Expatriates in Singapore discover that it is truly costly to rent a hotel room when they plan to stay for a considerable length of time in the country. If a expatriate possess a residential property in Singapore, the costly dilemma would have been averted.

In Singapore, foreign nationals are not prevented by government officials from buying their own residential properties.

Mainly, Singapore’s Residential Property Act intends to allow Singapore citizens to buy, at affordable rates, their own residential properties. Moreover, this Act supports expatriates who are thought of by the Singapore government to have made significant contributions to the economy of the country in their desire to acquire residential properties within Singapore.

Foreigners may purchase non-restricted residential properties even without pre-approval from the Singapore government. The following are residential properties that belong to the non-restricted category:

- apartment flats within a structure that is not over six floors in height – condominium units in authorized condominium development sites included in the Planning Act – a lease term on a restricted residential property; the term must not go beyond 7 years

Foreigners who want to own all units in an apartment or condo in an accredited development site must have prior sanction from Singapore’s Minister for Law.

Likewise, a foreign national without any prior approval from Singapore’s Minister of Law cannot acquire residential properties that are categorized as restricted.

The following are considered restricted residential properties by the Residential Property Act of Singapore:

- a vacant residential land – townhouses, detached or semi-detached houses, or terraced houses standing on residential lots – properties not approved for condo development under the Planning Act

In applying for approval to be able to acquire a restricted residential property, the expatriate must fill out a form and, along with the required supporting papers, send this to the Singapore Land Authority. This government agency is in charge of receiving the requests of the expatriate regarding the purchase of a restricted residential property. The agency will assess and approve or disapprove the application, depending on the merits of the expatriate’s qualifications.

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