Singapore Global Investor Programme (GIP)

The Global Investor Programme (GIP) grants Singapore permanent residence to established business owners, next-generation owners of family businesses, founders of fast-growth companies and family office principals who invest in Singapore. Contact Singapore, a division of the Economic Development Board (EDB), runs it with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Figures below follow EDB's GIP factsheet, updated May 5, 2025.

• Status: active
• Result: Grants Singapore Permanent Residence directly
• Option A: at least SGD 10,000,000 in a new business or the expansion of an existing one in Singapore
• Option B: SGD 25,000,000 in a GIP-select fund that invests in Singapore-based companies
• Option C: a Singapore single family office with assets under management of at least SGD 200,000,000, of which at least SGD 50,000,000 goes into specified investments in Singapore
• Application fee: SGD 20,000, non-refundable
• Processing: about 12 months if the file is complete

The Singapore guide compares this route with the EntrePass and short visits.

Applicants must fit one of four profiles (EDB's GIP factsheet, updated May 5, 2025):

• Established business owners: at least 3 years of entrepreneurial track record and a company with annual turnover of at least SGD 200,000,000 in the year before applying and on average over the three years before that. In a private company the applicant needs at least 30% of the shares; in a listed one, to be among the largest individual shareholders.
• Next-generation business owners: the immediate family holds at least 30% of the company or is its largest shareholder, the company's turnover is at least SGD 500,000,000 a year on the same test and the applicant sits on its management team, such as the C-suite or board.
• Founders of fast-growth companies: a founder and one of the largest individual shareholders of an unlisted company valued at SGD 500,000,000 or more and backed by reputable venture capital or private equity firms.
• Family office principals: at least 5 years of entrepreneurial, investment or management track record and net investible assets of at least SGD 200,000,000, not counting real estate.

The qualifying company must operate in one of the industries listed in Annex B of the factsheet. Family office principals invest under Option C; the other profiles may choose Option A, B or C. Option A investors must hold at least 30% of the Option A company and submit a 5-year business plan.

Family: Yes. A spouse and unmarried children under 21 can be included as dependents, and male children who gain permanent residence as dependents are liable for National Service. Parents and unmarried children 21 or older can instead apply for a Long Term Visit Pass tied to the investor's Re-Entry Permit.

Annex A of the factsheet lists the supporting documents. The main groups are:

• Personal: notarized copies of all passports held, birth certificates showing both parents' names and marriage or divorce certificates where they apply, for everyone in the application.
• Immigration: ICA Form 4, the application for an entry permit, for the applicant and spouse.
• Business: audited financial statements, shareholding records and business registration papers for the qualifying company, plus the business plan in Form B of the GIP application.
• Family office principals: certification of net investible assets by a Singapore-based accredited audit firm or another institution the factsheet names.
• Declarations: the undertaking on the programme's terms and a statutory declaration signed before an authorized officer.

Documents in other languages need an official English translation notarized in Singapore or in the issuing country, dated within the year before the application (EDB's GIP factsheet, updated May 5, 2025).

• Application fee: SGD 20,000, non-refundable whatever the outcome, paid in a single transfer with all bank charges borne by the sender (EDB's GIP factsheet, updated May 5, 2025).
• Investment: SGD 10,000,000 under Option A, SGD 25,000,000 under Option B, or a family office with at least SGD 200,000,000 under management under Option C. This is capital the investor keeps deploying, not a fee.

ICA may charge its own fees for the entry permit and Re-Entry Permit; check them with ICA. Legal, audit, notarization and translation costs vary by provider.

Where to apply: Contact Singapore (EDB): download the GIP e-application forms, pay the fee, submit online and in hard copy, then interview; ICA issues approvals.

1. Pay. The SGD 20,000 fee must arrive in full, in one telegraphic or interbank transfer, before the forms are submitted; bank charges fall on the sender.
2. Submit. The original e-application forms are uploaded online, and hard copies of the supporting documents go to Contact Singapore within one month of paying the fee.
3. Interview. EDB invites the applicant for an interview.
4. Approval-in-Principle. If the criteria are met, ICA issues an Approval-in-Principle valid for 6 months, and the investment must be made within that time.
5. Final Approval. After EDB verifies the investment, ICA issues Final Approval. Option C applicants must deploy at least SGD 50,000,000 into specified investments within 12 months of it.
6. Formalize. Permanent residence must be formalized in Singapore within 12 months of Final Approval.

The whole process takes about 12 months (EDB's GIP factsheet, updated May 5, 2025).

• Status: Grants Singapore Permanent Residence directly.
• Re-Entry Permit: permanent residents get a Re-Entry Permit valid for 5 years, which lets them keep permanent residence while outside Singapore.
• Renewal: 5-year REP renewal if the investment conditions and the business or family office job conditions are met and the investor or all dependents lived in Singapore more than half the time; 3-year renewal if the investment conditions plus either the job or the residence condition are met; apply via ICA e-REP from 3 months before expiry.
• Job conditions: under Option A the company must employ at least 30 people, half of them Singapore citizens and at least 10 of them new hires. Under Option C the family office must add at least 5 professionals, 3 of them citizens.

A Re-Entry Permit that lapses before renewal ends permanent residence once the holder leaves Singapore (EDB's GIP factsheet, updated May 5, 2025).

The GIP carries no tax regime of its own. Permanent residents follow Singapore's normal rules: tax residency depends on time in the country, with at least 183 days in a calendar year as the main test (IRAS).

The Singapore guide covers the personal tax basics.