Singapore Global Investor Programme (GIP)

The Singapore Global Investor Programme or GIP, is Singapore’s route to permanent residence for people who want to build, invest and base real business activity in the country. It’s not a visitor option and it isn’t a quick residency workaround. You’re committing serious capital and Singapore expects that commitment to translate into business growth, jobs or family office activity.

Contact Singapore, a division of the Singapore Economic Development Board, runs the programme. The scheme is aimed at four types of applicants: established business owners, next-generation business owners, founders of fast-growth companies and family office principals. Each profile comes with its own financial thresholds and investment route, so this isn’t a one-size-fits-all application.

Applicants must choose one of three qualifying investment options:

• Option A: at least S$10 million into a new or expanded Singapore business.
• Option B: S$25 million into a GIP-select fund that invests in Singapore-based companies.
• Option C: set up a Singapore-based single family office with at least S$200 million in assets under management, with at least S$50 million transferred into and deployed in specified investments in Singapore.

The latest official update raised the thresholds and increased the application fee to S$20,000. That change took effect on 5 May 2025 and is reflected in the most recent official factsheet.

GIP approval can lead directly to Singapore permanent resident status, but it’s not automatic. Applicants still go through due diligence and need to complete the required investment. After that, PR has to be maintained through a Re-Entry Permit and renewal depends on meeting the programme’s investment and residency or economic-contribution conditions. That part matters, because PR by itself doesn’t keep you in Singapore indefinitely.

The Global Investor Programme isn’t a soft landing for casual investors. It’s a direct route to Singapore permanent residence for people with a real business record, serious assets or a fast-growing company that fits the government’s target industries.

Applicants must fit into one of four profiles and the bar is high in every one of them. The programme is open to foreign investors and the official factsheet doesn’t set a nationality rule, but it does set hard thresholds for turnover, ownership, valuation and track record.

Who can apply

• Established business owners: At least 3 years of entrepreneurial and business track record, a company with at least S$200 million in annual turnover in the year before application and an average of at least S$200 million a year over the past 3 years. If the company is privately held, you need at least 30% shareholding and the business must be in an eligible industry listed by the Economic Development Board.
• Next-generation business owners: Your immediate family must hold at least 30% shareholding or be the largest shareholder in the qualifying company. The company must have at least S$500 million in turnover in the year before application and an average of at least S$500 million a year over the past 3 years. You also need to be part of the management team, such as the C-suite or board and the company must fit an eligible industry.
• Founders of fast-growth companies: You must be a founder and one of the largest individual shareholders of a non-listed company valued at least S$500 million. The business also needs backing from reputable venture capital or private equity firms and must operate in an eligible industry.
• Family office principals: You need at least 5 years of entrepreneurial, investment or management track record and net investible assets of at least S$200 million. That figure covers financial assets such as bank deposits, capital markets products, collective investment schemes and certain life insurance premiums. Real estate doesn’t count.

The investment route depends on your profile. Established business owners and founders of fast-growth companies may choose Option A, B or C. Next-generation business owners and family office principals are limited to Option C.

Family members can matter too. A spouse and unmarried children below 21 can be included as dependants, though male children who get PR through the application will be liable for National Service in Singapore. Parents and unmarried children above 21 can’t be added as dependants, but they may apply for a Long Term Visit Pass tied to the main applicant’s Re-Entry Permit.

There’s no stated age minimum or maximum. Still, the track-record rules make it clear this isn’t aimed at younger founders with thin files and every application goes through due diligence checks. Incomplete or weak documentation can sink an application fast.

The latest official update raised the investment thresholds and set the application fee at S$20,000.

Source 1 | Source 2

The GIP paperwork is heavy and the official checklist is split into two parts. Section I covers personal and immigration documents for every person in the PR application. Section II covers your business profile, investment history and, where relevant, your Singapore investment plan or family office setup.

