Singapore Country Profile

Passport
For more details visit Singapore Passport Ranking
  • Passport Grade
    A+
  • Passport Ranking
    7/198
  • Passport Score
    190.5/198
  • Visa-free Countries
    164
  • Visa-required Countries
    34
  • Access to the World's GDP
    92%
  • Access to the World's Surface Area
    68%
  • Access to the World's Population
    67%
  • Access to the Unesco Sites
    86%
Citizenship and Naturalization
Birthright citizenship (Jus Soli)
  • Birthright citizenship (Jus Soli)
    No
    No provisions
Naturalization - Standard Conditions
  • Minimum residency period
    3 years
    Need to hold permanent residency for at least 2 years, which takes ~1 years to obtain if you are on a work permit. However, both the PR and naturalization processes are highly discretionary, and depend on multiple additional factors.
  • Physical presence requirement
  • Language test
    No
  • Need to renounce original citizenship?
    Yes
  • Can minor children naturalize?
    Yes, minor children naturalize along with parents
  • Can naturalized parents pass citizenship to a child born abroad?
  • Can you lose naturalization due to prolonged absence/ naturalization elsewhere?
Naturalization - Your Spouse is a Citizen
  • Living IN the country: Residency/marriage requirement
    2 years / 2 years
    Must be both married and hold permanent residency for 2 years (which is immediately available to spouses of citizens). However, both the PR and naturalization processes are highly discretionary, and depend on multiple additional factors.
  • Living ABROAD: Marriage requirement
    Not allowed
  • Language test
    No
  • Need to renounce original citizenship?
    Yes
Naturalization - Other Beneficial Provisions
  • Your child is a citizen
    No provisions
  • Citizens of specific countries
    No provisions
"–": The provision has not been analysed.
Taxation
For more details visit Cost of Living
  • Taxation Type
    Territorial
A tax resident of a country with a TERRITORIAL tax system pays taxes on the income generated within the country only. Income generated outside of the country remains tax-free.
Schiff Sovereign's Take on Singapore
One successful friend of Sovereign Man’s moved to Singapore a few years ago. 

We asked him how he liked it there.

“Ah” he said, "I love it with all of my head.”

We think that sums Singapore pretty well. You can understand and respect Singapore, but it’s hard to love it.

Starting with pros, Singapore is quiet and prosperous. It is also eat-off-the-street clean, and ultra safe. It’s one of the very few places on the planet where you can probably leave your door unlocked when you’re not home.

Singaporeans are among the longest living and wealthiest people in the world.

They have a well-capitalized banking system, a strong currency, a trade surplus, and some vast foreign reserves. Singapore carries all the hallmarks of a fiscally responsible and successful country.

Its proximity to China is also a big plus; Singapore is probably second only to Hong Kong in terms of its net cash inflows from Mainland China.

What’s more, Singaporeans are hardworking and prudent. They managed to leap forward from being the backwater of Asia to being the richest country in the region. All within just one generation.

To this day, banks in Singapore are still great, conservative and very liquid. However, over the years it became much more difficult to open a bank account there if you are not a Singaporean resident.

Nevertheless, in some cases, it is still possible.

And Singapore remains a great place to store your precious metals

At the same time, people with a taste for adventure will likely find Singapore… boring. It's perhaps too predictable, and too polished. And yeah, chewing gum is forbidden in the country.

Moreover, Singapore's response to Covid, like almost everywhere else in Asia, was draconian. Reportedly, a lot of business moved to Dubai as a result, as the latter remained much more open during the pandemic.

But regardless, living in Singapore is not for everyone. Obtaining residency there is now incredibly difficult, and it is one of the most expensive places in the world.

And some serious social tensions are building up in Singapore. There are a lot of “haves” living there, but there are also still a lot of “have-nots”.
Schiff Sovereign's Rolodex
Service Providers available in Singapore
  • Immigration (residency, citizenship)
  • Tax advice (attorneys and/or accountants)
  • Asset protection (specialized LLCs, trusts, etc)
  • Corporate services (company formation, etc.)
Obtain access to our Rolodex by signing up for Sovereign Confidential Join Sovereign Confidential Today

Sovereign Global Explorer

Benefiting from over a decade of our team’s boots-on-the-ground experience, Global Explorer is where your international journey begins.
Singapore Overview
  • Region
    Asia
  • Capital City
    Singapore
  • Largest City
    Singapore
  • Currency
    Singapore dollar
  • Languages
    English, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil
  • Population
    5.5 million (119th)
  • Life Expectancy
    86.4 years (2nd)
  • GDP (Nominal)
    $423.6 billion (37th)
  • GDP/Capita
    $77,679 (10th)
Useful Data
For more details visit Cost of Living
  • Cost of Living
    Extreme (7/7)
  • Climate
    Bearable (4/5)
  • Safety
    The Safest (1/7)
  • Pollution
    Very clean (1/5)
  • English Proficiency
    Very High (1/5)

Sovereign Global Explorer

Benefiting from over a decade of our team’s boots-on-the-ground experience, Global Explorer is where your international journey begins.
PREMIUM REPORTS
Singapore inside Schiff Sovereign resources

Articles featuring Singapore

Trends & News

Why Singapore is an outstanding “Plan B” option

Every time I come to Singapore I can’t help but marvel at its spectacular rise. I have a number of local friends who have been living here since independence in the 1960s, and they tell me the most incredible stories about how impoverished and underdeveloped Singapore was back then. Things were so backward back then […]

Singapore MAS
Trends & News

Singapore's central bank lost 87% of GDP growth fighting Bernanke

September 3, 2013 Singapore A few months ago, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the country’s central bank, released its annual report for the fiscal year ending 31 March 2013. And the results were ‘shocking’, at least for those of us who read central bank annual reports cover to cover like a Harry Potter novel. […]

Riot
Trends & News

Riots break out in Singapore. Think your country is immune?

December 9, 2013 Santiago, Chile Mohamed Bouazizi. It’s not a name that means much to most people. But you’ll recall his story. Frustrated with the absurd amount of regulation and corruption that prevented him from being able to put food on the table for his family, Bouazizi was the 26-year old Tunisian fruit merchant that […]

International Diversification Strategies

Why Singapore is the best place to store your gold

December 4, 2014 Santiago, Chile On May 15, 1855 one of the greatest gold robberies in history occurred. Three British firms had arranged for some of their gold to be sent from London to Paris by ferry and train. The gold was stored in solidly built boxes secured within iron safes with two locks. When […]

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