Singapore Permanent Residency

Every applicant needs a clean criminal record, and they must meet one of four eligibility profiles.

-Eligibility A, for established business owners, requires at least 3 years of entrepreneurial and business track record and a company with turnover of at least SGD 200 million per year, both on average over the last 3 years and in the past year, with the ability to consolidate up to 2 businesses in specified industries; a privately owned company requires at least a 30% holding, while for a publicly listed one the applicant must be among the largest individual shareholders.

-Eligibility B, for next-generation business owners, requires the immediate family to hold at least 30% or be the largest shareholder in a company with annual turnover of at least SGD 500 million per year on the same measures, with the applicant in management and the company in specified industries.

-Eligibility C, for founders of fast-growth companies, requires being a founder and one of the largest individual shareholders of a non-publicly listed company valued at at least SGD 500 million that is backed by reputable venture capital or private equity firms and engaged in specified industries. Eligibility D, for family office principals, requires at least 5 years of entrepreneurial investment or management track record and net investible assets of at least SGD 200 million.

Approval in Principle is issued in about 6 to 9 months, and the investment must be made within 6 months of that approval, with final approval granted once the qualifying investment is proven. The applicant then moves to Singapore and completes permanent residence formalities within 12 months of final approval. After obtaining PR, a Re-Entry Permit is issued for 5 years so that PR can be maintained while outside Singapore, and on expiry it is renewed for 3 or 5 years subject to conditions.

Yes. The Re-Entry Permit can be renewed if the conditions are met by the fifth year of PR status, with separate sets of criteria for a 5-year renewal and a 3-year renewal across Option A, B, and C applicants. In all cases the applicant must have fulfilled the investment conditions of their GIP option. A 5-year renewal also requires, for Option A, that the company employs at least 30 people (at least half of them Singapore Citizens) including at least 10 incremental employees, and that the applicant or dependents resided in Singapore for more than half of the time.

For Option B, maintaining the SGD 25 million investment in a GIP-select fund and the applicant or dependents residing in Singapore for more than half of the time.

And for Option C, the single-family office employing at least 5 incremental family office professionals (at least 3 of them Singapore Citizens) and maintaining the SGD 50 million AUM across any of the 4 investment categories, plus the residency condition. The 3-year renewal applies the same investment condition but lets the applicant satisfy either the employment or AUM condition or the residency condition.

Yes. A legally married spouse and children under 21, including adopted children, who are financially dependent on the applicant can be included.

No. However, parents and older children are entitled to obtain a 5-year visit visa.

Yes. The applicant must provide substantial evidence of their wealth along with audited reports from the companies they have managed.

There are three investment options under the GIP. The lowest-cost option requires a minimum investment of at least SGD 10 million in a qualifying investment.

The applicant must invest in one of three options: a new business entity or the expansion of an existing business in an approved business sector (SGD 10 million), an approved fund that invests in Singapore-based companies (SGD 25 million), or a Singapore-based family office (SGD 50 million).

The approved sectors are aerospace engineering, alternative energy and clean technology, automotive, chemicals, consumer business, electronics, energy, engineering service, healthcare, infocomm products and services, logistics and supply chain management, marine and offshore engineering, natural resources, media and entertainment, medical technology, nanotechnology, safety and security, space, shipping, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, precision engineering, professional services such as consulting and design, arts businesses across visual and performing arts, sports businesses, family offices, and financial services.

Yes. The applicant is entirely free to make additional investments or other acquisitions, such as property.

No. The investment cannot be transferred.

No. Citizens of Singapore must renounce all other citizenships.

No. Overseas income that is not earned in Singapore is not subject to Singapore taxation.