Personal and immigration documents

• Passport: notarised copies of the travel document or passport pages showing personal particulars and official descriptions, for all passports held.
• Identity and family records: notarised birth certificate showing both parents’ names and a notarised household census list or family registry if applicable.
• Family details form: the prescribed template with background details for family members, including name, age and employment.
• Civil status documents: notarised marriage certificate, divorce certificate(s), custody or adoption papers for children below 21 from previous marriages and any deed poll or change-of-name certificate, if applicable.
• Entry Permit form: ICA Form 4, with 1 original and 1 photocopy for the main applicant and spouse, plus dependants listed and 1 passport photograph.

Business, investment and supporting documents

• Financial statements: original audited financial reports for the last 3 years for relevant companies or annual reports for listed companies. The audit firm has to be properly accredited.
• Ownership and company records: notarised shareholding documents, corporate register extracts or equivalent, plus business registration certificates, business licences and organisation charts where relevant.
• Business materials: detailed business or investment plans, in addition to Form B, especially for Options A and C.
• Singapore setup documents: ACRA registration for the Singapore investment vehicle or Single Family Office, where applicable.
• CV: the applicant’s curriculum vitae.
• Family office proof: for Family Office Principals, certified statements and supporting asset statements from a Singapore-based accredited audit firm, bank, law firm or trust company showing net investible assets of at least S$200 million.

Declarations, translations and filing rules

You’ll also need the Undertaking on the Terms and Conditions of the Global Investor Programme, the Statutory Declaration Form, the declarations inside Forms A, B and C, the payment transaction slip and a printout of the submitted e-application. The statutory declaration has to be signed before an authorised officer, which depends on where you’re filing from.

Anything not in English needs an official English translation notarised by a notary public in Singapore or in the country that issued the document. The notarisation has to be dated within the year before submission. The GIP materials don’t spell out separate police certificate, health insurance, medical exam, passport validity or biometrics requirements, so those aren’t listed as GIP-specific items.

Source 1 | Source 2

The GIP isn’t a cheap application and the price tag is more than just the investment commitment. The main government fee is a S$20,000 application fee and it’s nonrefundable even if the application is rejected.

That fee has to be paid before you submit the application forms. It must go as a single telegraphic or local interbank transfer and if the full amount doesn’t arrive, the application won’t be processed. Any intermediary bank charges are on you, so don’t assume the transfer amount you send is the amount Singapore receives.

• GIP application fee: S$20,000, paid before submission and nonrefundable.
• ICA Entry Permit processing fee: S$100 per applicant, also nonrefundable, paid directly to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority when instructed after the GIP application is received.

The official materials don’t lay out a fixed price for every other government charge tied to PR issuance or Re-Entry Permit renewals, so there’s no clean number to quote there. They also don’t give fixed figures for legal fees, advisory costs, translations, notarisation or health insurance, which means those expenses will vary by case and can’t be pinned down from the GIP fee schedule alone.

The investment thresholds are much larger than the fees, but they’re not government charges. Under the current framework, that means S$10 million for a business investment under Option A, S$25 million into a GIP-select fund under Option B or S$200 million in assets under management with at least S$50 million deployed into specified investments for a Single Family Office under Option C.

The Global Investor Programme application isn’t quick and it isn’t casual. It’s a residence-by-investment route to Singapore permanent residence, so you’ll need to show real business or investment intent, then follow a fairly rigid sequence with the Economic Development Board and Immigration & Checkpoints Authority.

Before you submit

Start by downloading the GIP e-application forms and preparing the supporting documents listed in Annex A. You’ll also need to complete ICA Form 4 for the main applicant and spouse. The official forms are split into Form A for personal details, Form B for the proposed investment plan and Form C for payment details.

• Form A: Personal profile
• Form B: Proposed investment plan
• Form C: Payment details
• ICA Form 4: Entry permit application for the main applicant and spouse

Fee and filing steps

The application fee is S$20,000 and it’s non-refundable. Pay it in one transaction by telegraphic transfer from overseas or by local interbank transfer to the Economic Development Board’s specified account and make sure you keep the hard copy of the transaction slip. All bank charges are on you.

After that, upload the original e-application forms, not scanned copies, through the official GIP portal. Then mail the hard-copy supporting documents to Contact Singapore in Singapore within 1 month of the fee remittance date. Once those papers are received, you’ll get instructions for uploading the soft copies.

