Licence guides

Get recommendations for licences

Find out which licences you need by answering a few questions, based on your business sector.

This is a non-exhaustive list of business sectors. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, check the full list of licences you can apply for. For licence renewals or amendment, use this list to find licences to renew or amend.

For all sectors

• Events

  The Guide for Organising Events provides event organisers with tools to navigate the process of organising events in Singapore such as e-Adviser for Events and Events Proposal Box.

  The Events Proposal Box allows event organisers to propose unique event concepts for collaboration with the government, or seek government endorsements for regulatory approvals. Currently, only proposals for Sporting and MICE events are accepted.

  • e-Adviser for Events
    Receive personalised recommendations on licences and permits required for your event, and be guided through the application to reduce processing delays.

  • Proposal Box for MICE Event
    Submit a proposal for an innovative MICE event that positions Singapore as the choice destination for business tourism. For proposals that include a request for government funding, please find out more about STB’s various assistance schemes.

  • Proposal Box for Sport and Fitness Event
    Submit a proposal for a sporting event that could contribute to Singapore’s sporting, social, and economic outcomes, or has potential to showcase Singapore as a sporting event host.

  Can’t find a proposal box for your event type? Request for a new proposal box by registering your interest.

• Premises Use Check
  • e-Adviser for Premises Use
    Check if a property is approved for your intended use with our e-Adviser for Premises Use.
    
    

A

• Air Transport

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Air traffic controller

  • Aircraft maintenance engineer (AME)

  • Application of hazardous substances permit

  • Conducting an aerial activity

  • Conducting an aerial photography or videography

  • Obstacle clearance

  • Pilot, fly instructor, flight engineer, flight examiner

  • Radio communication equipment in an airport area

  • Setting up air operator business

  • Setting up aircraft maintenance business

  • Setting up radio determination station

  • Store petroleum and flammable materials

B

• Building & Construction

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Application of hazardous substances permit

  • Buy/store/possess ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

  • Environmental health issues within construction site

  • Housing developer

  • Obstacle clearance

  • Performing or carrying out work involving use of a laser apparatus

  • Provisioning of telecommunication internal wiring works

  • Store petroleum and flammable materials

  • Use/supervise usage of ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

D

• Dormitory Services

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Operating dormitory for foreign employees

  • Setting up lodging and boarding houses

E

• Education

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Any individual teaching Islam in singapore

  • Proprietor conducting Islamic education centre or a provider

  • Quality assurance for private education institution

  • Recruiting foreign/international student(s)

  • Setting up an early childhood development centre (ECDC)

  • Setting up kindergarten

  • Setting up private school, private education institution

  • Setting up private school/education institution/commercial school

• Employment and Administrative Services

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Setting up employment / recruitment / maid agency
• Energy

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Application of hazardous substances permit

  • Buy/store/possess ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

  • Non-Residential Consumer buying electricity at tariff and installing solar PV

  • Non-Residential Consumer buying electricity at retail price and installing solar PV of < 1 MWac

  • Non-Residential Consumer buying electricity at retail price and installing solar PV of >= 1 MWac

  • Residential Consumer buying electricity at tariff and installing solar PV

  • Residential Consumer buying electricity at retail price and installing solar PV of < 1 MWac

  • Residential Consumer buying electricity at retail price and installing solar PV of >= 1 MWac

  • Setting up business to generate, retail, transmit electricity

  • Setting up business to import, ship or retail gas

  • Store petroleum and flammable materials

  • Use/supervise usage of ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

• Environmental Services

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Application of fumigator licence

  • Application of hazardous substances licence

  • Application of hazardous substances permit

  • Application of toxic industrial waste collector licence

  • Application of toxic industrial waste transport approval

  • Buy/store/possess ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

  • Collect, transport and dispose of waste at disposal facilities

  • Conducting or performing or supervising vector control work

  • Conducting or performing vector control work

  • Handling and transporting of radioactive materials

  • Operating or managing a vector control company

  • Setting up cleaning business

  • Setting up toxic industrial waste collection business

  • Setting up vector & pest control/fumigation business

  • Use/supervise usage of ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

  • Vector control employee

F

• Financial Services

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Financial & insurance advisor

  • Setting up capital market intermediaries

  • Setting up commercial bank

  • Setting up insurance broking business

  • Setting up insurance company

  • Setting up money changing business

  • Setting up moneylending business, shop

  • Setting up pawnshop

  • Setting up securities crowdfunding business

  • Setting up trust company

• Food & Beverage (F&B)
  • Guide to starting a new Food Service business
    Use Food Services Guided Journey, a step-by-step beginner guide for helping you apply for the licences you need.

