- Digital nomad visa
- No
Overall3/10Harder visas than about 90% of cities
Good to know
Good to Know
- Most Western nomads (US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, NZ) do not need to apply for anything in advance — just submit the free SG Arrival Card within 3 days of arrival and make sure your passport has 6+ months validity.
- There's no physical visa stamp anymore — you'll get an emailed e-Pass confirming exactly how many days you're allowed to stay, so check that email carefully and don't just assume you got the maximum.
- The number of days you're granted (30 vs 90) is decided by the immigration officer on the spot, not guaranteed by your nationality alone, so having a return/onward ticket and appearing to be a genuine short-term visitor helps.
- Short-Term Visit Pass holders are legally not allowed to work or take paid employment in Singapore — for longer stays or actual local work you'll need a proper pass (e.g. Employment Pass), which is a separate visa category from this baseline tourist entry.
- Overstaying is taken very seriously in Singapore, with fines, possible imprisonment, and even caning for men — do not let your Visit Pass lapse.
- Singapore has no digital nomad visa — remote workers typically rely on short visa-free/visit-pass stays (30–90 days) for tourism, which technically does not authorize work, including remote work for a foreign employer.
- The realistic 'nomad visa' alternatives (ONE Pass, EntrePass, Employment Pass) are all designed for high earners, entrepreneurs, or employer-sponsored professionals rather than casual remote workers — the ONE Pass alone requires a sustained SGD 30,000/month salary.
- If you spend 183 days or more in Singapore in a calendar year while working, you become a tax resident and are taxed on Singapore-linked income at progressive rates — day-counting matters even without a formal visa, if you're on a longer work pass.
- Many long-term remote workers base themselves in nearby, more nomad-friendly countries (e.g., Malaysia or Thailand) and treat Singapore as a short, frequent-visit hub rather than a full-time base, given the lack of an accessible visa route.
Visa Free Entry
- Summary
- Singapore allows citizens of 162 countries and territories to enter without a visa for short stays, which covers the vast majority of nomads, including US, UK, EU, Canadian, Australian, and most other passport holders. Entry is not a fixed guaranteed right — it is granted at the discretion of an Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer at the checkpoint.
- Who Qualifies
- Passport holders from 162 visa-exempt countries/territories (includes most of North America, EU/Schengen states, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and many others). Nationals of countries such as India, China (ordinary passport, since Feb 2024 mutual 30-day exemption), and several others are NOT on the general visa-exempt list and must apply for an entry visa in advance.
Stay Duration
- Details
- The exact number of days granted is stamped/issued electronically as a Visit Pass (e-Pass) at the point of entry, not fixed by the visa-free status itself, and is separate from any visa validity.
- Typical Range
- 30 to 90 days, depending on nationality
Special Facility
- Who
- Nationals of the CIS (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan), Georgia, India, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and selected China/Hong Kong/Macau travel document holders — groups that otherwise require a visa.
- Name
- Visa-Free Transit Facility (VFTF)
- Duration
- Up to 96 hours, only when transiting to/from a third country, subject to conditions (e.g. valid onward ticket, and for some nationalities a valid visa/long-term pass for a qualifying third country like the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, or Switzerland).
- Extension
- Not permitted under this facility.
Extension Of Stay
- Possible
- Yes
- Notes
- Extensions for pure tourism are rarely granted; typically approved only for compelling reasons (e.g. medical treatment, family emergency). Must apply before the current Visit Pass expires.
Fee Range
- Amount USD Max
- 78
- Amount USD Min
- 31
- Currency Local
- SGD
- Amount Local Max
- 100
- Amount Local Min
- 40
Overstay Penalties
- Fine Local Max
- SGD 6,000
- Other Penalties
- Imprisonment up to 6 months, caning for male overstayers under 50 for overstays under 90 days, and re-entry bans ranging from 1 year to permanent, depending on severity.
- Description
- Overstaying is a criminal offence in Singapore.
Process For Visa Exempt Travelers
- No visa application needed pre-travel for eligible nationalities.
- Must submit the SG Arrival Card (SGAC) online within 3 days before arrival (including day of arrival); this is free and is not itself a visa.
- Passport must be valid for at least 6 months from date of arrival.
- Must show proof of onward/return travel and, if asked, sufficient funds for the stay.
- Final admission and length-of-stay decision is made by the ICA officer at arrival; a Visit Pass (e-Pass) confirming permitted stay length is issued digitally by email — no physical passport stamp is given.
Digital Nomad Visa And Tax
- Visa Ease Tier
- low
- Visa Ease Tier Rationale
- Singapore has no dedicated digital-nomad visa, working during visa-free tourist stays is not permitted, and the only realistic long-term paths (Employment Pass or ONE Pass) require employer sponsorship or very high income thresholds (e.g. SGD 30,000/month for ONE Pass).
Application Paths
Employment Pass (EP)
- Type
- Employer-sponsored work pass
- Renewal
- Renewable in 2-3 year increments while continuously sponsored by an employer meeting salary and COMPASS criteria; minimum qualifying salaries are scheduled to keep rising through 2028.