What happens next

The factsheet says processing takes about 12 months, assuming the file is complete and due diligence checks don’t drag things out. EDB may call you for an interview during the review. If the application is successful, ICA issues an Approval-in-Principle letter that’s valid for 6 months.

From there, the pressure shifts to the investment itself. Within 6 months of the AIP letter, you must meet the qualifying investment under your chosen option, then send EDB documentary proof plus a signed Investment Undertaking and Statutory Declaration. Once EDB clears that, ICA issues final approval for PR.

Finalizing permanent residence

You then have 12 months from the Final Approval letter to formalize PR in Singapore. Once that’s done, you’ll get a 5-year Re-Entry Permit, which is what lets you keep your PR status while traveling in and out of Singapore. REP renewal goes through ICA’s electronic system.

The GIP doesn’t give you a short-term visa. If you’re approved, you get Singapore Permanent Resident status, then a Re-Entry Permit valid for 5 years so you can keep that status while traveling in and out of Singapore.

That REP matters. If it expires and you leave Singapore without renewing it, you can lose PR status. The program is built for people who plan to stay invested and active in Singapore, not for anyone looking for a quick entry stamp.

Processing isn’t fast either. The official factsheet says the GIP takes about 12 months to process, assuming your documents are complete and due diligence doesn’t drag on. After in-principle approval, you have 6 months to meet the investment conditions, then up to 12 months after final approval to formalize PR.

Renewal is where the real pressure shows up. For a 5-year REP renewal, you must meet the option-specific investment rules and satisfy the relevant business, fund or family office conditions, plus the residency test for you and the dependants who got PR through your application.

• Option A: The Singapore company must employ at least 30 employees, with at least half Singapore Citizens, including at least 10 incremental employees. You and all PR dependants must have lived in Singapore for more than half of the REP period.
• Option B: You must keep the S$25 million investment in a GIP-select fund. You and all PR dependants must have lived in Singapore for more than half of the REP period.
• Option C: The single family office must employ at least 5 incremental family office professionals, with at least 3 Singapore Citizens and keep at least S$50 million deployed in specified investments. You and all PR dependants must have lived in Singapore for more than half of the REP period.

A 3-year REP renewal is a bit looser on paper. You still need to satisfy the investment conditions, then meet either the business, fund or family office threshold or the residency test for you and all PR dependants.

There’s no stated maximum lifetime for PR in the GIP rules. The status is permanent, but it only stays practical if you keep renewing the REP. The program also doesn’t promise citizenship and it doesn’t set an automatic path to it.

The GIP doesn’t come with a separate tax deal. The official materials focus on residency, qualifying investments and Re-Entry Permit renewal, but they don’t set out any special tax regime tied to GIP status.

That means there’s no GIP-specific rule on tax residency, foreign-sourced income, double tax treaties or reporting in the programme documents. Those issues sit under Singapore’s general tax laws and Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore guidance, not the GIP itself.

That lack of detail matters. If you’re comparing Singapore against other residence-by-investment routes, don’t assume the GIP gives you a lighter tax bill or a special filing treatment just because it leads to Permanent Resident status.

The programme does include one hard number that can affect your broader planning. Under Option C, single family offices must manage at least S$200 million in assets, with at least S$50 million deployed into specified investments in Singapore, but the GIP materials don’t attach any special tax exemption to those investments.

There are also no tax thresholds or reduced rates spelled out in the GIP factsheet. The official documents are silent on that point, so applicants need to check Singapore tax rules separately before they commit capital.

• Tax residency: not defined in the GIP materials.
• Foreign income: no GIP-specific treatment is listed.
• Double tax treaties: not addressed in the programme documents.
• Reporting obligations: the GIP factsheet doesn’t spell them out.
• Family office investments: S$200 million in assets and at least S$50 million in specified Singapore investments under Option C, with no special tax exemption stated.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the latest GIP update brought higher investment thresholds and a revised S$20,000 application fee. The fee change is part of the immigration process, not a tax charge, but it’s still money out of pocket and it’s current in the latest factsheet.