000 arrivals per day at Changi Airport.
There will be six daily services under the VTL.
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