Singapore Health Clearance

Complete the Health Clearance either through the Tang Center or via a Private Provider. Choose one set of instructions; do not complete both. You may complete the health clearance at Tang whether you have SHIP or private insurance.

The Medical Examination Report is required for students studying in Singapore for more than 6 months (i.e. academic year participants only). Students must use the official form identified by NUS. Instructions and a link to the form are available in the Student Pass Online Application and Registration (SOLAR) instructions, which is available is your UCEAP Pre-Departure Checklist.

The Medical Examination Report is required by, and will be submitted to, the Singapore Immigration & Security Checkpoints Authority to issue certain immigration documents after arrival.

An HIV test and TB chest X-ray are required components of the medical examination. The original copies of the laboratory reports must be attached to the Medical Examination Report.

Laboratory reports must be in English and be printed on official clinic forms or letterhead. The reports must include the student’s full name and date of birth.

The Medical Examination Report should be completed in the US no more than three months prior to the student’s NUS registration date in Singapore; otherwise, it will be considered invalid.

The Medical Examination Report can be completed in Singapore. The cost to complete the process at NUS is about SGD 60. However, waiting to complete the Medical Examination Report in Singapore could result in a delay with receiving the Student Pass required to participate in the program.

You must print and bring the Medical Examination Report and instructions with you and have your practitioner fill it out. If you go through the Tang Center, call the Tang Center EAP Coordinators at (510) 643-5403 and let them know that you need certain forms filled out and tests performed as part of your health clearance process. Then, drop off your forms in the EAP Dropbox located at the information desk in the Tang Center Lobby. The Tang Center will then follow up with you within 3-4 business days.

Complete the Health Clearance either through the Tang Center or via a Private Provider. Choose one set of instructions; do not complete both. You may complete the health clearance at Tang whether you have SHIP or private insurance.

Student Pass holders (visa) must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at least two weeks before arrival in Singapore.

Singapore University of Technology and Design and the National University of Singapore

Host universities require all students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to participate on the program. UC deferrals or exceptions will not be accepted.

Global Summer Internship Program

Required by CIEE: COVID-19 full vaccination

The CIEE Physician’s Medical Report is not required for students studying in CIEE programs through UCEAP.

The National University Singapore Biodiversity Summer Program

The program includes a required weeklong field research trip to Pulau Tioman, a tropical island off the East coast of Malaysia. Student must be able to participate in all field trip activities, including light-to-moderate physical intensity. Student should not have serious conditions that require on-going medical supervision affecting their ability to participate safely in the fieldtrip. Student must be able to take care of their own medical needs without impacting teaching, fieldwork schedules, or other students. The nearest medical facility is only accessible either on foot, quadricycle, or speedboat.

Yellow Fever Vaccination

The Yellow Fever vaccination is required if arriving from or transiting for more than 12 hours through countries with Yellow Fever transmission risk. This vaccination is to be noted on an International Certificate of Vaccination (ICV). The ICV should be affixed to the visa inside the student passport and presented at the point of entry. The YF vaccine is not necessary as a protective measure for residence in this country, so it is only considered required if you are arriving from or transitioning through infected areas. For areas with risk of yellow fever transmission, please review the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

 

Because of the limited availability of this vaccine, if you determine that you need to get it at the Tang Center, then you must also complete the Individual Travel Clinic Consultation at the Tang Center and we encourage you to do set up this appointment as soon as possible.

TB Skin Test

A Tuberculosis skin test is strongly recommended before travel if a student has not had one within two years.

Seasonal Flu

Influenza is one of the most common ailments for UCEAP students. Students are frequently in crowded places and regularly take crowded public transportation. The UCEAP Physician Consultant recommends flu vaccination for all students and strongly recommends it for those who will be abroad during the fall or winter with any chronic medical condition.

Bacterial Meningitis

Students planning to live in dormitories should be vaccinated against Meningococcal disease.

Measles

Measles remains a common disease in many parts of the world, including Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Pacific, and Africa. Students who have not been vaccinated are at risk of getting the disease and spreading it to others.

Allergies

UCEAP advises students with certain medical conditions to wear a medical alert ID bracelet or pendant at all times while abroad. Such conditions may include diabetes, asthma, serious (anaphylactic) allergies, or any condition that could have severe consequences if they are unable to communicate during a health emergency.

Prescription Medications

Although medications in amounts clearly related to personal use for the expected duration of a trip (30 days) are rarely inspected or questioned, local Customs officials can be suspicious of medications, particularly if students are traveling with large amounts. In some countries, drugs that are legal and readily available in the US are considered illegal, require a prescription, or arouse the suspicions of local officials or customs and immigration authorities.

 

Prescribed medication regimens are important to student's health and well-being. Students should never abruptly discontinue their medication, especially abroad.

 

UCEAP cannot maintain a list of prescribed (or over-the-counter) medications and their legality in the different countries. It is the student’s responsibility to get this information before departure.

 

Students must:

- Keep medicines in their original, labeled, pharmacy packaging when possible. The label should include the student’s name. 

- Obtain and carry a letter from the prescribing physician on letterhead, appropriately signed and dated, stating diagnosis, treatment, and medication regimen, including the generic name.

- Review medication regulations on the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) website and official government sites if they take medications containing controlled substances (including amphetamine-based medications). Excerpted national statutes for most countries can be found on the INCB website. 

 

Students with diabetes and those who use injectable medications should obtain and carry at all times a doctor’s letter explaining the need to carry needles and syringes. According to some students’ reports, their US health practitioners have assumed that doctors abroad can prescribe the same medications commonly prescribed in the US. This is not always the case. Students should research whether their medications are legal and locally available in their program country.

Mailing Medications Abroad

Many countries have strict laws about mailing medications. Students, and their parents, have found out the hard way that their medications, including oral contraceptives and vitamins, are stopped by host country's customs officials. Additionally, the US Post Office restricts using the US postal system to mail medications. Prescription medications can only be mailed by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registered entities. Similar regulations may apply to over-the-counter medications.

 

Do not mail any type of pharmaceuticals to other countries.

General Immunizations

If you are planning travel to areas outside your EAP program country which may have additional health requirements/immunizations, you may get these immunizations from the Tang Travel Clinic, or from your own doctor or health maintenance organization.
Many common immunizations are given as a series of vaccinations that may take months to complete, so begin the process as early as possible. Planning ahead may also allow for a wider range of vaccine options and reduced cost to you.

Additional Immunizations

If you complete your health clearance with a private provider, but then find you need to get an immunization from the Tang Center which was not available from your private provider, you must complete Individual Travel Clinic Consultation at the Tang Center and we encourage you to do set up this appointment as soon as possible. This rule applies to the Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever vaccines and may apply to malaria prophylactics, typhoid vaccine and others. If you have SHIP Insurance, then SHIP covers:

- The cost of the Travel Consultation.
- Immunizations that are part of the domestic series at 100%, such as influenza, HPV, Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough), Hepatitis B, meningococcal meningitis, and MMR (measles, mumps, rubella).
- Immunizations unique to travel at 100%, such as Japanese encephalitis and typhoid (injectable).