Overseas & foreign buyers
Buying into Singapore from somewhere else
Two questions decide almost everything: what your nationality and residency permit you to buy, and what the transaction costs once Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty is included. Get both settled before you look at a single unit — the answer sometimes changes the whole plan.
Get your position in writingGuides for overseas buyers
Start here
PR and foreigner property rules: what you can buy, and what it costs
What you may buy without approval, what needs Land Dealings Approval Unit consent, the five nationalities treated as citizens under free trade agreements, and the honest total cost of entry on a $2m condominium.
16 min readCompleting remotely
Buying or selling Singapore property while you live abroad
Notarisation and apostille, depositing the Power of Attorney with SLA, what a lender will accept, what cannot be signed electronically for Singapore land, and the sequence for a purchase where you never enter the country.
15 min readIndia desk
The NRI guide to Singapore property
NRE, NRO and FCNR accounts, the USD 1 million repatriation limit and Form 15CA/15CB, tax collected at source, and how the India–Singapore treaty treats rental income and gains.
15 min readChina desk
Relocating from China to Singapore: pass, school, property, in that order
Pass, school, then property — in that order. Employment Pass and COMPASS, ONE Pass, the Global Investor Programme, AEIS and international schooling, and the 60% ABSD position with no treaty relief.
18 min read
Before you send money anywhere
Exchange control is the constraint people discover last
A Singapore purchase is straightforward on the Singapore side. What derails cross-border transactions is almost always the origin country: annual foreign exchange quotas, repatriation limits, certification requirements, and rules on what a personal allowance may lawfully be used for. These are not Singapore’s rules and no Singapore agent can waive them.
So the sequence is: confirm the funding route is lawful in your jurisdiction with a qualified adviser there, then look at property. Anyone who suggests reversing that order is not protecting you.
Written position
Your eligibility and total cost, in writing
A one-page written statement of what you may buy at your nationality and residency status, the full stamp duty on a stated budget, the loan-to-value limit that would apply, and the documents to start assembling now.
- Eligibility by property type, with the approval route where one is needed
- BSD and ABSD computed on your budget, band by band
- The LTV limit and what it implies for cash and CPF
- The due diligence documents to prepare before an offer
Overseas buyers
The questions that come first
Can a foreigner buy property in Singapore?
Yes, with limits. Units in non-landed private developments — condominiums and apartments — may be bought without government approval. Landed residential property requires approval from the Land Dealings Approval Unit at the Singapore Land Authority, and HDB flats are not available to foreigners.
How much extra does a foreign buyer pay?
Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty of 60% on the purchase price or market value, whichever is higher, under the rates in force since 27 April 2023 — on top of Buyer’s Stamp Duty, which reaches 6% at the top band. On a $2m purchase that is $1.2m of ABSD plus $69,600 of BSD.
Which nationalities are exempt from the foreigner ABSD rate?
Nationals and permanent residents of the United States, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland are accorded the same stamp duty treatment as Singapore Citizens under the respective free trade agreements. The relief follows nationality, not residence, and the list is set by treaty rather than by policy discretion.
Do I need to fly to Singapore to complete a purchase?
Not necessarily. A properly executed Power of Attorney, notarised abroad and — for a country party to the Apostille Convention — apostilled, allows an attorney in Singapore to sign on your behalf. Lender acceptance is the usual constraint, so raise it with the bank before the offer rather than after.
Why does an overseas buyer face more paperwork?
Estate agents in Singapore must perform customer due diligence before any agreement, verify identity from reliable independent sources, and establish beneficial ownership. Where a person acts through another — which a Power of Attorney does — that other person must be identified too. Assembling those documents early saves weeks.
Rates reflect the position published by IRAS as at 2 August 2026. Cross-border tax and exchange-control questions require advice from a qualified professional in your own jurisdiction.