Singapore Global Investor Programme (GIP)

Singapore’s Global Investor Programme or GIP, isn't a tourist visa. It’s a permanent residence route for foreign investors, entrepreneurs and business owners who want to base their operations in Singapore and put serious money into the country.

That’s the big difference from a normal Singapore entry visa. A visa is only pre-entry permission to travel to Singapore and ask for entry at the border. The actual stay is then decided by immigration officers through a Visit Pass or e-Pass. GIP, by contrast, is a PR program. If you qualify and your application is approved, the goal is permanent residence, not a short visit.

The program is run by Contact Singapore, which sits under the Economic Development Board. Applicants need a substantial business track record and a successful entrepreneurial background, so this isn’t built for casual investors or people looking for a soft landing.

The current GIP structure has three routes:

• Option A: Invest S$10 million in a new or existing Singapore business, with job-creation conditions tied to re-entry permit renewal.
• Option B: Put S$25 million into a GIP-select fund.
• Option C: Set up a single family office in Singapore with S$200 million in assets under management, with at least S$50 million deployed and maintained in approved local investment categories.

The fee side isn’t gentle either. The application fee was revised to S$20,000 and there’s also a separate S$100 non-refundable ICA processing fee per applicant.

The latest official overhaul to the programme raised the capital thresholds and changed the structure of all three options. Those higher bars still stand, so anyone hoping for a lower-entry “golden visa” style route will be disappointed. This is a high-commitment program, full stop.

There’s also a practical point people miss. GIP is aimed at investors who intend to drive business and investment growth from Singapore. If your plan is just to park yourself in the city for a while, this isn’t the right tool. It’s for people ready to move money, move operations and deal with a fairly unforgiving application process.

Who qualifies for the GIP

The Global Investor Programme is Singapore’s permanent residence route for serious business owners and family-office principals. It’s not a temporary visa and it’s not for people who just want a long stay with light paperwork. The official criteria focus on business track record, company size, personal assets and the investment commitment you’re prepared to make in Singapore.

There’s no stated nationality cap in the official materials. Eligibility is based on the applicant profile you fit, not where your passport was issued.

• Established business owners: At least 3 years of entrepreneurial and business track record, with a company that had at least SGD 200 million in annual turnover in the year before you apply and an average of SGD 200 million a year over the past 3 years. If the business is privately held, you need at least 30% shareholding.
• Next generation business owners: Your immediate family must hold at least 30% of the company or be the largest shareholder and the business needs at least SGD 500 million in turnover in the year before application and on average over the previous 3 years. You also need to be part of the management team.
• Founders of fast growth companies: You must be a founder and one of the largest individual shareholders of a non-publicly listed company valued at least SGD 500 million, backed by reputable venture capital or private equity firms.
• Family office principals: You need at least 5 years of entrepreneurial, investment or management experience, plus net investible assets of at least SGD 200 million. Real estate doesn’t count.

That last category can only apply through Option C, the single family office route. The other profiles can choose among the three investment options, but they still have to meet the underlying business or asset thresholds first.

• Option A: Invest at least SGD 10 million in a new or existing Singapore business, hold at least 30% shareholding and take an active management role.
• Option B: Put SGD 25 million into a GIP-select fund that invests in Singapore-based companies.
• Option C: Set up a Singapore-based single family office with assets under management of at least SGD 200 million, including at least SGD 50 million transferred into Singapore and deployed into approved investments.

The paperwork is heavy and the government doesn’t publish a fixed processing time. What it does make clear is that GIP approval can lead to PR, then a Re-Entry Permit is handled separately through the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority. In plain terms, this is a high-bar route for people with real operating history and serious capital, not a shortcut for passive investors.

The Global Investor Programme or GIP, is Singapore’s PR route for serious business owners and family office principals. It’s not a visa and the paperwork is heavy. The upside is direct permanent residency, but you’ll need to document both your money and your business in detail.

The official application fee is S$20,000 and it must be paid before submission. ICA also charges a S$100 PR processing fee per applicant. If approved, you’ll pay for the Entry Permit, Singapore Identity Card and a 5-year Re-Entry Permit, then renew the REP on the 5-year cycle if you meet the renewal criteria.

Core submission documents

• Application forms: Form A, Form B, Form C, Form 4, the Undertaking on the Terms and Conditions of the GIP and the Statutory Declaration.
• Identity documents: A passport photograph plus notarised copies of passport pages, birth certificates and, if relevant, marriage, divorce, custody, adoption or deed poll documents.
• Business documents: Audited financial reports, ownership proof, shareholding structure, business registration records, an organisation chart and a CV.
• Supporting proof: Investment documents, bank reference letters, bank statements and, for some applicants, a business plan or valuation papers.

