Singapore VCC insights

Global Investor Programme Singapore 2026: Options A, B and C for Family Office Principals

By VCC Editorial Team · Published 13 October 2026

Short answer: The Global Investor Programme grants Singapore permanent residence to qualifying business owners, founders and family office principals who commit capital under one of three options: S$10 million into a Singapore business (A), S$25 million into a GIP-select fund (B), or a single family office with S$200 million under management (C). Family office principals may use Option C only.

This article is general information only and is not legal, tax or investment advice. For matters needing legal advice, we work with a panel of experienced Singapore law firms.

The Global Investor Programme (GIP) is administered by Contact Singapore, a division of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), and is the Singapore route to permanent residence (PR) granted on the strength of an investment commitment. Most summaries of the global investor programme Singapore offers stop at the headline amounts. For a family office principal the consequential detail is elsewhere: which profile you qualify under, what EDB accepts as a specified investment, and how the conditions signed up to on entry return five years later as the test for renewing the Re-Entry Permit (REP). Sources were checked on 13 October 2026; the EDB GIP factsheet relied on is marked “Updated 5 May 2025” and remains the version EDB publishes.

Who qualifies for the Global Investor Programme in Singapore?

An applicant must fit one of four profiles. Three may choose Option A, B or C; Family Office Principals may choose Option C only.

Profile	Core qualifying test (EDB GIP Factsheet, section 1)	Options
Established Business Owners	At least 3 years of entrepreneurial and business track record; company turnover of at least S$200 million in the preceding year and on average over the preceding three years; at least 30% shareholding if privately held (one of the largest individual shareholders if listed); Annex B industry	A, B or C
Next Generation Business Owners	Immediate family holds at least 30% or is the largest shareholder; turnover of at least S$500 million in the preceding year and on average over three years; applicant in management (for example C-suite or board); Annex B industry	A, B or C
Founders of Fast Growth Companies	Founder and one of the largest individual shareholders of an unlisted company valued at least S$500 million, backed by reputable venture capital or private equity firms; Annex B industry	A, B or C
Family Office Principals	At least 5 years of entrepreneurial, investment or management track record; net investible assets of at least S$200 million	C only

The Established Business Owner turnover test may be met by consolidating up to two unrelated companies in Annex B industries, which include “Family Office & Financial Services”. Net investible assets cover deposits, capital market products, collective investment schemes, life insurance premiums and other investment products, but not real estate. Contact Singapore “reserves the right to exercise judgement” on their suitability, and the statement must be certified by a Singapore-based accredited audit firm, bank, law firm or trust company approved by EDB. Dependants are limited to the spouse and unmarried children below 21; parents may apply for a Long-Term Visit Pass tied to the principal’s REP.

What do Options A, B and C each require?

Each option pairs an investment made within 6 months of Approval-in-Principle (AIP) with conditions tested again at REP renewal. It is a five-year commitment, not a one-off payment.

Item	Option A	Option B	Option C
Investment	At least S$10 million in a new business or the expansion of an existing Singapore business; existing paid-up capital can be considered	S$25 million in up to two GIP-select funds, from a personal account in the applicant’s sole name at a Singapore-registered bank	Single family office (SFO) with AUM of at least S$200 million; at least S$50 million transferred into and held in Singapore at AIP
Business plan	5-year plan with employment, expenditure and financial projections	EDB may ask about other Singapore plans	5-year plan covering the SFO’s functions, sectors, asset types, geographic focus and philanthropy
Ownership and role	At least 30% of the company and part of its management; Annex B industry	Not applicable	Fund vehicles holding the S$200 million managed by the SFO under an investment management agreement
Year-5 economic condition	At least 30 employees, at least half Singapore Citizens, of whom at least 10 incremental	Maintain the S$25 million in the GIP-select fund	At least 5 incremental family office professionals, at least 3 Singapore Citizens, and the S$50 million maintained in specified investments

EDB’s list of GIP-select funds (updated 22 April 2025) names seven managers and warns that principal is not protected and that selection is not an endorsement. Option B is a S$25 million risk asset held for at least five years and should be underwritten as such. For Option C, offshore assets count towards the S$200 million, but not towards the S$50 million onshore tranche. The five professionals must hold advisory roles or board appointments in legal, tax, investment or philanthropy functions, and where the applicant uses an existing Singapore company or family office, only hiring after the application date counts.