  Or explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Dealings with rice

  • Importing petroleum and flammable materials

  • Operating slaughter-house

  • Public consumption of liquor

  • Sale of food and or goods in temporary fair

  • Sales of liquor or sales for consumption of liquor

  • Setting up bar/pub/cabaret/night club/discotheque/karaoke lounge

  • Setting up coffee shop, canteen

  • Setting up cyber/internet cafe

  • Setting up food and beverages (food & beverage) outlet

  • Setting up food catering business

  • Setting up food delivery business

  • Setting up food stall in a private establishment

  • Setting up hawker stall

  • Setting up pet shop or café

  • Setting up restaurant, cafe

  • Store petroleum and flammable materials

H

• Healthcare

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Application of hazardous substances licence

  • Application of hazardous substances permit

  • Buy/store/possess ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

  • Buy/store/possess non-ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

  • Clinic/hospital/laboratory/school/institution/factory/NDT business

  • Environmental health issues within construction site

  • Handling and transporting of radioactive materials

  • Performing or carrying out work involving use of a laser apparatus

  • Sale or distributing medical/industrial/research/veterinary device

  • Setting up a residential care facility

  • Setting up clinical laboratory

  • Setting up community health centre

  • Setting up home for the aged

  • Setting up medical or dental clinic

  • Setting up nursing home

  • Setting up private hospital

  • Use/supervise usage of ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

I

• IT

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Providing Penetration Testing Service

  • Providing Managed SOC Monitoring Service

L

• Land Transport

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Bus attendant

  • Operating a bus service

  • Ticket payment services in the transit arena

  • Transport company

• Logistics

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Application of hazardous substances licence

  • Application of hazardous substances transport approval

  • Application of toxic industrial waste transport approval

  • Buy/store/possess non-ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

  • Dealing with security equipment

  • Dealing, shipment or exporting of explosive precursor

  • Handling and transporting of radioactive materials

  • Import/export non-ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

  • Importing or exporting of explosives

  • Importing petroleum and flammable materials

  • Importing, exporting and shipping of arms

  • Importing/exporting ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

  • Importing/exporting radioactive materials or devices

  • Manufacture/possess/sell/distribute/deal in irradiating apparatus

  • Sale or distributing medical/industrial/research/veterinary device

  • Setting up import/export business

  • Setting up warehouse/logistic business

  • Store petroleum and flammable materials

  • Transporting petroleum and flammable materials

M

• Manufacturing & Engineering

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Application of hazardous substances licence

  • Application of hazardous substances permit

  • Buy/store/possess ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

  • Buy/store/possess non-ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

  • Manufacture/possess/sell/distribute/deal in irradiating apparatus

  • Manufacturing and processing of animal feed

  • Manufacturing explosives

  • Manufacturing of arms

  • Performing or carrying out work involving use of a laser apparatus

  • Physical trading of rubber in singapore

  • Providing engineering services

  • Setting up factory/manufacturing business

  • Setting up warehouse/logistic business

  • Store petroleum and flammable materials

  • Use/supervise usage of ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

• Maritime

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Operating radio-communication services of a ship station

  • Setting up bunker surveying business

  • Ship station licence

  • Steersman, helmsman, engine driver (marine)

  • Store petroleum and flammable materials

  • Supply bunkers to vessels

• Media

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Commercial printing (newspapers, magazines, newsletter)

  • Providing nationwide TV services

  • Providing radio services

  • Providing television services

  • Publishing periodical, newspapers, magazines, newsletters

  • Sell/rent/distribute videos, screen movies and exhibit films

• Membership services

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Registering a society

  • Setting up recreation club

P

• Professional Services

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Application of plumber licence

