Global Investor Programme (GIP) Singapore: How to Get Permanent Residency Through Investment

Last updated: August 2026

The Global Investor Programme (GIP) is Singapore’s investment-based Permanent Residency scheme, administered by the Economic Development Board (EDB), that grants PR to established business owners and investors who commit a minimum of S$10 million to a Singapore business, a GIP-select fund, or a qualifying single family office.

Not financial advice. All figures for educational reference only. Data as at August 2026.

Key Takeaways

• The Global Investor Programme (GIP) offers three investment routes: Option A (at least S$10 million into a new or existing Singapore business), Option B (at least S$25 million into a GIP-select fund), and Option C (a single family office with at least S$200 million in assets under management, of which S$50 million must go into qualifying local investments).
• The GIP is administered by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), not the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) — a common point of confusion with the 13O/13U family office tax schemes.
• A non-refundable application fee of S$20,000 applies as of 5 May 2025, and processing typically takes around 12 months from submission to in-principle approval.
• Successful applicants and their immediate family members (spouse and unmarried children under 21) receive Singapore Permanent Residency, not citizenship — PR must still be renewed and maintained.
• The GIP targets established entrepreneurs and investors with a track record, unlike Section 13O/13U, which are tax incentive schemes for fund vehicles rather than immigration routes.

Table of Contents

What Is GIP?

The Global Investor Programme is Singapore’s flagship investor immigration scheme. Unlike a straightforward work pass or dependant’s pass, the GIP is explicitly designed to attract entrepreneurs and investors who can commit substantial capital to Singapore’s economy in exchange for Permanent Residency (PR) status for themselves and their immediate family.

The scheme sits under the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the government agency responsible for attracting foreign investment into the real economy — company formation, factories, funds, and family offices — as opposed to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which regulates the separate Section 13O and 13U tax incentive schemes for family office fund vehicles.

GIP applicants are typically successful business owners with an established track record (usually with at least three years of entrepreneurial experience and audited financials showing meaningful revenue and profit) or investors who can demonstrate substantial and verifiable net worth. The programme is not a passive citizenship-by-investment product — every route requires the applicant to actively deploy capital into the Singapore economy, either directly into a company or fund, or through a family office structure.

How Does GIP Work in Singapore?

As of the most recent EDB update, the GIP offers applicants a choice of three investment options, each requiring a different minimum capital commitment and suited to a different applicant profile.

Option A requires an investment of at least S$10 million into a new business entity or an expansion of an existing business operation in Singapore. This suits operating entrepreneurs who intend to actively run or scale a company here.

Option B requires an investment of at least S$25 million into a GIP-select fund — a fund vehicle pre-approved by EDB that invests in Singapore-based companies. This suits investors who prefer a managed, diversified route rather than running an operating business directly.

Option C requires the applicant to set up a new single family office in Singapore with at least S$200 million in assets under management (AUM), of which at least S$50 million must be deployed into EDB-defined qualifying local investments (for example, listed equities on SGX, qualifying private equity, or approved infrastructure projects). This route is the natural landing spot for ultra-high-net-worth families who are already considering a Section 13O or 13U family office structure for tax purposes and want PR alongside it.

A non-refundable application fee of S$20,000 applies from 5 May 2025 onward, payable regardless of outcome. The end-to-end process — from submitting an Expression of Interest, to due diligence, to in-principle approval, to fulfilling the investment condition, to final PR grant — typically takes around 12 months, though complex cases (particularly Option C family office set-ups) can take longer.

GIP Example

Consider a Hong Kong-based entrepreneur who has built and exited a manufacturing business with S$40 million in liquid net worth. Rather than setting up a large family office (Option C’s S$200 million AUM bar is out of reach), they choose Option A: incorporating a new Singapore trading subsidiary and injecting S$10 million of paid-up capital and working capital over the qualifying period.