- Who Its For
- Foreign professionals, managers and executives with a confirmed Singapore employer
- Income Requirement
- SGD 5,600
Minimum qualifying monthly salary for new applicants (general sectors), rising with age and seniority
- Income Requirement Financial Services
- SGD 6,200
Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass (ONE Pass)
- Type
- Personalised work pass, not tied to a single employer
- Family
- Allows multiple simultaneous employers or own business activity; spouse can work under a Letter of Consent; dependants (spouse, unmarried children under 21, parents) can obtain Dependant's Pass / Long-Term Visit Pass.
- Who Its For
- Top-tier professionals and globally accomplished individuals; the closest thing Singapore has to a flexible, multi-employer 'nomad-friendly' pass, but aimed at very high earners, not typical remote workers
- Application Fee
- SGD 105
- Processing Time
- Around 4 weeks for the salary route; outstanding-achievements applications can take longer due to additional agency assessment
- Alternative Route
- Outstanding-achievements route (arts and culture, sport, science and technology, or academia/research) exempts applicants from the salary requirement if they can demonstrate exceptional accomplishments and secure endorsement from a recognised institution.
- Income Requirement
- SGD 30,000
Fixed monthly salary sustained over the past 12 months, from a single employer
- Validity And Renewal
- Valid for 5 years and renewable indefinitely in further 5-year blocks. Renewal requires either an average fixed monthly salary of at least SGD 30,000 over the preceding 5 years, or operating a Singapore-based company employing at least 5 local staff each earning at or above the prevailing EP qualifying salary.
- Employer Requirement For Overseas Applicants
- If the qualifying salary was earned abroad, the employer must be an established company with a market capitalisation of at least USD 500 million or annual revenue of at least USD 200 million.
Documents Required
- Valid passport
- Employment contract or confirmed job offer (if applicable)
- Payslips / financial statements covering the qualifying 12-month period
- Supporting documents for other income sources (if relevant)
- CV highlighting accomplishments (outstanding-achievements route)
- Recommendation/endorsement letter from a recognised institution (outstanding-achievements route)
EntrePass
- Type
- Entrepreneur pass
- Renewal
- Renewable, contingent on meeting business milestones and continued operation of the registered company.
- Who Its For
- Foreign entrepreneurs starting an innovative, venture-backed or tech-enabled business in Singapore
- Income Requirement
- No fixed minimum salary requirement, unlike the EP
Documents Required
- Business plan demonstrating innovative potential
- Company registration with ACRA (Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority)
- Endorsement from a recognised incubator, accelerator or approved organisation
Tax Residency And Regime
- Resident Tax Rates
- Progressive rates from 0% up to a top marginal rate of 24% on chargeable income above SGD 1,000,000. The first SGD 20,000 of chargeable income is tax-free.
- Non Resident Tax Rates
- Employment income is taxed at a flat 15% or the resident progressive rates, whichever is higher. Director's fees, consultancy fees and most other non-employment income are taxed at a flat 24%.
- Filing
- Tax year is the calendar year, assessed on a preceding-year basis. Annual e-filing season generally runs from 1 March to 18 April for the following Year of Assessment.
- System Type
- Singapore uses residency-based taxation for individuals combined with a largely territorial treatment of foreign-sourced income; there is no special digital-nomad tax regime.
- Capital Gains Tax
- Singapore does not levy a personal capital gains tax on genuine investment gains (shares, property, funds, crypto), though frequent/systematic trading may be reassessed by IRAS as taxable business income.
- Residency Trigger
- You are a tax resident for a Year of Assessment if you are physically present or exercise employment in Singapore for at least 183 days in the preceding calendar year. Foreigners on a work pass valid for at least one year are also treated as tax residents. Administrative concessions can extend resident treatment across a 2- or 3-year assignment straddling calendar years even if each individual year falls under 183 days.
- Short Stay Exemption
- Foreigners who exercise employment in Singapore for 60 days or fewer in a calendar year are generally exempt from tax on that employment income (this exemption does not apply to company directors, public entertainers, or certain professionals).
- Foreign Sourced Income
- Foreign-sourced income is generally not taxed in Singapore unless it is received in Singapore, subject to limited exceptions.
- CPF Note
- Employment Pass and ONE Pass holders (non-PR foreigners) do not contribute to Singapore's CPF social security scheme; CPF applies only to citizens and Permanent Residents.
Tourist Short Term Entry
- Name
- Short-Term Visit Pass / visa-free entry
- Duration
- Typically 30 to 90 days depending on nationality; many nationalities enter visa-free
- Work Allowed
- No
- Notes
- Working remotely for an overseas employer while on a tourist/short-term visit entry falls into a legal grey area and is technically not permitted under Singapore immigration rules, which restrict this entry type to tourism, family visits, or business meetings. It is commonly used by nomads for short stays but is not a compliant long-term work solution.
Dedicated Digital Nomad Visa
- Exists
- No
- Summary
- Singapore has no dedicated digital nomad visa or remote-work permit. The government has made no official announcement of plans to introduce one, so nomads must use general work-pass or tourist-entry pathways instead.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this visas research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Singapore
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.