EI Article Series
PR Application Documents required
Table of Contents
As important as meeting the eligibility criteria for Singapore PR (permanent residency) application is submitting the right documents in support of your application. It is possible to be rejected if you miss a single document, which results in an incomplete application. The same is true if you submit a document that fails to meet the ICA criteria.
As you only have seven days to submit your PR application online, you must prepare all your necessary documents in advance. When applying for Singapore Permanent Residence, it is crucial to include as much relevant information and documentation as possible. Several applicants find the documentation process complicated and overwhelming. Families of four may be required to gather and submit more than 50 documents at a time.
We have prepared this guide to make the Singapore PR application documents compilation as simple as possible for such applicants.
PR Application Documents Required for Main Applicant
PR Application Documents Required 1: Scanned Copy of your Passport
Applicants must submit copies of their valid travel documents, i.e. current passports. A passport's page containing your personal information (name, passport number, and official description) is usually required. Ensure that your passport is valid for at least six months after the date of entry.
Additional Details depending on your nationality
If you belong to a certain nationality, ICA may require additional passport details. It is important to check for your nationality if there are any such requirements in your case, such as a scan of the last page and a scan of the visa observations page. If there are, please arrange those scans as well.
For Students
If you are applying under the student scheme, you might also need to submit the travel documents of your parents along with your Singapore PR application. This is also a A requirement from the Immigration Checkpoints Authority when applying for permanent residency.
People with multiple nationalities
Applicants holding citizenship in multiple countries must declare all such nationalities and attach copies of each passport.
PR Application Documents Required 2: Passport-sized photograph
PR applicants are required to submit a passport-sized, colored digital photo of themselves when completing their online application. You must comply with the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority of Singapore's requirements for your photo. You could face delays in your application for permanent residence if you fail to meet these requirements, such as the subject's size, background, and position.
The photograph you submit must be 35mm wide by 45mm high, without a border around it. The photograph must be a digital image file in either JPG or JPEG format, 400 to 514 pixels wide and no larger than 1MB in size, for submission online to the Electronic PR (e-PR) portal.
The photo must also be taken against a white background, like a white screen or white wall, with no visible marks. Face forward, in the center of the frame, with your eyes and face clearly visible. Do not obstruct your face with head or accessories unless they are for religious or racial reasons. If you wear glasses, it is recommended that you continue to wear them. In addition, you should avoid editing any of your facial features, such as removing moles or birthmarks.
PR Application Documents Required 3: FIN (Identity Card)
You will need to provide a copy of your IC card for application submission. This is your FIN, i.e. EP card, DP card, S-Pass card, Entrepass card, or whatever it may be depending on your situation.
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PR Application Documents Required 4: Birth Certificate
This is another important document that needs to be submitted during the PR Application. Please note the official requirement is a ‘Birth certificate or official household census list or family register showing both parents’ name”.
While the birth certificate is a common document in most of Asian countries, there are some countries in Europe (like Sweden) where a birth certificate is not issued. Instead, a copy of the family register is used. Therefore, you must obtain the correct document.
Moreover, the birth certificate should clearly show the child's name and the names of both parents.
PR Application Documents Required 5: Educational certificates and Transcripts
As part of the application process to become a Singapore Permanent Resident, you must submit relevant tertiary educational certificates and qualifications. Tertiary certificates and transcripts refer to any education above secondary school, high school, or equivalent. If you are applying for the PTS or GIP schemes, you need to provide copies of your professional license or vocational trade certificate if applicable. In the case of non-English documents, they must be translated.
Transcripts are also required
ICA requires transcripts as well for verification purposes. Therefore, it is imperative that you obtain your transcripts. Essentially, a transcript is your proof of education. It contains a detailed record of all the subjects you have studied, along with your grades or marks, which are given by the institution.
Transcripts can be seen as a consolidated mark sheet for the entire course.
PR Application Documents Required 6: Marriage Certificate
As again, this is quite a straightforward document. If you are married (irrespective of whether your spouse is applying for PR or not), then you need to submit the marriage certificate copy. The format and authority issuing the certificate must be acceptable to the ICA.
Marriage means a legally registered marriage. Live-in relationships and common law arrangements are not considered a legal marriages.
PR Application Documents Required from the employing company of the main applicant
Letter Confirming the Employment
Employed applicants must provide documentation stating their employment status in their online PR application. Employer letters should be dated within a month of your application, and include the following details:
Annex A to form 4A
The ICA requires you to obtain and submit this document from your company. Annex A has a specific format that must be followed to capture the details of your employer. For this document, you will need to contact your company’s Human Resources department. The details will be filled out by the human resources department (so you don’t have to worry about them), and the form will be returned to you once it is complete.
Last six months’ salary slips
You will also have to submit the last six months' salary slips to the ICA.
The time limit for these documents from the company
The first two documents (Letter and annex A), should not be dated more than 30 days in past from the date of submission of your PR Application. In the case of salary, slips include the slips up to the latest month for which the salary is processed.
