Singapore Startup Visa

The applicant must intend to establish and own at least 30% of a Singapore private limited company and be incubated by a Singapore Government-recognised incubator. Some businesses are not eligible, including coffee shops, hawker centres, and food courts; bars, night clubs, and karaoke lounges; foot reflexology and massage parlours; acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, and herbal dispensing businesses; employment agencies; and geomancy businesses.

No. The Singapore Start-up Visa has no minimum residency requirement, no language requirement, no age limit, and no settlement fund requirement.

Dependents can be brought in one year after the SUV is issued. To bring in a spouse and children under 21, the company's latest audited annual accounts must show minimum annual spending of SGD 100,000 (about USD 75,000) and employment of either 3 local employees each earning at least SGD 1,400 (USD 1,018) per month or 1 local manager or executive earning at least SGD 3,900 (USD 2,837) per month.

Bringing in parents requires double each threshold: annual spending of SGD 200,000 and either 6 local employees or 2 managers or executives. A legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21, including legally adopted children, receive a Dependent Pass, while a common law spouse, unmarried handicapped children over 21, and unmarried stepchildren under 21 receive a Long Term Visit Pass, as do parents. Both pass types are linked to the SUV; the main difference is that a Dependent Pass holder can work after obtaining a letter of consent from the MOM, whereas a Long Term Visit Pass holder needs their own employment pass.

The SUV is initially issued for one year, and HLG assists with applying for a renewal of another year. This first renewal is not subject to any minimum spending or local employment requirement, although the applicant would still need to meet the criteria to bring in dependents.

Around 12 to 18 months after the SUV is issued, HLG can begin preparing the PR application for the applicant, legally married spouse, and unmarried children under 21. A male main applicant applying for PR is exempt from National Service, though other Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents, such as a male spouse or children, may have to serve. It is important to obtain PR before the fourth anniversary of the first SUV, and ideally before the second SUV renewal, depending largely on how well the business is doing; if PR cannot be obtained before the second renewal, HLG assists with that renewal.

The PR application goes to the Singapore Immigration Checkpoint Authority (ICA), which has no specific requirements on age, language, residency, or financials and wide discretion in its assessment. The ICA reviews the whole application over about 6 months, considering factors such as family ties to Singaporeans, economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile, and length of residency. A valid Re-Entry Permit (REP) is needed each time a permanent resident travels abroad, since leaving or staying overseas without a valid REP results in loss of PR. Applying for or renewing a REP online through e-Service takes one working day and costs SGD 50 for 5 years, while an expired REP requires an in-person appointment with a completed form and supporting documents.

The minimum total annual business spending to renew the SUV is not cumulative and rises with each renewal. At the first renewal (1 year), there is no spending requirement. At the second renewal (2 years), the requirement is SGD 100,000 (USD 72,742) with employment of 3 LQS or 1 PME. At the third renewal (4 years), it is SGD 200,000 (USD 145,485) with 6 LQS or 2 PME. At the fourth renewal (6 years), it is SGD 300,000 (USD 218,228) with 9 LQS or 3 PME. At the fifth or later renewal (8 years), it is SGD 400,000 (USD 290,972) with 12 LQS or 4 PME. Regardless of how long the SUV has been held, dependents can be brought to Singapore once the company's latest audited accounts show minimum annual spending of SGD 100,000 (USD 72,742) and employment of at least 3 LQS or 1 PME for a spouse and children under 21, with double each criterion for parents.

A PR has the right to live, work, and study anywhere in Singapore and access to most social benefits, including public healthcare coverage and education at subsidized rates. A PR can apply for citizenship if certain conditions are met, bearing in mind that Singapore does not allow dual citizenship and that national service obligations apply. A PR also pays lower stamp duty on real estate purchases and is eligible to buy resale public housing, while citizens can also buy new government HDB flats.

National Service of 2 years is required from all male Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents, but the main PR applicant under this program is exempt. After completing full-time NS, they serve up to 40 days of Operationally Ready National Service per year through their training cycle until age 50 for officers or 40 for other ranks.

Male applicants granted PR as a foreign student or under parental sponsorship must register for NS at 16 and a half and are scheduled for enlistment at the earliest opportunity at 18, with no deferment for university studies, although those pursuing full-time GCE A Level or Polytechnic Diploma studies may be granted deferment if they meet the Ministry of Defence conditions; full details are at the CMPB website.

Males granted PR who were previously Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents are liable for call-up regardless of the scheme under which PR was granted. Renouncing or losing PR status without serving or completing full-time NS can adversely affect future applications to work, study, or live in Singapore, or for citizenship or PR, and may also affect Re-Entry Permit renewals by family members or sponsors.

The process begins with HLG conducting preliminary due diligence on eligibility along with the client information intake and KYC. The applicant then has a first call with the incubator, after which the incubator and applicant confirm the venture and a term sheet is issued and signed. HLG prepares and reviews the file before filing the SUV application. Once the SUV is approved, the applicant can travel to Singapore to activate the SUV or EntrePass, must establish the company within 30 days of approval, open a bank account, and work with the incubator on the venture. A year after the SUV is issued, HLG prepares the file for the SUV renewal and the dependents' immigration pass applications, and 12 to 18 months after issuance HLG prepares the PR application for the applicant and any qualifying dependents, along with the Re-Entry Permit.

After submission of the SUV application, processing takes around 8 weeks. Applications for dependents' immigration passes are a two-step process taking around 16 weeks. The PR application takes around 6 months to process.

There is no residence requirement under the program, but once the SUV is granted it should be activated by the applicant in Singapore within 6 months. The program suits an active entrepreneur, and since the Singapore authorities assess each application case by case, spending time in Singapore is recommended to help the business take off.

An applicant who does not actively run the business or show interest in living in Singapore may raise questions when the SUV is renewed or when applying for PR. When considering a PR application, the ICA weighs factors such as family ties to Singaporeans, economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile, and length of residency.

This program is not about citizenship. After 2 years of PR you may apply for citizenship, but a grant is discretionary. Foreigners over 21 may naturalise after residing in Singapore for at least 10 of the 12 years before applying, and the government can waive further residence to grant citizenship to anyone who has resided for at least five of the previous six years, with exceptional further reductions targeted at foreign investors and skilled migrants who can make considerable economic contributions.

Singapore does not allow dual citizenship. The Singapore passport offers visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 190 countries and territories, including all ASEAN nations, and is one of four passports (with Brunei, Japan, and San Marino) allowed visa-free or electronic-authorization entry to the world's four largest economies: China (visa-free, 15 days), India (e-Visa, 60 days), the European Union (visa-free, 90 days within 180 days), and the United States (ESTA required for air and sea arrivals, 90 days). PR also brings subsidized public healthcare and education, lower stamp duty on Singapore property, and the right to buy resale and new public housing.