🇸🇬 Singapore

Three local banks (DBS, OCBC, UOB) handle most foreigner account opening. The path you take depends on the pass in your hand: holders of an Employment Pass, S Pass, or Dependant's Pass present the original pass card, the original passport, and proof of a Singapore residential address at the branch. MyInfo autofill is restricted to citizens and PRs, so foreigners fill the forms manually under Singpass login, or sign paper forms at the counter.

A new Singapore Permanent Resident does not pay full Singapore Citizen CPF rates immediately. The Central Provident Fund Board applies a two-year graduated phase-in: the first and second years use lower employer and employee percentages (the *Graduated/Graduated* basis), and from the start of the third year the employer switches automatically to full rates. The conversion date on the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority entry permit (Form 5/5A) marks the start of Year 1.

Singapore tax is administered by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) under the Income Tax Act 1947. Foreigners with Singapore-sourced income e-File via myTax Portal between 1 March and 18 April each Year of Assessment, signed in with Singpass or a Singpass Foreign user Account. Employers on the Auto-Inclusion Scheme pre-fill employment income, and most foreign employees on a long-duration pass are treated as tax residents subject to the progressive resident schedule.

Three Singapore healthcare schemes work together. MediShield Life is the compulsory lifelong basic health insurance for Citizens and Permanent Residents, administered by the Central Provident Fund Board under Ministry of Health policy direction. Integrated Shield Plans are voluntary private top-ups from seven authorised insurers that sit over the MediShield Life base. The Community Health Assist Scheme subsidises outpatient visits at participating private clinics, and is open to Singapore Citizens only.

Foreign buyers of Singapore residential property face two layers of restriction. The layers are a 60% Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) on top of tiered Buyer's Stamp Duty (BSD), plus a Singapore Land Authority approval gate for landed homes. Strata condominium units are open without approval. Landed property (terrace, semi-detached, bungalow, vacant land) is restricted residential property requiring Land Dealings Approval Unit (LDAU) consent under section 25 of the Residential Property Act 1976.

Foreigners on a Singapore Long-Term Pass get a Foreign Identification Number (FIN) automatically when the pass is approved. The FIN appears on the In-Principle Approval letter and stays with the individual permanently across every future Singapore pass. Once the FIN is live, the holder registers for Singpass — the national digital-identity service operated by GovTech — at singpass.gov.sg using Face Verification, then sets up the Singpass app to retrieve their digital long-term pass and authenticate to over 2,700 government and private services.

Existing Employment Pass holders coordinate a renewal with their employer through the myMOM Portal up to 6 months before the pass expires. MOM aims to process or update the application within 10 business days. Renewal is not guaranteed — the holder is re-assessed against the current qualifying salary for their age and sector and the current COMPASS framework.

The Long-Term Visit Pass is the residence pass for the foreign spouse, child, or parent of someone who already lives in Singapore. Two ministries split the work: MOM handles cases sponsored by a work-pass holder, ICA handles cases sponsored by a Singapore Citizen or PR and runs the longer LTVP+ variant for SC-married spouses. The route decides eligibility, fees, processing time, and whether work rights run through a Letter of Consent or a Pre-Approved Letter of Consent.

Foreign professionals, sponsored spouses and children, foreign students, and qualifying investors apply for Singapore Permanent Residence through the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) e-PR portal. ICA assesses every application holistically and processes complete submissions within 6 months. Successful applicants attend a Completion of Formalities appointment at ICA Building to receive an Entry Permit, a five-year Re-Entry Permit, and the National Registration Identity Card (NRIC).

S-Pass renewal in Singapore is employer-led — only the employer or an appointed Employment Agent (EA) submits via the Employment Pass eService. The pass holder supplies the passport scan and downloads the SGWorkPass app; they do not file their own renewal. Renewal carries a single SGD 100 issuance fee on approval (the SGD 105 apply-for-a-pass fee covers new issuances only). The employer continues paying the monthly S-Pass levy throughout the renewal cycle.

Conversion of a valid foreign driving licence to a Singapore Qualified Driving Licence (QDL) for residents who already drive lawfully in another country. Run by the Singapore Police Force (Traffic Police) and gated by a pass in the Basic Theory Test (BTT). Out of scope: the local-issuance pathway (BTT + FTT + PDT) for users without a recognised foreign licence, and renewal of an existing Singapore QDL — both are separate flows.