After EDB reviews the business plan, headcount projections, and source-of-funds documentation, and the applicant pays the S$20,000 fee, in-principle approval is typically granted within 6 to 9 months. Once the S$10 million investment condition is verified as fulfilled — audited financials showing the capital has actually been deployed into the business, not merely parked in a bank account — EDB grants PR to the applicant, their spouse, and any unmarried children under 21.

By contrast, a Middle Eastern family with S$250 million in investable assets already planning to relocate their family office to Singapore for the Section 13O tax exemption would more naturally pursue Option C — since they are setting up the family office anyway, layering GIP Option C on top secures PR for the family members running it, at the cost of committing S$50 million specifically into EDB-qualifying local investments rather than a fully global mandate.

Advantages of GIP

• Permanent Residency without the multi-year wait of standard PR routes. Most PR applications via the standard scheme have no guaranteed timeline and are frequently rejected; GIP gives investors a defined capital-for-PR pathway with a clear approval process.
• Family coverage in a single application. Spouse and unmarried children under 21 are covered under the same GIP application, avoiding the need for separate dependant’s pass applications and renewals.
• Flexible investment structures. Three distinct options mean operating entrepreneurs, passive fund investors, and family office principals can each find a route suited to how they actually want to deploy capital, rather than being forced into a one-size-fits-all structure.
• Natural alignment with Section 13O/13U planning. For families already establishing a single family office for tax reasons, Option C means the PR application and the tax-incentive family office set-up can be planned as one coordinated project rather than two separate, conflicting workstreams.
• Access to Singapore’s business and banking ecosystem. PR holders can open local bank accounts more easily, access CPF (voluntarily, in some cases), and operate a Singapore-incorporated company without the restrictions that apply to non-resident foreign shareholders.

Risks and Limitations

• Very high capital commitment. At S$10 million minimum (rising to S$200 million AUM for Option C), the GIP is designed for a narrow slice of established entrepreneurs and family offices — it is not accessible to ordinary high-income professionals or first-generation wealth still below eight figures.
• Non-refundable fees and sunk due-diligence costs. The S$20,000 application fee, plus legal and corporate services fees typically running into the tens of thousands of dollars, are incurred regardless of whether the application is ultimately approved.
• PR is not citizenship and can lapse. Permanent Residency must be actively maintained — PR holders who spend extended periods outside Singapore risk having their PR status reviewed or revoked at renewal (Re-Entry Permit) checkpoints, and the underlying investment (business, fund, or family office) generally must continue to operate, not merely be a one-time capital injection.
• Business and investment risk on top of relocation risk. Option A and B applicants are exposed to genuine commercial or fund performance risk on the underlying capital — GIP approval does not insulate the applicant from losing money on the qualifying investment itself.
• Long, document-heavy process. Source-of-funds verification, business plan review, and family office licensing (for Option C) require extensive documentation, and processing timelines of around a year are typical even before accounting for any requests for additional information.

GIP vs Section 13O/13U Family Office Scheme

Source: Singapore EDB and MAS scheme guidelines, 2026

In practice, the two schemes are complementary rather than competing: a family office is usually structured under Section 13O or 13U for the tax exemption, while GIP Option C is the route that gets the principals themselves — not just the fund vehicle — Singapore Permanent Residency.

The Bottom Line

For Singapore, the Global Investor Programme is the clearest bridge between substantial private capital and Permanent Residency: three defined investment routes, a transparent (if steep) fee and capital bar, and a roughly 12-month process administered by EDB.

It is not a shortcut for ordinary investors — the minimum S$10 million commitment puts it firmly in the realm of established entrepreneurs, professional investors, and family offices — but for that audience, it offers one of the more structured investment-migration pathways in Asia, especially when paired with a Section 13O or 13U family office for the underlying tax treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Terms

• Single Family Office Singapore
• Sovereign Wealth Fund Singapore (GIC vs Temasek)
• Variable Capital Company (VCC) Singapore
• Section 13O and 13U Family Office Tax Incentive Singapore