The Global Investor Programme (GIP) is administered by Contact Singapore, a division of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). Option B is not a separate eligibility profile. It is one of three investment options. To use Option B, you must first meet one of the four GIP qualifying profiles. If you do, Option B requires an investment of S$25 million in a GIP-select fund that invests in Singapore-based companies.
The EDB factsheet updated 5 May 2025 sets out the qualifying criteria, investment options, post-Approval-in-Principle steps, and Re-Entry Permit rules. The figures below are from that factsheet and from ICA’s permanent residence page.
Option B sits inside a four-profile structure
The GIP has four qualifying profiles. Three of them can choose Option A, Option B, or Option C. The fourth can choose only Option C. This matters because “Option B” is not an alternative to meeting the profile criteria. It is the investment route you choose after you qualify under a profile.
The profiles that can use Option B are:
Established Business Owners. You must have at least 3 years of entrepreneurial and business track record. You should currently be running a company with annual turnover of at least S$200 million in the year immediately before your application, and at least S$200 million per annum on average for the three years immediately before your application. If the company is privately held, you should have at least 30% shareholding. The company must be in one or more industries listed in Annex B of the factsheet.
Next Generation Business Owners. Your immediate family should have at least 30% shareholding or be the largest shareholder in the company you use to qualify. That company’s annual turnover must be at least S$500 million in the year immediately before your application, and at least S$500 million per annum on average for the three years immediately before your application. You must be part of the management team, such as C-suite or Board of Directors. The company must be in one or more Annex B industries.
Founders of Fast Growth Companies. You must be a founder and one of the largest individual shareholders of a non-publicly listed company with a valuation of at least S$500 million. The company must be invested into by reputable Venture Capital or Private Equity firms. It must also be in one or more Annex B industries.
Family Office Principals. This profile cannot use Option B. Family Office Principals can use only Option C. To qualify, you must have at least 5 years of entrepreneurial, investment, or management track record, and net investible assets of at least S$200 million. Net investible assets exclude real estate.
You may consolidate up to 2 of your companies to meet the minimum turnover criteria, provided all consolidated companies are engaged only in one or more Annex B industries.
What Option B requires
Option B requires an investment of S$25 million in a GIP-select fund. The fund invests in Singapore-based companies.
This is different from the other two options:
- Option A: invest at least S$10 million in a new business entity or in the expansion of an existing business operation in Singapore.
- Option C: establish a Singapore-based Single Family Office with assets under management (AUM) of at least S$200 million, where at least S$50 million must be transferred into Singapore and deployed in EDB specified investments.
EDB may request Option B applicants to share other business plans for Singapore apart from the investment in a GIP-select fund.
The investment decision is yours alone. EDB states that an investment in a GIP-select fund is a decision made solely by the applicant. You are advised to be familiar with any additional charges imposed by the individual GIP-select Fund Company before investing, at your own responsibility. The assessment of GIP-select funds is based on their investment and operational capabilities, but selection does not serve as an endorsement of any fund. Contact Singapore is not responsible for claims or losses arising from investing in a GIP-select fund.
Step-by-step: from application to PR formalisation
These steps follow the EDB factsheet.
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Submit completed GIP Application Forms to EDB, both online and in hardcopy.
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Attend an interview with EDB if invited.
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If you meet the assessment criteria, ICA issues an Approval-in-Principle (AIP). The AIP is valid for 6 months.
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Fulfil the investment condition under your selected option within 6 months from the date of the AIP letter. For Option B, this means demonstrating the S$25 million investment in a GIP-select fund. The investment must be made from your personal bank account in your sole name opened with a bank registered in Singapore.
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After making the investment, provide evidence of the investment and submit the Investment Undertaking on the terms and conditions of the investment.
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Once EDB verifies the investment documents, ICA issues the Final Approval letter.
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Formalise your Permanent Residence in Singapore within 12 months from the date of the Final Approval letter.
EDB notes that a GIP application takes approximately 12 months to process. This is subject to complete submission of all required supporting documents at the point of application. The application is also subject to due diligence checks.
For Option B documentary evidence, the factsheet lists items such as an original signed Investment Undertaking, an original signed Statutory Declaration, an original bank reference letter for your personal Singapore bank account, original bank statements or credit and debit advice proving the investment, and a certified true copy by the GIP-select fund manager of the share certificate or subscription agreement.
After PR: Re-Entry Permit and dependants
Upon formalisation of your PR, you will be issued a Re-Entry Permit (REP) valid for 5 years. The REP allows you to maintain PR status while you are out of Singapore. It will be renewed if you meet the renewal criteria for Singapore Permanent Residents by the 5th year of your PR. For Option B applicants, the factsheet states that you must have fulfilled the investment conditions under Option B of the GIP; the factsheet also sets out further renewal criteria.
Before your REP expires, you are responsible for submitting your REP renewal application through ICA’s Electronic Re-Entry Permit System. The window to apply opens 3 months before the expiry of your REP. If you apply for renewal after the validity period, the REP will lapse. Without a valid REP, you will lose your PR once you leave Singapore.
Your spouse and unmarried children below the age of 21 at the date of application submission may be included as dependants under your GIP application. Male children who obtain PR as your dependant will be liable for National Service. Male dependants whose spouse is the main applicant may also be liable for National Service. Your parents and unmarried children above the age of 21 at the date of application submission are not eligible to be included as dependants under your GIP application. They can apply for a Long Term Visit Pass, which is tied to the validity of your REP.
What the official pages do not publish
The EDB factsheet does not state approval rates, rejection rates, average processing times beyond the approximately 12-month processing statement, fund performance averages, management fee averages, or the number of GIP-select funds. It points to a fund list at edb.gov.sg/gip but does not reproduce that list. It also does not set out detailed selection criteria for GIP-select funds beyond investment and operational capabilities.
ICA’s permanent residence page lists factors it takes into account, such as family ties to Singaporeans, economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile, and length of residency. It does not publish the weightings for these factors or PR quotas. Any article that gives those figures as official GIP or ICA numbers is going beyond the published sources.
