🇸🇬
Opening a Bank Account in Singapore (Foreigners)
Document Checklist
Passport (original)
Where to get: Issued by your home country
Required: Original, not a photocopy or phone photo. UOB requires minimum 6 months validity.
UOB states verbatim that 'photocopied or digital copies of the above documents will not be accepted' — bring the physical book to the branch.
Employment Pass / S Pass / Dependant's Pass
Singapore-issued pass card
Where to get: Issued by the Ministry of Manpower (work passes) or the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (Dependant's Pass)
Required: Original card showing your FIN (Foreigner Identification Number)
The FIN printed on the card is the customer reference banks use in place of an NRIC. OCBC's 360 Account page lists the accepted passes verbatim as 'Employment Pass (EP) or S-Pass or Student Pass'; UOB lists 'Employment Pass / S Pass / Dependent Pass' across its account product pages.
Proof of Singapore residential address
Where to get: Singapore-based utilities bill, telco bill, or a signed rental agreement
Required: Recent original or printed copy in your name
If you have just arrived and the lease is still in your landlord's name, bring the rental agreement that names you as tenant. For the OCBC remote relocator product, an Employment Offer Letter or ICA In-Principle Approval letter is also accepted in lieu of an address bill.
Singpass account (for online or in-app applications)
Where to get: Register at singpass.gov.sg once you hold an EP, S Pass, or Dependant's Pass card
Required: Active Singpass login before starting a DBS Multiplier or in-app OCBC application
Foreigners can register for Singpass once they hold an EP / S Pass / Dependant's Pass. MyInfo autofill is currently restricted to citizens and PRs — foreigners use Singpass for login authentication and submit identity documents manually. UOB's One Account page states the MyInfo channel verbatim as 'Applicable to New to UOB customers who are Singaporeans/PRs with MyInfo login'.
View full guide
→