Singapore is widely regarded to be a place of highly disciplined society and low crime rate. Travelling to a country like this means that you need to respect their rules, laws, and customs. If you’re staying in or your flight has a stopover in Singapore, allow yourself to explore this beautiful city. You can stay at hotels near Changi Airport so that you don’t have to stray too far while waiting for your flight.
There are many things that you can do in this city so long as you remember their customs and laws. You should also know that Singapore isn’t called a “fine city” for nothing. When you break a rule in Singapore, it’s either you’ll be put in jail or pay a hefty fine.
Chewing Gum
Bringing chewing gum into the country, even if it is for personal use, is prohibited. The current set of regulations has no provisions to allow the bringing of chewing gum for personal use. The improper disposal and carrying large quantities of chewing gum can cost up to $1,000 in fines for first-time offenders.
Littering
For Singapore to maintain its squeaky-clean streets, it must impose heavy fines and charges on people who throw garbage in the streets. If it is your first time visiting Singapore, you should know by now that throwing small items such as cigarette butts or plastic wrappers will cost you $300 in fines.
But if you throw away bigger items such as cans and water bottles, you need to appear before the court. You will also be issued a Corrective Work Order (CWO), wherein you’ll clean a specified area while wearing a bright green vest to shame you and teach you a lesson. This is done in the hopes that offenders won’t repeat the violation again.
Smoking
This is prohibited in many areas in Singapore. As a general rule, as long as the general public congregates in the area, you cannot smoke there. Currently, the ban extends to all indoor places, either air-conditioned or not. These include offices, shopping centres, shops, gyms, sports courts, playgrounds, pedestrian overhead bridges, multi-purpose halls, covered walkways, and areas around bus stations. If you are living in a residential building, you can’t smoke in the common areas as well.
So where do you smoke? There is a lot of signage all around Singapore to indicate where you can and cannot smoke. Be mindful of this signage.
Jaywalking
This or the illegal crossing of streets will cause a hefty fine in Singapore. Make sure to cross the streets only on the marked pedestrian lanes. There are designated areas specifically for commuters to cross the streets.
These are just some of the common types of behaviour that people do in their own countries but can’t expect to do so in Singapore without fines or jail time. It is also important to remember that like in many countries, public urination and vandalism are not tolerated in Singapore. Not only will you be asked to pay a fine or will be subjected to caning, but you will also face serious jail time.