Baggage Transfers
Collecting and checking in baggage during a transfer
Baggage handling during transfers
Baggage handling requirements follow the regulations of the country you are transferring at. They may require passengers to collect their checked-in baggage at the belt, before checking them in again to the next flight. In some cases, collecting baggage at a transfer airport is not required.
This applies if your itinerary includes a connection with a partner airline, even if all your flights were booked on a single ticket.
Do note that these requirements may still differ depending on the passenger ticket type, connection airport, connection time and / or connection airlines. Please check with ground staff or the partner airline’s desk at the transfer airport to confirm if you need to clear immigration and collect baggage.
Connection types
Baggage handling is dependent on the flight connection type you are travelling on.
There are typically three connection types:
- International to International
- Domestic to International
- International to Domestic
International to International
An international-to-international transfer is when you arrive on an international flight and change to another international flight to a destination in a different country.
E.g: You are flying from Singapore to Wellington, New Zealand, with a transfer in Sydney, Australia.
SIN → SYD (Transfer) → WLG
Domestic to International
A domestic-to-international transfer is when you arrive on a domestic flight and change to an international flight to a destination in another country.
E.g: You are flying from Gold Coast, Australia to Singapore, with a transfer in Sydney, Australia.
OOL → SYD (Transfer) → SIN
International to Domestic
An international-to-domestic transfer is when you arrive on an international flight and change to a domestic flight to a destination within the same country.
E.g: You are flying from Singapore to Sapporo, Japan, with a transfer in Fukuoka which is in the same country.
SIN → FUK (Transfer) → CTS
Check to see if your next flight is international or domestic before referring to the tables below.
Countries and their baggage transfer requirements
Select the region and country to find out whether you need to collect your baggage during a transfer. We advise that you confirm with the ground staff at the transfer airport in the event of any changes.
For Domestic to International flights, please check with ground staff or the partner airline's desk during check-in.
|
Country of Transfer |
Collect baggage at transfer airport? |
|
|---|---|---|
|
International to International |
International to Domestic |
|
|
Brunei Darussalam |
No |
No |
|
Cambodia |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Indonesia |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Malaysia |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Myanmar |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Philippines |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Thailand |
No |
Yes |
|
Vietnam |
No |
Yes |
|
Country of Transfer |
Collect baggage at transfer airport? |
|
|---|---|---|
|
International to International |
International to Domestic |
|
|
China |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Hong Kong SAR, China |
No |
No |
|
Japan |
No |
Yes |
|
South Korea |
No |
Yes |
|
Taiwan, China |
No |
Yes |
|
Country of Transfer |
Collect baggage at transfer airport? |
|
|---|---|---|
|
International to International |
International to Domestic |
|
|
Bangladesh |
Yes |
Yes |
|
India |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Maldives |
No |
No |
|
Nepal |
Yes |
Yes |
|
South Africa |
No |
Yes |
|
Sri Lanka |
No |
No |
|
United Arab Emirates (UAE) |
No |
Yes |
|
Country of Transfer |
Collect baggage at transfer airport?
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
International to International |
International to Domestic |
|
|
Australia |
No |
Yes |
|
New Zealand |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Country of Transfer |
Collect baggage at transfer airport? |
|
|---|---|---|
|
International to International |
International to Domestic |
|
|
Belgium |
No |
No |
|
Denmark |
No |
No |
|
France |
No |
No |
|
Germany |
No |
No |
|
Italy |
No |
No |
|
Netherlands |
No |
No |
|
Spain |
No |
No |
|
Switzerland |
No |
No |
|
Turkey |
No |
No |
|
United Kingdom |
No |
Yes |
|
Country of Transfer |
Collect baggage at transfer airport? |
|
|---|---|---|
|
International to International |
International to Domestic |
|
|
United States of America |
Yes |
Yes |