What counts as an EDB specified investment under GIP Option C?

The current factsheet lists one category: equities listed on Singapore approved exchanges. That is narrower than the four categories EDB announced in 2023, and it is where older advice most often goes wrong.

EDB’s media release of 2 March 2023, for changes effective 15 March 2023, allowed the S$50 million to be deployed in companies listed on MAS-licensed exchanges, qualifying debt securities, funds distributed by Singapore-licensed managers, or private equity injections into unlisted Singapore businesses. The factsheet updated 5 May 2025 lists only “Equities listed on Singapore approved exchanges”. Neither document says whether earlier approvals keep the wider menu. The factsheet does say that on receiving the AIP, each applicant gets an email from EDB stating the investment required.

A principal who planned to meet the S$50 million through Singapore-managed funds or bonds should not assume that remains possible. Confirm the categories in writing at AIP stage and keep the signed investment undertaking, because EDB warns that failing to evidence the deployment “may affect” REP renewal. We compare the Option C figures with the 13O and 13U fund sizes in Family Office Singapore Minimum AUM.

What are the steps from GIP application to permanent residence?

EDB assesses and interviews; ICA issues the AIP and the Final Approval; and two clocks run after AIP.

1. Complete the GIP e-application forms (Form A personal profile, Form B investment plan, Form C payment) and the Annex A supporting documents.
2. Pay the S$20,000 fee to EDB in a single transaction, with bank charges borne by the sender.
3. Upload the original e-application forms; scanned copies are not accepted.
4. Send hard-copy supporting documents to Contact Singapore within 1 month of remitting the fee.
5. Attend an EDB interview; applicants are assessed on their submission and what they share at interview.
6. If successful, ICA issues an AIP valid for 6 months, within which the investment must be made and evidenced with an investment undertaking and statutory declaration.
7. Once EDB verifies the evidence, ICA issues the Final Approval. PR must be formalised within 12 months, and Option C applicants must show the S$50 million deployed within the same 12 months.

EDB estimates “approximately 12 months” to process an application, subject to complete documents and due diligence; no official timeline is published for individual stages. The Option C evidence pack includes an ACRA Bizfile extract for the SFO, proof of ownership of the fund vehicles, bank reference letters, bank statements showing at least S$200 million, and a notarised investment management agreement. Incorporating the SFO and its vehicles, and the bank onboarding behind them, should be planned before filing.

How do the GIP conditions tie into re-entry permit renewal?

On formalisation a GIP investor receives a 5-year REP. Whether it is renewed, and for how long, depends on meeting the option’s conditions by year 5 of PR.

A 5-year renewal needs three limbs: the original investment conditions fulfilled; the option’s economic condition; and the principal, or all dependants who obtained PR under the application, having resided in Singapore for more than half of the time. A 3-year renewal still needs the investment conditions, but only one of the economic or residence limbs.

The renewal is the applicant’s responsibility. ICA’s e-REP window opens 3 months before expiry, and EDB warns that the REP lapses if renewal is sought after it expires. ICA’s REP conditions page adds that a PR who leaves without a valid REP, or whose REP expires abroad, must apply within 180 days or lose PR status under the Immigration Act 1959 and the Immigration Regulations, and that an unsuccessful application also ends PR. Since 1 December 2025 all REPs may be cancelled for breach of permit conditions, contravention of law or conduct the Controller of Immigration considers undesirable.

