Can foreigners buy property in Singapore? New launch rules

Yes, foreigners can buy property in Singapore, and a private condominium or apartment unit in a new launch needs no approval under the Residential Property Act. A landed home is different: a foreign person needs approval from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), and the bar is high. The bigger hurdle on a new launch is usually cost. A foreigner pays Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) of 60% of the price on any residential purchase, on top of Buyer's Stamp Duty (BSD), normally within 14 days of signing.

This guide is for buyers working here on a pass, and couples where one partner is not a citizen: what you may buy, what you pay, the two routes that lower the duty, and what to check before booking.

What can a foreigner buy without approval?

SLA's foreign ownership page (last updated 20 August 2025) lists the homes a foreign person may buy without approval under the Act. The ones that matter to a new-launch buyer:

• a condominium unit;
• a flat unit;
• a strata landed house in an approved condominium development;
• a lease of a landed home for no more than seven years, including any renewal option.

The list also names executive condominium units and HDB flats, with a pointer to HDB's own eligibility rules. Being outside the Act does not make them open to foreigners: HDB decides, and its website could not be opened for this guide.

Which homes need SLA approval, and who gets it?

SLA requires approval for a terrace, semi-detached or detached house, vacant residential land, landed homes at Sentosa Cove, and a strata landed house that is not within an approved condominium development, such as a townhouse or cluster house. URA's buying guide (last updated 29 June 2026) gives the short version: anyone who is not a Singapore citizen needs SLA approval before buying landed houses, "including but not limited to strata landed houses". SLA's longer list is the one to read: it separates a strata landed house inside a condominium (no approval) from one outside (approval needed).

Two points often surprise buyers:

1. Permanent residents count as foreign persons here. SLA defines a foreign person as anyone who is not a Singapore citizen, a Singapore company, a Singapore limited liability partnership or a Singapore society. A PR is a foreign person for landed purchases, though not for stamp duty, where PRs have their own rates.
2. Approval is case by case. SLA's criteria include being a PR for at least five years and making an "exceptional economic contribution to Singapore", judged on factors such as employment income assessable for tax here. An application generally takes about 30 working days once SLA has every document, and you may seek in-principle approval before choosing a property.

How much stamp duty does a foreigner pay on a new launch?

IRAS's ABSD page (last updated 27 August 2026) sets ABSD for foreigners at 60% on any residential property bought on or after 27 April 2023, up from 30% for purchases between 16 December 2021 and 26 April 2023. It is charged on the higher of the price or the market value. BSD comes on top, at the same tiered rates every buyer pays on IRAS's BSD page (last updated 9 October 2026): 1% on the first S$180,000, 2% on the next S$180,000, 3% on the next S$640,000, 4% on the next S$500,000, 5% on the next S$1,500,000 and 6% above that.

An illustrative worked example for a fictional S$1,600,000 unit:

• BSD for any buyer: S$1,800 + S$3,600 + S$19,200 + S$20,000 on the first S$1.5 million, plus 5% of the last S$100,000 (S$5,000), so S$49,600.
• A foreigner buying alone: 60% ABSD is S$960,000, so stamp duty totals S$1,009,600.
• A US national buying a first home: ABSD S$0, total S$49,600.
• A foreigner and a Singapore citizen spouse, first home for both, in both names: ABSD can be remitted in full, so S$49,600 if the conditions are met.
• A foreigner buying with a Singaporean friend or sibling: IRAS applies the highest rate among the buyers to the whole price, so S$1,009,600 again.
• A PR buying a first home, for comparison: 5% ABSD (S$80,000), total S$129,600.

Our BSD and ABSD calculator runs these sums for your price.

IRAS's stamping deadlines (last updated 5 February 2026) require payment within 14 days of signing if the document is signed in Singapore, or 30 days after it arrives if signed overseas. The developer collects the price in stages, but the full ABSD is due at the start. Which document starts that clock is explained in our guide to the option to purchase.

Does a free trade agreement or a Singaporean spouse lower the ABSD?

Free trade agreements. IRAS's FTA remission page (last updated 30 January 2026) gives the same stamp duty treatment as a Singapore citizen to nationals of the United States, and to nationals and permanent residents of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. That means no ABSD on a first home, then the citizen rates of 20% on a second home and 30% on a third or later one. The remission certificate comes when you stamp on myTax Portal.

A Singapore citizen spouse. IRAS's married-couple remission (last updated 13 August 2026) can waive ABSD in full when the couple includes a citizen, buys in both spouses' names only and neither spouse owns any residential property. For a second home, the couple pays the ABSD and can claim it back if the first home is sold within six months, counted from the earlier of the new home's Temporary Occupation Permit or Certificate of Statutory Completion when it was bought uncompleted, and IRAS's other conditions are met. Our guide to joint purchases covers who should be on the contract.

Status changes do not count later. IRAS fixes the rate on your status on the date of purchase. A buyer granted PR or citizenship afterwards keeps the foreigner rate. A buyer who already had ICA's in-principle approval before buying may appeal, but must still pay within 14 days.

What else should a foreign buyer check?

• The loan. CPF Board's buying considerations (last updated 6 August 2025) list bank loans of up to 75% of the price, subject to terms, and advise keeping total debt repayments within 55% of gross monthly income. Without CPF savings, the down payment and the stamp duty both come from cash. Our mortgage calculator shows the monthly figure, and our guide to reading a home loan offer covers the package.
• Selling early. Seller's Stamp Duty applies to any seller, foreign or local, who sells within the holding period. IRAS's SSD page (last updated 13 August 2026) charges 16% within a year of buying, falling to 4% in the fourth year, for homes bought on or after 4 July 2025. A new launch completes in years, so the clock can run out before you get the keys; our SSD guide counts it.
• Property tax. IRAS's owner-occupier page (last updated 10 August 2026) gives the lower rates to an individual or married couple who owns and lives in the home. Its conditions name no citizenship requirement, but IRAS applies the rates automatically only for citizen and PR buyers of private homes; an owner who lives in the home and is taxed at the higher rates can apply through IRAS's owner-occupier digital service. A home you let out in full does not get them.

A checklist before you book

1. Confirm the property type against SLA's list, and ask the developer whether a strata landed unit is within an approved condominium development.
2. Write down every buyer's status on the signing date: foreigner, PR, citizen or FTA national, and the homes each already owns.
3. Price the duty in cash: BSD plus ABSD on the higher of price or market value, payable within 14 days.
4. Ask your bank for its loan terms before you pay the booking fee.
5. Check the developer's licence first, as our guide to what a developer must have explains.

Our stamp duty guide and ABSD guide for PRs cover the other rates; more guides are under Start your research.

Common questions