EDB’s factsheet asks for hard-copy supporting documents to be mailed first, then soft-copy uploads afterward. That ordering matters, so don’t assume an all-digital submission will do the job.

What you need by applicant type

• Established business owners: Original audited financial reports for the last 3 years, business registration or licence documents and, if applicable, ACRA registration for the Singapore investment.
• Next-generation business owners and fast-growth founders: The same core business package, plus valuation documents for fast-growth applicants.
• Family office principals: Proof that the single family office manages at least S$200 million in assets and that at least S$50 million has been transferred to and maintained in Singapore.

The financial thresholds are steep. Established business owners need at least S$200 million in annual turnover, next-generation owners need S$500 million, fast-growth founders need S$500 million in company valuation and family office principals need S$200 million in net investible assets.

Translations also have to be clean. Foreign-language documents need official English translations and notarisation must be done by a notary public in Singapore or the issuing country, with the notarisation date within the year before submission. The official factsheet says processing takes about 12 months, though that can stretch if your file is incomplete or triggers extra due diligence.

Investment proof by option

• Option A: Evidence of the S$10 million investment in a Singapore business, including the Investment Undertaking, Statutory Declaration, latest ACRA Bizfile, share certificates and a bank reference letter.
• Option B: Evidence of the S$25 million fund investment, plus bank statements or credit or debit advices and the fund’s share certificate or subscription agreement.
• Option C: Proof of the single family office structure, bank records and investment management agreements showing the required asset levels and Singapore deployment.

If you’re approved, you must formalise PR within 12 months of final approval. Miss the REP rules later and you can lose PR when you leave Singapore. This is a demanding route and the file prep isn't light, but the official requirements are very clear.

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The GIP is expensive before you even get to the investment. The only official programme fee the Economic Development Board spells out is a S$20,000 application fee per main application and it’s non-refundable no matter how the case ends.

That fee has to be paid in a single transfer before you submit. If your bank or intermediary takes a cut, EDB won’t cover it, so the full S$20,000 has to land in its account. In rough US terms, that’s about US$14,800, but the government only quotes the fee in Singapore dollars.

What else you should budget for

• Legal and advisory fees: Private firms usually charge separately for structuring the investment and preparing the file. A realistic working range is S$20,000 to S$50,000 or more, depending on complexity.
• Translation and notarisation: The GIP documents require official English translations for non-English records and they need to be notarized. Costs vary a lot, but S$50 to S$300 per document is a fair market-level estimate.
• Health insurance: The GIP fee schedule doesn’t list any insurance charge. PRs can later fall under MediShield Life, but many families still buy private or international cover, which is a separate ongoing cost.
• Bank transfer charges: Sending the application fee by telegraphic transfer can trigger remittance fees and FX spreads on your side. Those costs aren’t set by Singapore.

The real money isn’t the filing fee, though. The mandatory investment is the heavy lift and it’s set at S$10 million for a new or expanded business, S$25 million for a GIP-select fund or a single family office with at least S$200 million in assets under management, including at least S$50 million moved into specified Singapore investments.

Processing usually takes about 12 months if your file is complete, so this isn’t a quick pay-and-go route. Once approved, ICA issues a Re-Entry Permit valid for 5 years, which matters for keeping PR while you’re outside Singapore.

The Global Investor Programme is a straight shot to Singapore permanent residency, but the process isn’t casual. It’s run by the Economic Development Board and Contact Singapore, the application starts with a hard-copy and online hybrid submission and you can begin from abroad.

There’s no salary threshold here. Instead, you need to fit one of the approved investor profiles and meet the investment bar for the option you choose.

• Established business owners: At least 3 years of entrepreneurial track record, a company with annual turnover of at least SGD 200 million in the year before application and on average for the previous 3 years and at least 30% shareholding if the company is privately held.
• Next generation business owners: Immediate family must hold at least 30% shareholding or be the largest shareholder, company turnover must be at least SGD 500 million in the year before application and on average for the previous 3 years and you need to be part of the management team.
• Founders of fast growth companies: Founder and one of the largest individual shareholders in a non-listed company valued at least SGD 500 million, with backing from reputable VC or PE firms.
• Family office principals: At least 5 years of entrepreneurial, investment or management track record and net investible assets of at least SGD 200 million, excluding real estate.

