A permanent resident (PR) leaving Singapore and returning must hold a valid Re-Entry Permit (REP). This requirement is set out on the official pages of the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). This article answers only with the original facts on current ICA and Ministry of Manpower (MOM) pages. Approval details that ICA has not disclosed are marked plainly in the text.
REP and PR Status
A PR is a foreigner permitted to reside permanently in Singapore. PRs aged 15 and above are issued a Singapore Identity Card (IC). To leave and return as a PR, a valid REP is required.
A PR application is first granted In-Principle Approval (IPA). PR status is formally obtained only after the required formalities are completed. The fees on completion are: Entry Permit S$20, 5-year REP S$50, and Singapore Identity Card S$50.
Who Is Eligible to Apply for PR
ICA lists only six eligibility categories; an applicant must fit one exactly:
| Eligibility | How to apply |
|---|---|
| Spouse of a Singapore citizen or PR | Sponsored by the spouse via Singpass on ICA e-Service |
| Unmarried children born within marriage or legally adopted, under 21 | Sponsored by a parent via Singpass |
| Aged parents of a Singapore citizen | Sponsored by the citizen child aged 21 and above |
| Employment Pass (EP) or S Pass holder | Submitted by the holder personally via Singpass |
| Singapore student who has passed at least one national exam (PSLE, GCE N/O/A levels) or is in an Integrated Programme | Aged 15 and above submits personally; under 15 uses the non-Singpass route |
| Foreign investor in Singapore | Through the Economic Development Board (EDB) Global Investor Programme (GIP) |
No other application route is listed beyond this table. ICA has not disclosed the scoring method, quotas, or the weight of each factor.
Assessment Factors Published by ICA
ICA states that the following factors are considered in assessment: family ties with Singaporeans, economic contribution, qualifications, age, family profile, and length of residency. These gauge an applicant’s ability to contribute, extent of integration, and commitment to putting down roots.
The pages do not state the score or weight of each factor, nor a required number of days a PR must spend in Singapore each year. ICA has not published the REP rejection rate, assessment weighting, or internal scoring sheet. Threshold figures circulating online cannot be found on the pages this article relies on; the page text stands.
Fees, Processing Times and Documents
All fees are non-refundable. A PR application costs S$100 per submission; on completion, a further S$20 Entry Permit, S$50 5-year REP and S$50 Identity Card apply. Payment must be made online, by Visa or Mastercard, American Express, direct debit from a Singapore bank, or PayNow. ICA will separately notify any other fees due after approval.
Documents must be complete. Uploaded documents require a certified true copy of the original; non-English documents need an official translation. ICA accepts three types of translation: by an embassy of the document’s issuing country, by a notary public in Singapore or the issuing country, or a private translation authenticated or notarised by an embassy. ICA does not recognise any private translation company. Incomplete documents may result in the application not being accepted.
The official processing time applies only to PR applications: with complete and compliant documents, it is completed within 6 months, though some take longer. Results are notified by email; status can be checked on MyICA or ICA e-Service. The pages this article relies on do not list a processing time for a standalone REP renewal. Singpass account approval takes 2 to 5 working days; it is advisable to register before starting the form.
Male Applicants: Note National Service
Male applicants face National Service (NS) obligations under the Enlistment Act 1970. Men must register at 16½ and enlist as soon as possible after turning 18. After full-time service they become Operationally Ready National Servicemen; the obligation lasts until age 50 for officers and 40 for other ranks. Breaching the Enlistment Act is punishable by a fine not exceeding S$10,000, or imprisonment not exceeding 3 years, or both. Giving up or losing PR status before completing full-time NS will seriously affect the person’s future work, study or any long-term pass application in Singapore, and will also affect family members’ similar applications and sponsorship. ICA requires male applicants to read the details on the Central Manpower Base website before submitting.
Readers Still on an EP
EP and S Pass holders are already in ICA’s PR eligibility table. An EP must clear two gates. The first is the minimum salary: for most sectors it now starts at S$5,600 and rises with age, reaching S$10,700 at 45 and above; for financial services it starts at S$6,200, reaching S$11,800 at 45 and above. For new applications submitted from 1 January 2027, the two tiers move to S$6,000 and S$6,600 respectively, and S$11,500 and S$12,700 at 45 and above. The second gate is the points-based Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS), requiring 40 points; exemption applies to fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500, intra-corporate transfers, or roles with a tenure of 1 month or less. The first pass is valid for up to 2 years, renewal for up to 3 years, with no levy and no quota. Before applying, an applicant may check eligibility with MOM’s Self-Assessment Tool (SAT); the employer must first advertise on MyCareersFuture to meet the Fair Consideration Framework.
How Family Members Follow
An applicant whose main pass is an EP or S Pass with a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000 may apply for a Dependant’s Pass (DP) for a legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21 (including adopted children). This threshold looks only at the applicant’s own income, not combined household income, and must be sponsored by an incorporated Singapore-registered company. At the same salary threshold, a cohabiting spouse, unmarried disabled child above 21, or unmarried stepchild under 21 may apply for a Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP); parents also use the LTVP, with a monthly salary of at least S$12,000. Each family member submits a separate application, together with or separately from the main pass application. The LTVP carries no levy and no quota, and is valid for the shorter of the main pass validity or the applied duration.
Pre-Submission Checklist (Editorial Suggestion, Not an Official Requirement)
- First match yourself against the eligibility table to confirm your category.
- Register for Singpass and confirm you can log in.
- Prepare the originals and certified translations per ICA’s document list.
- Account for two fee payments: S$100 at submission, and S$20 plus S$50 plus S$50 on completion — all non-refundable.
- Male applicants: read the NS explanation before filling in the form.
- Those still on an EP: first run eligibility through MOM’s self-assessment tool.
- Do not engage agents beyond those endorsed by ICA. ICA states it has no affiliation with any external immigration commercial body and does not support or recognise providers calling themselves Singapore immigration specialists.