  • Application of registering property

  • Appraising lands and buildings in singapore under appraisers act

  • Blasting operations using explosives

  • Buy/sell/trade/import/export explosives

  • Dealing in arms

  • Dealing in manufacture, store or usage of explosive precursors

  • Dealing in swords/daggers/bayonets/spears/spearheads

  • Dealing, shipment or exporting of explosive precursor

  • Disposing of unwanted or expired explosives

  • Operating a veterinary centre

  • Practising veterinary medicine in singapore

  • Registering as patent agent

  • Removal and conveyance of explosives

  • Repairing of arms

  • Setting up animal research facilities

  • Setting up architectural firm

  • Setting up research and development activity

  • Singapore patent agent

  • Store explosive

  • Veterinary clinic/research laboratory/school/institution/factory

R

• Real Estate

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Conducting estate agency / property work

  • Resale/transfer of HDB commercial properties

  • Setting up real estate/property business

• Retail

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Conducting regulated dealing or intermediary for regulated dealing

  • Registering telecommunication equipment for sale and use

  • Retail of tobacco products

  • Sale of food and or goods in temporary fair

  • Sale of telecommunication equipment

  • Sale/distribution of non-ionising radiation irradiating apparatus

  • Sales of liquor or sales for consumption of liquor

  • Selling international/global SIM cards

  • Selling post-paid calling cards

  • Selling prepaid calling cards

  • Selling products with embedded SIM cards

  • Setting up a temporary fair

  • Setting up flea market, secondhand goods stall, pasar malam

  • Setting up luxury product retail shop / fashion house

  • Setting up secondhand goods business

  • Setting up supermarket

S

• Security

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Dealing with security equipment

  • Providing central alarm monitoring station (CAMS) service

  • Providing guarding services

  • Providing in house security services

  • Providing installation, selling, repairing of CCTV

  • Providing private investigation services

  • Purchasing explosives

  • Purchasing or dealing with firearms, air rifle, pistol or guns

  • Setting up private investigation agency

  • Setting up security agency providing security officers

• Services
  • e-Adviser for Home-Based Business
    If you are thinking of running a small-scale business from home, use this e-Adviser to find out the next steps to set it up.

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Conducting play/performance/art exhibition/variety show/concert

  • Operating funeral parlour

  • Providing chiropody, light or vapour treatments

  • Setting up foot reflexology/physiotherapy/traditional massage

  • Setting up manicure / pedicure outlet

  • Setting up massage establishment or parlour

  • Setting up spa/baths/sauna outlet/beauty palour/tanning service

• Social Services

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Conducting fundraising for foreign charitable purposes

  • Fund-raising appeals/flag day for foreign charitable purpose

  • Raising funds

  • Setting up charity organization

  • Setting up children and young persons home

• Sports & Recreation

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Conducting an aerial activity

  • Holding a talk in public place

  • Operating a public swimming pool

  • Operating amusement park

  • Setup providing entertainment activities to the public

  • Sports, spearfishing, target practice

T

• Telecommunications

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Conducting test or experiment of telecommunication equipment

  • Conduting proof of concept using radio frequency

  • Conduting proof of concept without using radio frequency

  • Displaying telecommunication equipment during an exhibition

  • Establishing and operating radio communication equipment

  • Installing or operating satellite or earth station

  • Operating high power radio communication equipment on island wide

  • Operating mobile radio communication equipment in an airport area

  • Operating network using radio communication equipment

  • Operating radio communication equipment (walkie talkies)

  • Operating radio frequency on a temporary basis

  • Operating radio-communication services of a ship station

  • Operating short range device

  • Operating/possessing radio communication equipment

  • Providing SMS services

  • Providing telecomm services

  • Providing VOIP services

  • Provisioning of telecommunication internal wiring works

  • Radio communication equipment in an airport area

  • Registering telecommunication equipment for sale and use

  • Sale of telecommunication equipment

  • Selling international/global SIM cards

  • Selling post-paid calling cards

  • Selling prepaid calling cards

  • Selling products with embedded SIM cards

  • Setting up radio determination station

  • Ship station licence

• Tourism

  Explore licences you may require with the e-Advisers:

  • Setting up an accommodation for short-term stay

  • Setting up hotel

  • Setting up travel / tour agency

  • Tourist guide