Global Investor Programme
The only Singapore route that grants permanent residence directly, in exchange for a substantial investment in a Singapore business, an approved fund, or a family office.
It is not a golden visa in the sense that term is usually used. There is no option to deposit money and retire. Option A requires you to own at least 30 per cent of a Singapore business, hold a management role, and submit a five-year plan that EDB judges on local job creation. Money alone fails, and the cheapest route in is still S$10 million.
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | Established business owners, next-generation business owners, founders of fast-growth companies, family office principals |
| Route family | Investment |
| Validity | Permanent residence with a 5-year Re-Entry Permit |
| Stay per entry | Continuous as a PR, subject to Re-Entry Permit validity for travel |
| Threshold | S$10,000,000 in a Singapore business (Option A), S$25,000,000 in a GIP-select fund (Option B), or S$200,000,000 AUM with S$50,000,000 deployed in Singapore (Option C), 2026 |
| Threshold formula | None. Fixed sums set by EDB |
| Renewal | Re-Entry Permit renewed for 5 years, or 3 years if conditions are only partly met |
| Settlement | Direct. PR granted at approval |
| PR clock | None. PR is granted at approval |
| Citizenship clock | 2 years as a PR, then discretionary |
| Family | Spouse and unmarried children under 21. Parents are not eligible and must use a Long-Term Visit Pass |
| Local employment | Expected to run the business or family office |
| Tax headline | Resident rates 0 to 24 per cent; no capital gains tax; foreign-source income generally not taxed unless remitted |
| Processing | 9 to 12 months in practice. EDB publishes no service standard |
The three options
| Option | Investment | Additional requirement |
|---|---|---|
| A | S$10,000,000 in a new or existing Singapore business | At least 30 per cent shareholding, a management role, and a 5-year business plan judged on local job creation |
| B | S$25,000,000 in a GIP-select fund | Invested from a personal account in your sole name at a Singapore bank |
| C | S$200,000,000 family office AUM, S$50,000,000 deployed in Singapore | Family office principals only; deployment into EDB-specified investments within 12 months of Final Approval |
Application flow
- Choose the option that matches your actual assets, not the one that sounds cheapest.
- For Option A, incorporate or identify the Singapore business and draft the five-year plan with headcount and spending projections.
- For Option B, confirm the funds are in your sole name and held at a Singapore bank. Joint and corporate accounts are refused.
- Submit the application to Contact Singapore at EDB with financial statements, ownership evidence and the business plan.
- Receive Approval in Principle, which is valid for 6 months.
- Complete the investment within 6 months of Approval in Principle.
- Receive Final Approval, then formalise PR within 12 months.
- Collect the Re-Entry Permit and register with ICA.
Good fit
A business owner with S$10 million genuinely available and a real operating plan for Singapore: a regional headquarters, a manufacturing or trading operation, a family office with staff. Someone who intends to live there and run the entity rather than visit it.
Poor fit
A passive investor who wants to buy property and retire. This programme does not permit that, and no other Singapore route does either. Someone whose wealth is tied up in illiquid holdings and cannot be deployed within six months. And a family with sons who has not priced the National Service liability.
Watchpoints
- Option A is a business test, not a bank balance test. At least 30 per cent shareholding, a management role, and a five-year plan assessed on local job creation. A S$10 million subscription with no operating plan is refused.
- Option B money must be in your sole name. Joint accounts and corporate accounts do not qualify, and this disqualifies a surprising number of married applicants at the last stage.
- Option C is only for family office principals. S$200 million in assets under management, of which S$50 million must be in Singapore and deployed into EDB-specified investments within 12 months of Final Approval.
- Every deadline is a cliff. Approval in Principle lasts 6 months, the investment must be completed inside that window, and PR must be formalised within 12 months of Final Approval. Missing a step loses the approval, not just the timing.
- EDB endorses no fund. Choosing a bad GIP-select fund does not affect your PR, but it does affect your money, and there is no recourse through the programme.
- Male dependants who take PR are liable for National Service. This applies to sons, and it is a lifetime obligation taken on at the point PR is granted.
- Re-Entry Permit renewal has its own conditions. The business must keep employing 30 staff with at least half citizens and 10 of them new, or the family must reside in Singapore more than half the year. PR without a live Re-Entry Permit is not usable for travel.
- The turnover test for established business owners is published inconsistently. EDB materials refer to both S$200 million in the year before application and a S$500 million three-year average, while next-generation owners are set at S$500 million. Confirm the current figure with Contact Singapore.
Sources
- Economic Development Board, Global Investor Programme, https://www.edb.gov.sg/en/how-we-help/global-investor-programme, checked 2026-10-22
- Contact Singapore, GIP options and investment conditions, checked 2026-10-22
- Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, permanent residence and Re-Entry Permit rules, checked 2026-10-22