For many principals the residence limb is the harder one. A principal who runs an operating business abroad may meet the S$50 million and staffing tests yet fall back to a 3-year renewal. Plan the residence pattern from the start.

What does a GIP application cost in 2026?

The EDB fee is S$20,000, revised with effect from 5 May 2025 and not refunded if the application fails. Government fees beyond that are small; the real cost is the capital commitment and the conditions.

EDB will not process an application if any part of the S$20,000 is short. Each PR applicant also pays ICA a non-refundable S$100 processing fee, and ICA lists S$20 for the Entry Permit, S$50 for a 5-year REP and S$50 for the Identity Card at formalities. Notarised translations, which Annex A requires to be dated within the year before submission, add cost for families with non-English records. Under Option C the larger running costs are five incremental professionals and holding S$50 million in Singapore listed equities, with the concentration risk that implies.

Should a family office principal choose Option C or another route?

Option C suits a principal who wants PR from the outset and can commit S$50 million to Singapore listed equities for at least five years. Others may prefer the Employment Pass route, accepting a longer and less certain path.

That route is covered in our guide to family office Singapore PR without the GIP. Option C and the section 13O or 13U fund incentives answer different questions and sit with different agencies, as set out in Choose GIP Option C or a Fund Tax Incentive; a family pursuing both should map the GIP tranche and the fund’s designated investments so neither condition undermines the other.

The SFO also sits within MAS’s revised single family office framework, in force since 15 June 2026: a class licensing exemption, notification to MAS within 14 days of commencing operations, and accounts with a MAS-licensed bank for the SFO and its Singapore fund vehicles, with existing SFOs given until 15 June 2027. See our note on the single family office transition. The GIP displaces none of this.

How much discretion do EDB and ICA retain?

A great deal. Meeting the thresholds makes an applicant eligible to be assessed; it does not confer PR or a renewal.

The factsheet disclaims any undertaking to keep the GIP available, to approve an application or to approve an REP renewal, and Contact Singapore may revise the documents it requires. ICA describes a holistic assessment of factors including economic contribution, family profile and length of residency, and states that it has no affiliation with any migration agency. Treat published thresholds as a floor and present a business plan with a real Singapore role.

Frequently asked questions

Can a family office principal apply under Option A or B?

Not on the Family Office Principal profile, which is limited to Option C. A principal who also qualifies under another profile may apply on that basis and choose any option.

Does the S$200 million under Option C have to be in Singapore?

No. Offshore assets count, provided at least S$50 million is held in Singapore by AIP and deployed in specified investments within 12 months of Final Approval.

Can the S$50 million be held in Singapore funds or bonds?

The current factsheet lists only equities listed on Singapore approved exchanges. The broader 2023 list does not appear in it, so confirm with EDB before committing capital.

How long does the Global Investor Programme take?

EDB estimates approximately 12 months, followed by up to 6 months to invest after AIP and up to 12 months to formalise PR after Final Approval.

What if the Option C conditions are not met by year 5?

If the residence limb is met, a 3-year renewal may be available. If neither the economic nor the residence limb is met, the published renewal criteria are not satisfied.

Sources

• EDB, Global Investor Programme Factsheet (updated 5 May 2025)
• EDB media release, Changes to Global Investor Programme (2 March 2023)
• EDB, List of GIP-select Funds (updated 22 April 2025)
• ICA, Becoming a Permanent Resident
• ICA, Entry Permit and Re-Entry Permit Conditions for Singapore Permanent Residents

Raffles Corporate Services helps family office principals prepare for the Global Investor Programme, from incorporating the single family office and its VCC or fund vehicles to keeping the records that REP renewal depends on. For pass and residency support, our sister firm Singapore Employment Agency handles Employment Pass and Dependant’s Pass applications. Email hello@rafflescorporateservices.com or Call/SMS/WhatsApp +65 8501 7133, or visit Raffles Corporate Services.

Last reviewed: 13 October 2026. The Editorial Team, Variable Capital Companies Act.