Singapore has been long known for its high standard of living, top-quality education, affordable housing, and world-class healthcare. Given the allure of all these benefits in one place, it’s no surprise that Singapore is ranked as the most liveable city for Asian expats for the 14th year in a row; it is then a matter of time before these expats are enticed to migrate here, or even consider setting up a company in Singapore.
Benefits of Singapore Citizenship
The following is a non-exhaustive list of benefits Singaporean citizens enjoy upon being granted citizenship:
Disadvantages of Singapore Citizenship
Despite all the benefits to acquiring Singapore citizenship, It still comes with a set of disadvantages. . Not only are Singaporean citizens unable to hold dual citizenship, all males must serve a mandatory National Service (NS).
Singapore National Service
A pertinent point to note for all male applicants is mandatory National Service (NS). NS forms the basis for Singapore’s defence, and comprise three main branches: the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
Under the Enlistment Act, all Singaporean males (including permanent residents) are required to serve in NS. This comes in 2 stages:
Once an individual has served his full-time NS enlistment as an NSF for 2 years, he will become an Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NS men). This obligation concludes at the age of 50 for officers or 40 for other ranks.
Singaporeans that are liable for NS are to register for it by the age of 16.5 years old. They will be enlisted at the age of 18 years, or once they have graduated from their educational institutions with qualifications up to the ‘A’ Levels certificate, the polytechnic diploma, or equivalent.
Do note that this is subjected to exemptions or deferments. Male applicants for Singapore Citizenship are to access the Central Manpower Base website before proceeding with the application.
Eligibility for Singapore Citizenship
The following criteria must be met for an individual to be eligible for Singapore citizenship:
Required Documents for Singapore Citizenship
The application process for Singapore citizenship is fairly simple. Applicants are required to prepare the relevant documents and pay for the application fee.
Required documents
Only certified true copies of any original documents will be accepted by ICA. Should any documents be in a language other than English, they must be officially translated. ICA accepts different types of translations, but they must be provided by the embassy or notary public of the country that issued the document, or by the embassy or notary public in Singapore.
To get the full list of documents, please reach out to our consultant here and we can advise accordingly.
Application fees
The following are the costs of the Singapore citizenship application. Do note that this is a non-exhaustive list and more information can be found on Singapore ICA’s website.
Types of Applicant | Application Fees | Certificate or Identity Card Fees |
---|---|---|
Adult Permanent Resident (PRs) and Children of PRs | SGD $100 | SGD $70 for the Singapore Citizenship Certificate
SGD $10 for a Singapore ID |
Children born overseas to Singapore citizen parents | SGD $18 | SGD $10 for a Singapore ID |
All the other children born overseas or locally | SGD $100 | SGD $70 for a Singapore Citizenship Certificate
SGD $10 for a Singapore ID |
All processing fees will be collected online when an application is made. Additional fees are payable only once the application is successful, at the time of Registration. Online fees are payable using:
Documents will only be processed once all documents are in place, and payment is received.
Steps to Applying for Singapore Citizenship
Having understood the required documents and fees that must be prepared for a Singapore citizenship application, one can follow the steps listed below to begin the application process.
Step 1
First, submit an application through e-Service with all the required documents listed above. The applicant will require a SingPass account to do so. If he or she does not have an account, the application can be made via their sponsor’s SingPass account.
Step 2
The applicant can check on his or her application status via MyICA. Note that applications for Singapore citizenship take approximately 6 to 12 months to be processed.
Step 3
If the Singapore citizenship application is successful, the applicant will receive an Approval in Principle letter with their appointment date and time to register for Singapore citizenship. Administrative matters include the renunciation of the applicant’s foreign citizenship and attending the Registration, which would similarly take about 1 to 2 months.