What if your Company refuses to give you a letter or annex A?
It sometimes happens that some employers refuse to give you these documents. Some of them feel that if you become PR you will change the job immediately. Does that mean your PR application route is closed? Not at all. There are ways to deal with this kind of situation, and perhaps a statutory declaration will work in this case.
PR Application Documents Required: Additional Recommended Documents (Not Mandatory)
Please find below some of the documents which we recommend attaching to your PR application. These documents are not mandatory, but attaching them will strengthen your profile.
A Cover letter
A cover letter plays an important role in Singapore PR applications because it allows you to make an impression. Using a good quality well drafted cover letter, you can stand out from the crowd by writing a professional write-up that communicates a powerful message. To capture the reader's attention, it is crucial to write a well-thought-out piece emphasizing your unique attributes and key strengths.
A cover letter can also be used to highlight any other aspects of your profile which you feel is important. For example, your professional work, your future plans how you can bring value to Singapore can be highlighted using a cover letter.
Recommendation Letters
A recommendation letter from a friend, relative, or colleague can add some value to your application, especially if it mentions exemplary performance from that colleague.
Voluntary Service Certificates
If you do any voluntary social services, or blood donation or charities then do include those certificates or letters.
Awards
Similarly, if you have got any awards, or letters of appreciation for something exemplary work done, then you can consider also attaching those.
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PR Application Documents Required for Spouse of the main applicant
A similar but smaller set of documents is required in case you are including your spouse also in the PR Application. Since we have explained the requirements for each type of document in detail above, here we will list only the documents.
Type of document |
Additional information |
|---|---|
| Scan copy of valid Passport | |
| Scanned Copy of National Identity Cards (If applicable) | From your Home Country – Eg Aadhar Card for India, or Malaysian Id card for Malaysia. In case your home country has this then please provide. |
| Scanned copy of Employment Pass or S Pass | |
| Letter of Consent (LOC) For DP holders working in Singapore | If spouse is working in Singapore |
| Scanned copy of the Birth Certificate / Household Registration of Applicant | Must show both parents’ names and child’s name (i.e. Main applicant’s name) |
| Scanned copy of Deed Poll or Change of name certificate (If applicable) | Applicable only if you have ever changed your name. |
| If you own a business - Valid Business Registration Certificate (ACRA BizFile) | Include if you hold any licenses. Applicable for business owners only. |
| Scanned Copy of Educational Certificates & Transcripts of Applicant | Including professional license/membership certificates |
| Official Marriage Certificate | For married applicants only. Required even if spouse is not applying for PR. |
PR Application Documents Required for Children
In case of children, very few documents are required which are as follows.
Type of document |
Additional information |
|---|---|
| Child’s valid Passport | |
| Child’s birth certificate | Must be showing both the child’s and the parents’ names |
| Child’s adoption papers | If Applicable (i.e. the child is adopted) |
| Child’s deed poll or change of name certificate | If Applicable (i.e. If the child has changed name anytime) |
PR Application Documents: Common mistakes to avoid
Following are some recommendations for preparing your documents, or common mistakes to avoid.
Have Original Documents in Custody
Your PR application includes scan copies of your documents. In the event that your PR application is approved, you will have to present the original documents to the immigration officer. So, It is important that you have those documents in your custody. Do not leave these documents in your home country. This will ensure you won't face any inconvenience.
Check for Errors
Make sure all the information you provide is accurate. Double-check all the content of your documents to make sure there are no errors. Make sure certificates do not have incomplete information, or names that are mismatched, etc.
If there are errors, you must take the essential steps to rectify those errors and get the corrected documents from your home country. If your embassy allows, you can carry out those procedures in Singapore as well (recommended).
Translations, Affidavits, etc
If your documents are in the local language, you must provide notarized translations or affidavits. The documents must not contain errors. For this, you must engage an approved translator. The documents must be notarized in Singapore after translation and have the SAL seal affixed.
Translations performed outside Singapore may not be accepted by the ICA.
High-Resolution Scanning
If you want your digital copies to be as clear as possible, make sure that they are scanned in high resolution. Rather than taking a picture with your phone camera, use a good scanner. When scanning with your phone camera, use a special app and use even lighting.
Scan from original documents in color
Quite often I have seen people provide us document scanned copies that are either in black on white or scans which are taken from xerox copies. This is not acceptable for ICA purposes. You should take a scan from the original document and then save it in color format.
File Format and Size
A PDF document with a size of less than 2MB must be scanned. Photographs should be in jpeg format and have a size of less than 1MB.
PR Application Documents: Summary
It is quite possible that for a family of four you can easily submit more than fifty separate documents for your Singapore online PR application. Many applicants may feel overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork that is required. If this is overwhelming for you, consider engaging the services of Epica Immigration. Our expert consultants will assist you in completing this task.