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The Singapore Citizenship application might be a very complicated process if you are not familiar with it.
After reading this guide, you will have a much better understanding of the requirements, timeline and procedure to secure your Singapore Citizenship!
1. Eligibility Review
First and foremost, are you eligible to be a Singapore Citizen? These are the criteria to be able to apply for Singapore Citizenship:
- If your age is at least 21 years and you have been a Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) for a minimum of 2 years.
- You are a spouse of a Singapore Citizen, being a Singapore PR and married for at least 2 years.
- You are a child of a Singapore citizen, born outside of Singapore.
- You are a PR student in Singapore; and have been residing in Singapore for over 3 years (at minimum 1 year as a PR); and passed a minimum of 1 national examination (i.e. PSLE, GCE ‘N’/‘O’/‘A’ levels), or enrolled in the Integrated Programme (IP).
- You are a PR and an Aged Parent of a Singapore Citizen.
Apart from the above mandatory criteria, here are some components which may significantly affect the result of your citizenship application:
- Your history in Singapore as a Permanent Resident
- Investment in Singapore. Both financial and social (integration)
- Criminal records
- Ability to contribute to Singapore and your family as a whole
- Ties to Singaporeans and Singapore itself
- Personal and professional qualifications
2. Preparation of Required Documents
Once you have evaluated yourself to be eligible, you will need to prepare and ensure that you have both the original and a photocopied set of your documents.
You are required to prepare the documents listed below:
- Foreign Identification and travel documents (Passports)
- Birth certificates
- Marriage and/or divorce certificates, Custody papers with regard to previous marriages (if any)
- Education Certificates / Professional Qualifications
- Proof of current employment: Employment letter, Pay slips, Tax Assessments
- ACRA business profile and balance sheet of business for business owners
- National service documents (if any)
- Photos
Please do check the required documents list here to ensure you have everything that is required.
If you are applying your Singapore Citizenship as a family, you are able to sponsor your spouse and/or children together in one application if they are permanent residents as well. Your spouse’s documents would be the same as the above and your child(ren) documents would be Birth certificate, Passport and PR status.
There are additional supporting documents below which can be beneficial to your Singapore Citizenship application as well:
- Cover and recommendation letters.
- Properties in Singapore
- Any other form of contributions to Singapore
It is down to yourself and your family to persuade the Singapore authorities that Singapore will benefit having from you and/or your family as a citizen(s).
3. Online Application
Once all your documents are in order, you will need to log in via SingPass and submit your application here. Upon submission, you will need to select a date for your application in person at ICA.
From 1st June 2016 onwards, ICA will not entertain any walk-in application. Every application will need to be via appointment only.
Please do note that a non-refundable fee of S$100 is payable to ICA for each application. If successful, S$80 will be payable for your Singapore Citizenship Certificate and your pink National Registration Identity Card (NRIC).
4. Application Outcome
The duration of processing by ICA for Singapore Citizenship applications usually takes around 6 to 12 months.
You will be notified by post for the result of your application.
However, if you are anxious to check yourself, you can either email ICA’s Singapore Citizenship Service department or simply just log in here to check your Singapore citizenship application status.
If you received your approval, next would be oath taking described in step 5 below!
5. Oath Taking to Become a Singapore Citizen
When you have received your Singapore Citizenship approval, you will need to bring prepare and bring the documents as listed in the letter and make trip down on the date which is shown on the letter as well to ICA office for the Oath of Renunciation, Allegiance and Loyalty (ORAL).
During this visit, the ICA officer will:
- Process the documents required
- Get you to take the ORAL and sign a few other documents
- Process a $70 fee for the issuance of your Singapore Citizenship Certificate
- Furnish you with a temporary NRIC
Upon completion of the above formalities, you may apply for your Singapore passport online as all passport applications are to be completed electronically.
Next would be for you to attend a Singapore Citizenship ceremony explained in step 6 below
6. Singapore Citizenship Ceremony
In the period of around 3-4 months from your Oath Taking, you can expect another post requesting your attendance at a Singapore Citizenship ceremony held in a community center closest to your residence. The ceremony is to welcome new Singapore citizens like yourself. Unless the new citizen is an infant, aged or handicapped, attendance is compulsory. You are required to bring 2 documents along with you to this ceremony attended by other new Singapore citizens as well:
- Letter which invited you to this ceremony
- Temporary NRIC
The ceremony lasts for 2 hours usually and it will be graced by a Minister and the Local Member of the Parliament. These are what you can expect:
- Guest of honor speech
- Recitation of Singapore national Pledge
- National Anthem
- Presentation of Pink NRIC and Singapore citizenship certificates
- Photo-taking
- Buffet function
7. Celebrate!
Last but not least, you have gotten what you wanted after all these years. You deserve a celebration to reward yourself for getting this far.
You may try and understand what are the first steps to take as a Singapore Citizen over here.
Congratulations, and may you enjoy your Singapore citizenship journey!
Benefits of Becoming a Singapore Citizen
Here are some of the main benefits that you will get to enjoy as a Singapore citizen:
- The Singapore passport is recognized as the MOST powerful passport in the world; which allows you to travel to 189 countries visa-free
- Subsidized housing from the Housing & Development Board
- Subsidized education
- Subsidized healthcare
- Central Provident Fund (CPF) scheme – a social security and retirement scheme
National Service Obligations
If you are applying for your family members and you have a son who is under 21 years old, it is important to note that under the Enlistment Act, he will be required to serve 2 years of National Service (NS).
After completing full-time national service, he will also be required to go for Operationally Ready National Service (ORNS) for up to 40 days per year for the duration of his ORNS training cycle till the age of 50 years (for officers) or 40 years (for other ranks).
General FAQ
How long does it take to get Singapore citizenship?
Each application for Singapore citizenship usually takes around 6 to 12 months to process.
For children who are born overseas, and either parent is a Singapore citizen, the application will take about 2 to 3 months to process.
Note that some applications may take a longer time to process.
Is it difficult to get Singapore citizenship?
Most will say that it is not easy to get citizenship in Singapore – and they are right. The criteria to be eligible is stringent, and the process can be long and tedious. Generally, you will need to be a Singapore PR for at least 2 years before you can even apply for citizenship.
How do I apply for Singapore citizenship for my baby?
This only applies to children who are born overseas and either parent is a Singapore citizen.
The application must be made before the child’s FIRST birthday.
Prepare all the required documents and submit the application online here.
What to do if my Singapore citizenship has been rejected?
Speak to us! The authorities will not provide you with any reasons for the rejection unfortunately.
There are some usual suspects for a rejection, mainly:
- Your financial status
- Your history
- Authorities are not convinced you have decided on Singapore as your home for a long time to come
Speak to us and we will try and help you understand your rejection better and how to get your approval in the future!
Can the Singapore Government revoke my citizenship after it has been approved?
Yes. The Singapore government reserves the right to revoke your application at any point in time. One of the main reasons that citizenships are revoked are due to false information or documents during the application. So please remember to be truthful in all applications as you might end-up being stateless due to this.