https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/ Changes to Singapore pass, tax and cross-border capital rules, and what they mean for entrepreneurs and their families. en-SG https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-company-acra-iras-filing-calendar/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-company-acra-iras-filing-calendar/ Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT A Singapore company has two separate filing tracks each year. With ACRA it files an annual return, generally within 7 months of its financial year end for a non-listed company, after an AGM within 6 months. With IRAS it files Estimated Chargeable Income within 3 months of year end and its Form C-S, C-S (Lite) or Form C by 30 November. Dormant and loss-making companies are not automatically excused, and individuals with Singapore income file their own return by 18 April. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-incorporation-controllers-ubo/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-incorporation-controllers-ubo/ Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT Since 16 June 2025, a new Singapore company must keep a register of registrable controllers from the day it is incorporated and file its controller information with ACRA at incorporation. Anyone holding more than 25% of the shares or votes, or otherwise controlling the company, is a controller, and shares held by a nominee count as held by the nominator. Separately, since 9 June 2025 the registered corporate service provider that forms the company must first complete customer due diligence, including identifying and verifying the beneficial owners. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/safe-individual-fx-agency-2026/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/safe-individual-fx-agency-2026/ Mon, 02 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT On 2 November 2026 China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange opened consultation, until 1 December, on a draft notice to further optimise current-account FX administration. The part that touches individuals would widen what a close relative can handle at a bank on your behalf, from buying and selling foreign currency to FX receipts and payments, domestic FX transfers and foreign cash, with non-relatives allowed only where the authorisation explains why. It is a draft, not yet in force, and it does not change the annual quota or capital-account rules. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-school-international-vs-local/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-school-international-vs-local/ Mon, 02 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT Whether your child can enter a Singapore government school, in what order, and at what monthly fee depends on the child's status. Citizens come first and permanent residents (PRs) second. Children on a Dependant's Pass or other pass are "international students" who can only take places left over, through a separate registration or the AEIS tests, and cannot choose the school. International schools run their own admissions, and a child on a Dependant's Pass or Long-Term Visit Pass studying full-time does not need a separate Student's Pass. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-amended-crs-2027/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-amended-crs-2027/ Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Singapore enacted its CRS Amendment Regulations and published the fifth edition of its CRS e-Tax Guide on 11 August 2026. The amended CRS applies from 1 January 2027, with the first exchange under the new rules due in September 2028. For individuals, the biggest change is that dual tax residents can no longer use treaty tie-breaker rules to declare only one residence when they re-document; e-money, central bank digital currencies and some crypto-asset derivatives also come into scope, and banks will look harder at investment-based residence or citizenship. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/ndrc-outbound-investment-individuals-2026/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/ndrc-outbound-investment-individuals-2026/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's NDRC Order No. 49 of 2026, the Measures for the Administration of Outbound Investment, takes effect on 1 December 2026 and names resident individuals alongside companies as outbound investors. An individual's direct, non-sensitive overseas investment must be filed with the provincial development and reform department of their household registration or habitual residence, and the filing notice obtained before any money goes in. Financial-market investment through QDII, Southbound Connect or the Cross-boundary Wealth Management Connect is generally outside the regime. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/offshore-trust-transition-ended-2026/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/offshore-trust-transition-ended-2026/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT The 90-day transition period under Announcement No. 21 of 2026 from China's Ministry of Finance and State Taxation Administration ended on 22 October 2026. Anyone filing after that pays the tax plus a late-payment surcharge of 0.05% per day. Refusing to file after the tax authority has issued a notice can be treated as tax evasion under the Tax Collection and Administration Law, with fines of 50% to five times the unpaid tax. Residents who have not yet dealt with it should file voluntarily and soon. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-dependant-pass-ltvp/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-dependant-pass-ltvp/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT An Employment Pass or S Pass holder earning a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000 can apply for a Dependant's Pass (DP) for a legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21. Common-law spouses, stepchildren and handicapped children aged 21 and above come in on a Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP), and parents need the main pass holder to earn at least S$12,000 a month. Both passes last only as long as the main pass, and a spouse on a DP needs a separate work pass or a Letter of Consent to work. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-credit-bureau-score/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-credit-bureau-score/ Sat, 24 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Personal credit records in Singapore are pooled mainly by Credit Bureau Singapore (CBS), which is licensed and supervised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Its score runs from 1,000 to 2,000 and maps to grades from AA (lowest risk) to HH (highest risk), and banks pull the report when they assess card, loan and mortgage applications. Years of good credit at home do not carry over, so a newly arrived family starts from a blank file and should build a clean local record deliberately. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-trademark-madrid/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-trademark-madrid/ Sat, 24 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Singapore trade marks are filed with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), and official fees are charged per class at S$280 (using IPOS's pre-approved descriptions) or S$410. A smooth application is registered in about nine months and protected for 10 years. Once you hold a Singapore application or registration, you can file one international application through IPOS under the Madrid Protocol to cover many member territories, though for its first five years it depends on the Singapore basic mark. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-director-duties-resign/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-director-duties-resign/ Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A Singapore director carries statutory duties to act honestly and with reasonable diligence whether or not they own shares or run the business, and a breach can now cost up to S$20,000 or 12 months in jail. Less well known is that if you are the company's only ordinarily resident director, your resignation has no legal effect until a replacement local director is appointed. Weigh both points before agreeing to lend your name to a friend's company. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-bank-account-opening/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-bank-account-opening/ Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Yes. Foreigners can open personal bank accounts in Singapore with the usual documents, such as a passport and proof of address, through the same account-opening process as locals; in the ordinary case the main difference is a higher minimum initial deposit or minimum balance on non-resident accounts. Once you hold citizenship, PR or a long-term pass, you can also open an account online with Singpass and Myinfo. Retail, priority and private banking differ in asset thresholds, service model and product range. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/ppli-private-placement-life-insurance/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/ppli-private-placement-life-insurance/ Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Private placement life insurance (PPLI) is an investment-linked life policy offered privately to high-net-worth clients. The policyholder places assets with the insurer, which holds and manages them inside the policy under an agreed investment mandate, alongside a death benefit and named beneficiaries. It is first of all an insurance contract, not a way to keep assets out of view; in Singapore, a policy with a cash value is a reportable financial account under the CRS, and its cash or surrender value is reported according to the holder's tax residency. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/us-sanctions-ns-mbs-2026/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/us-sanctions-ns-mbs-2026/ Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT On 19 October 2026 the US State Department sanctioned five Chinese entities under the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act, and the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added them to its Non-SDN Menu-Based Sanctions (NS-MBS) List. Unlike the better-known SDN List, an NS-MBS listing carries only the measures stated in each entry; listed persons can petition OFAC for removal on the grounds of an insufficient basis or a change in circumstances. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-srs-account/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-srs-account/ Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT SRS is Singapore's voluntary retirement savings account, and every dollar paid in comes off the next year's taxable income, up to S$35,700 a year for foreigners and S$15,300 for citizens and PRs. There are two main ways out: a foreigner who has kept the account for 10 years, without becoming a citizen or PR in that time, can take it all out at once with only half taxed and no penalty, while citizens and PRs use it as a pension, drawn over 10 years from retirement age. ICA weighs an applicant's commitment to sinking roots in Singapore, and a retirement account locked up for years can support that picture of long-term planning, but SRS is not a published assessment factor and cannot replace income, tax and residence records. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-carf-crypto-reporting-2027/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-carf-crypto-reporting-2027/ Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Singapore enacted its CARF (Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework) Regulations on 11 August 2026. From 1 January 2027, crypto-asset service providers with a Singapore nexus must identify every user's tax residence and report reportable users' transactions to IRAS, with the first cross-border exchange, covering calendar year 2027, due in September 2028. Existing users must provide a self-certification by the end of 2027, or the platform must stop processing their relevant transactions from 1 January 2028. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-pr-application/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-pr-application/ Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Singapore permanent residence can be applied for by spouses and children of citizens or PRs, aged parents of citizens, Employment Pass and S Pass holders, qualifying students, and investors under EDB's Global Investor Programme. