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Pathway

Singapore Investor Permanent Residence

Singapore Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Singapore's Global Investor Programme can grant permanent residence to a small group of established global business owners, fast-growth founders, next-generation business leaders, and family-office principals who meet high track-record and investment thresholds.

Type
Permanent residence for qualifying global investors
Applicant fit
One of four high-scale business or family-office profiles set by Singapore's Economic Development Board
Investment options
SGD 10 million business, SGD 25 million select fund, or SGD 200 million family office with SGD 50 million deployed
Status
Permanent residence after assessment by the Economic Development Board and approval by the immigration authority
Renewal
Re-entry permit renewal depends on the investment, business, employment, and residence milestones for the selected option
Minimum investment
SGD 10 million business, SGD 25 million select fund, or SGD 200 million family office with SGD 50 million deployed

Summary

Singapore's Global Investor Programme (GIP) is a direct permanent-residence application for a small group of established global business owners, next-generation business leaders, fast-growth-company founders, and family-office principals. It is administered by Contact Singapore, a division of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

GIP is not a general high-net-worth route. The applicant must first meet one of four demanding business or investment profiles, then select an investment option permitted for that profile. EDB assesses the background, ownership, turnover, valuation, industry, investment, management, and source records; ICA makes the permanent-residence decision.

The three current investment options are SGD 10 million in a qualifying Singapore business, SGD 25 million in a GIP-select fund, or a Singapore single-family office with at least SGD 200 million under management and at least SGD 50 million deployed and maintained in the specified Singapore investments. The application fee charged by EDB has been SGD 20,000 since 5 May 2025, in addition to the ICA fee identified by EDB.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

The current EDB factsheet defines four applicant profiles.

Established Business Owner

Next Generation Business Owner

Founder of a Fast Growth Company

Family Office Principal

Meeting a profile still does not guarantee acceptance. EDB reviews the complete history and can exercise judgment about the applicant, companies, industries, ownership, assets, and plans.

Investment options

Established owners, next-generation owners, and fast-growth founders may choose A, B, or C. A family-office principal may choose only C.

The applicant must submit extensive company, audited financial, ownership, valuation, asset, investment-plan, family, identity, and source documentation and attend EDB's assessment process. The investment is formalized only in the sequence and deadline set by EDB after approval in principle; investing independently before that point is not a substitute for approval.

What This Route Allows

After EDB and ICA approval and completion of the required investment, the principal applicant receives Singapore permanent residence. A spouse and unmarried children below age 21 at the application date can be included as dependents under the GIP application.

Parents and unmarried children aged 21 or older cannot be included as PR dependents under GIP. EDB says they may instead apply for a Long-Term Visit Pass tied to the principal's Re-Entry Permit.

Permanent residence is not the same as a time-limited work pass, but international travel depends on maintaining a valid Re-Entry Permit (REP). The initial GIP REP and later renewal are tied to the program's economic and residence milestones. Current examples include:

The exact REP length depends on the economic and residence conditions in the current factsheet. A PR who remains outside Singapore without a valid REP can lose PR status, so the renewal date and milestones must be managed as carefully as the original investment.

Male children who obtain PR as dependents are liable for National Service. EDB also warns that a male dependent whose spouse is the main applicant may be liable. Families should review the official National Service position before including a male dependent.

What This Route Is Not

GIP is not approval based on wealth alone. SGD 1 million in liquid savings, an ordinary profitable company, passive real estate, or a willingness to invest SGD 10 million does not establish one of the four profiles.

It is also not:

Permanent residence and citizenship are separate. A GIP resident who later meets an ICA citizenship application category may apply, but ICA conducts its own discretionary assessment and adult nationality and National Service rules apply.

Next Steps

  1. Download the current EDB factsheet and identify one exact profile. Do not start with the investment amount while leaving turnover, ownership, valuation, industry, or track record unresolved.
  2. Verify profile evidence using audited accounts, company registries, capitalization and investment records, ownership charts, management records, and independent asset evidence.
  3. Select only an investment option allowed for that profile. A family-office principal cannot choose the business or fund option.
  4. Prepare the prescribed business or investment plan and a complete source-of-funds and source-of-wealth record. Ensure the entities and amounts reconcile across every form.
  5. Review dependent choices and National Service consequences before including family members.
  6. Submit the EDB and ICA forms through the official GIP process and pay only the official fees and authorized professional costs. EDB warns that approval remains discretionary.
  7. If approval in principle is issued, complete the selected investment and supply proof within EDB's stated sequence and deadline.
  8. After PR is granted, track every investment, workforce, business, family-office, and physical-presence condition needed for REP renewal. Apply before the REP expires.
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Sources