The application fee is steep and non-refundable. The EDB charges SGD 20,000 for the main application, paid by telegraphic transfer or local interbank transfer before your file is processed. You also have to submit the payment slip with your documents.

Once your package is in, the full process takes about 12 months, assuming your documents are complete and due diligence doesn’t drag. If you’re approved, ICA issues an Approval-in-Principle letter valid for 6 months.

• Option A: Invest at least SGD 10 million in a new or existing Singapore business.
• Option B: Invest SGD 25 million in a GIP-select fund.
• Option C: Set up a single family office with at least SGD 200 million in assets under management, including at least SGD 50 million deployed into EDB-specified investments in Singapore.

You then get 6 months to complete the investment. After that, EDB verifies the proof, ICA issues final approval and you need to formalize your PR within 12 months of that final approval. The PR comes with a 5-year Re-Entry Permit and renewal depends on keeping the investment, business activity or residence conditions in place.

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Singapore’s Global Investor Programme or GIP, isn’t a temporary stay option. It leads straight to permanent residence, then you live on a Re-Entry Permit or REP, rather than a visitor pass. The first REP is valid for 5 years, which is the real clock that matters once your PR is approved.

Renewal isn’t automatic. The renewal window opens 3 months before expiry and ICA says you should file online in that period. If you’re overseas and don’t have Singpass access, you can go through the nearest Singapore Overseas Mission, but you need to do that at least 2 months before the REP expires.

How renewal works

The GIP factsheet gives two renewal outcomes and the difference is pretty blunt: meet the full conditions and you can get another 5 years or meet only part of them and you may get 3 years instead. The conditions depend on which GIP option you used.

• Option A: For a 5-year REP renewal, you need to keep the investment conditions, have at least 30 employees in the Singapore company, with at least half Singapore citizens and 10 incremental employees and live in Singapore for more than half the time. If you meet either the employment condition or the residence condition, renewal may be for 3 years.
• Option B: For a 5-year renewal, you need to maintain the investment conditions, keep the S$25 million fund investment and live in Singapore for more than half the time. For a 3-year renewal, either the investment condition or the residence condition can be met.
• Option C: For a 5-year renewal, you need the investment conditions, at least 5 incremental family-office professionals with at least 3 Singapore citizens, maintenance of the S$50 million deployed investment and residence in Singapore for more than half the time. For a 3-year renewal, either the economic condition or the residence condition is enough.

The fees are steep. The official GIP application fee is S$20,000 and it’s non-refundable. ICA also charges S$20 for the Entry Permit and S$50 for a 5-year REP when you complete formalities, plus a separate S$100 PR submission fee per applicant.

Processing takes patience too. EDB says a complete GIP application usually takes about 12 months, assuming your documents are complete and due diligence goes smoothly. There’s no fixed “visa stay limit” in the usual sense, because the real risk is letting your REP lapse and losing PR status.

The Global Investor Programme doesn’t come with a special tax break. It’s a path to Singapore permanent residence, not a separate tax regime, so GIP holders fall under the same Income Tax Act rules as everyone else based on residency and source of income.

For most GIP investors, the big shift is tax residency. Singapore Permanent Residents who normally live in Singapore are generally treated as tax residents. That matters because residents and non-residents are taxed differently and the label comes from your actual living pattern, not from the visa itself.

What gets taxed

• Singapore-sourced income: Taxable under normal resident or non-resident rules.
• Foreign-sourced income kept outside Singapore: Generally not taxed for individuals.
• Foreign-sourced income brought into Singapore: Generally still exempt for resident individuals, except income received through partnerships in Singapore and a few targeted exceptions.

That foreign-income treatment is one reason GIP can look attractive on paper. Still, the tax bill depends on your actual structure. If you start using Singapore entities, fund vehicles or a family office, those entities may have their own Singapore tax exposure and that’s separate from your personal PR status.

How residency changes the bill

• Tax residents: Taxed on Singapore-earned income at progressive rates up to 24% after deductions and reliefs.
• Non-residents: Taxed on Singapore-earned income, with employment income taxed at the higher of 15% or resident rates and most other income taxed at 24%.
• No special GIP rate: The official guidance doesn’t give GIP holders a lower bracket or tax holiday.

Singapore also has double-taxation treaties, but they’re tied to tax residency and the nature of the income, not to GIP status. If your affairs are simple, the rules are straightforward. If you’re running multiple entities or moving large amounts of foreign income around, get advice before you assume the usual exemption will hold.

The blunt version, GIP doesn’t make you tax-free. It just puts you inside Singapore’s regular system, which is still pretty friendly if your income is mostly foreign and your structure is clean.