Singaporean Marrying a Foreigner

Singaporean Marrying a Foreigner

30% of residents in Singapore are not citizens or permanent residents (PR). Hence, it is common for us to see a Singaporean marrying a foreigner.

There are some common misconceptions involving such marriages.

The marriage does not guarantee the foreign spouse permanent residence in Singapore. To check if your spouse will qualify for long-term stay in Singapore, you can use the ICA’s Pre-Marriage Long Term Visit Pass Assessment System. If your foreign spouse is eligible, he/ she will receive a Letter of LTVP Eligibility before marriage and it can be used to support his/ her application for LTVP.
Marriage Preparation Programmes are organised by the Ministry of Social and Family Development to support cross-cultural marriage and help the foreign spouses adjust to life in Singapore. As part of the LTVP application, you are required to attend these programmes.
If your foreign spouse wishes to work, the Ministry of Manpower will issue a Letter of Consent (LOC) to your spouse when he/ she secures employment so that he/ she will not be counted against the foreign worker quota of their employer.
There is no restriction on buying a resale flat in the open market. If you wish to buy a new BTO flat, you will only be eligible for a 2-room flexi flat in a non-mature estate.

See: Sim Kang Heong, “Marrying a foreign spouse in Singapore: this is what you need to plan for”, Dollars and Sense (as seen from Asia One), 17 September 2017

In addition, you may also wish to enter into a prenuptial agreement with your spouse so that both parties’ interests will be protected.

For more information, contact us today!