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) weighs family ties to Singaporeans, economic contribution, qualifications, age, family profile and length of residency, looking at whether the applicant can contribute, integrate and put down roots, but it does not publish any scoring weights. Complete applications are usually decided within six months, and no outcome is guaranteed. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-bank-types/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/singapore-bank-types/ Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT In Singapore, DBS is a local bank with a full licence that serves both individuals and businesses, and its Singapore-dollar deposits are covered by deposit insurance. ANEXT holds a wholesale bank licence and mainly serves SMEs and other non-retail customers. Airwallex is not a bank at all but a major payment institution under the Payment Services Act; money held with it is not a bank deposit and is not covered by deposit insurance, though the firm must safeguard it. Which one fits depends on whether you are an individual or a company, how long the money will sit, and what it is for. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/acra-annual-return-ceo-2026/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/acra-annual-return-ceo-2026/ Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT From 20 October 2026, a Singapore company filing its annual return must confirm that the particulars of its directors, CEO, secretary, auditors and relevant members held by ACRA are accurate, and must say whether anyone performs the role of CEO. If someone does and no CEO is registered, the filer must add one before the return can go through. From the same date, registered offices no longer have to open for fixed minimum hours, but records must still be made available for inspection after reasonable notice. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/one-pass-vs-ep/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/one-pass-vs-ep/ Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Singapore's ONE Pass (Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass) is built mainly for two groups. People who have earned a fixed monthly salary of at least S$30,000 for 12 consecutive months at a large established company, and people with outstanding achievements in sports, arts and culture, or academia and research. Unlike an EP it is not tied to one employer, runs up to five years from the first grant, and lets the holder start, run and work for several companies at once. The bar is far higher than for an EP, though, and a newly incorporated family company will usually not qualify as the basis for an application. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/crs-tax-residency-singapore/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/crs-tax-residency-singapore/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Common Reporting Standard (CRS) is the international standard under which tax authorities automatically exchange financial account information. Singapore financial institutions establish each customer's tax residency and report the accounts of China tax residents to the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS), which exchanges them with China's tax authority. Where the information goes depends on your actual tax residency, not on where the account is held, so what matters for a family's wealth plan is that residency, tax filings and account declarations all tell the same story. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/ep-compass-2026/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/ep-compass-2026/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A Singapore Employment Pass (EP) has two gates. First, an age-graded minimum salary, currently from S$5,600 in most sectors and rising to S$6,000 for new applications from 1 January 2027. Second, at least 40 points under COMPASS. For families incorporating their own company, the point most often missed is that small firms get a default 10 points on diversity and on local employment, so the remaining 20 points rest almost entirely on salary and qualifications. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/sfo-designated-investments-2026/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/sfo-designated-investments-2026/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT On 5 October 2026, MAS Chairman Gan Kim Yong said MAS is considering single family offices' requests to invest in digital payment tokens and insurance policies as part of its regular review of the fund tax framework, including an update to the Designated Investments list, with the list and implementation date to be announced later. He also said private banks have committed to bring median account-opening times to within one month by the end of 2026. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/offshore-trust-iit-2026/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/offshore-trust-iit-2026/ Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT China's Ministry of Finance and State Taxation Administration have issued Announcement No. 21 of 2026, bringing resident individuals' offshore trusts within individual income tax — funding the trust and its ongoing income are both reportable, with retroactive reach to 2023 and a 90-day filing window. The pivot of the whole regime is tax-residency status. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/source-of-funds/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/source-of-funds/ Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT When cross-border allocation of assets is part of a relocation plan, the real bottleneck is rarely the transfer itself — it is the due diligence at account opening and funding. If the source of funds cannot be shown clearly, even a sound structure stalls at the first step. https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/self-sponsored-ep/ https://www.passion-interactive.com/en/insights/self-sponsored-ep/ Tue, 20 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT It still works, but the bar is rising. From 1 January 2027 the minimum salary for a new Employment Pass goes from S$5,600 to S$6,000 (S$6,600 in financial services); applications filed in 2026 are assessed on the current table. A new company starts with 20 COMPASS points by default, the other 20 depend on salary and qualifications, and what usually stalls a self-sponsored application is a business plan that does not add up.