Permanent residents of Singapore who have exceeded their re-entry permit validity while abroad will have 180 days only to renew

SINGAPORE: Permanent residents of Singapore who are currently outside the country and do not have a valid re-entry permit will have a grace period of only 180 days to reapply, starting from Dec 1. 

Singapore permanent residents usually have two types of permits. An Entry Permit (EP) is issued upon the approval of permanent residency status under the Immigration (Amendment) Act 2023 and allows people to enter and remain in Singapore. On the other hand, the Re-Entry Permit (REP) allows individuals to re-enter Singapore as permanent residents after temporarily leaving Singapore and is valid for up to five years. 

With this, permanent residents who are outside Singapore will lose their permanent residency immediately when their REP expires. If the said permit is now invalid, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority will grant a one-month grace period for permanent residents to apply for a new one. If the application is approved, their permanent status will be restored. 

Before, a person will actually lose his or her Singapore permanent status during the period from the expiration of the REP until after the restoration. With the new process starting Dec 1, permanent residents who are overseas and whose REP expires will have a period of 180 days to re-apply, and they will only lose their permanent resident status after the expiration of the grace period. 

Moreover, during the period given, permanent residents can also consider and reflect on whether they want to continue having a Singaporean permanent resident status. Within the 180 days, the permanent status will be retained, and people will still be able to enter the country, given that they pass the assessment of the immigration department. Once so, they will receive a single entry pass. 

“We encourage permanent residents to apply for a new REP or renew an expiring REP before leaving the country to reduce the risk of losing their permanent resident status,” the government declared. 

Benefits of having a permanent resident status in Singapore

If an individual is a Singapore permanent resident (PR), here are some of the benefits that he/she may receive. 

First, Singapore offers great job opportunities. PRs can switch jobs with ease as they don’t need to reapply for employment passes. More so, they can enjoy more career flexibility and access broader job options that can enhance career growth. They can even start their own business.

Singapore also has good tax benefits. The country has low personal income tax rates, and PRs can also qualify for various tax reliefs to lower their taxable income.

PRs can also access world-class education and can enrol their children in local schools with reduced fees. They can provide their children with access to Singapore’s top-ranked education system without high costs.