Visa cost

Singapore student visa cost — Student's Pass

$81 in fees nobody can skip , up to $181 if every situational extra applies . Checked August 2026.

How much does a Singapore student visa cost in 2026?

Applying for a student visa in Singapore — the Student's Pass — costs $81 in fees you cannot skip: Student's Pass application processing fee ($35) and Student's Pass issuance fee ($46). Situational extras (multiple Journey Visa at issuance and replacing a lost Student's Pass) add up to $100 more. Tuition, living costs and proof-of-funds sit outside this total. All amounts are US dollars, last checked August 2026.

Student's Pass cost breakdown

Every line the Singapore application puts on your card, in US dollars, as of August 2026.

Line item Amount (USD) What it is
Student's Pass application processing fee $35 SGD 45, non-refundable, paid when the application is submitted ICA — Student's Pass for Institutes of Higher Learning
Student's Pass issuance fee $46 SGD 60, paid at completion of formalities in Singapore ICA — Completion of Formalities and Issuance of Student's Pass
Mandatory total $81 What the Student's Pass costs before any optional service.
Situational extras — only if they apply to you
Multiple Journey Visa at issuance $23 SGD 30, only where your travel document is on ICA's visa-required list ICA — Completion of Formalities and Issuance of Student's Pass
Replacing a lost Student's Pass $77 SGD 100 for a first loss and SGD 300 after that; a damaged card is SGD 60 ICA — Loss or damage of a Student's Pass
If every extra applied $181 Worst case — most applicants pay none or one of these.

Amounts are US dollars. Singapore bills in its own currency, so the exact charge moves with the exchange rate — the native figures are in the notes column where the fee schedule publishes them.

Things to watch

  • Singapore is one of the cheapest student visas anywhere: two government fees, SGD 45 to apply and SGD 60 to issue, and nothing else unless your passport needs a visa.
  • ICA lists the application fee at SGD 45. Figures of SGD 30 still circulate in older guides and do not match ICA's current service pages.
  • The SGD 45 is non-refundable, so a refused or withdrawn application does not get it back.
  • The medical examination report some applicants must submit is priced by the clinic, not by ICA, so no government figure exists for it.
  • USD figures convert at USD 1 = SGD 1.295, the US Treasury reporting rate of exchange for 30 June 2026.

Singapore student visa requirements

  • A place on an approved full-time course

    The Student's Pass only covers approved full-time study. Part-time courses and courses taught in the evening or at weekends are not eligible, and a stand-alone course finished inside 30 days can be done on a Short-Term Visit Pass with no pass at all.

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  • Registration Acknowledgement Letter from your school

    Your institution registers you in SOLAR first and issues this letter. You cannot start the application without it.

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  • Travel document biodata page, plus a birth certificate where it applies

    Originals go to ICA when you complete formalities, along with copies for ICA to keep.

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  • Your full background details

    The form asks for every country or place you have previously lived in, your educational background, employment history and how your studies are being funded.

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  • Family details where they apply

    Personal information for your parents, spouse and siblings is part of the application form.

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  • A Singapore address, contact details and an email address

    The digital pass is sent to the email address on the application, so a working address matters after issuance as well as before.

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  • A recent digital colour photograph

    Passport-sized, taken within the last three months, and meeting ICA's published photo guidelines.

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  • Official translations for anything not in English

    ICA accepts translations from the issuing country's embassy, from a notary public in Singapore or in the issuing country, or private translations attested by that embassy or notarised. It does not endorse translation companies.

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  • Medical Examination Report where your approval letter asks for one

    The form is downloaded from ICA and handed in before the pass can be issued. It is not required of every applicant.

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  • An entry visa if your travel document needs one

    You do not apply for it separately. If your passport is on ICA's visa-required list, the visa is included automatically in the In-Principle Approval letter you show at the checkpoint.

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How to apply for a Singapore student visa

  1. Accept your offer and let the school register you in SOLAR

    The institution enters you into ICA's Student's Pass Online Application and Registration system and issues a Registration Acknowledgement Letter. Everything after that runs off that letter.

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  2. Submit the application online and pay the processing fee

    Apply at least two months and not more than three months before the course starts, and pay the non-refundable SGD 45 processing fee by card, internet banking or PayNow. You do not need to be in Singapore while it is assessed.

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  3. Wait for the In-Principle Approval letter

    The IPA sets out everything you still have to satisfy before the pass is issued, and carries your entry visa inside it if your passport requires one. It does not by itself guarantee entry.

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  4. Enter Singapore and show the IPA at the checkpoint

    You must be in Singapore on a valid immigration pass for the Student's Pass to be issued. ICA officers decide at the border what visit pass to grant you.

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  5. Complete formalities and pay the issuance fee

    Book an appointment at the ICA Services Centre at 2 Crawford Street, or attend the offsite enrolment your school arranges, with the documents listed in the IPA and the medical report if one was asked for. SGD 60 is payable for issuance, plus SGD 30 for a Multiple Journey Visa where that applies.

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  6. Retrieve the digital pass

    Since 27 February 2023 the Student's Pass is issued digitally with no card. It appears in the Singpass app after three working days and can be downloaded from MyICA or FileSG straight after formalities.

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Singapore student visa work rights, dependants and processing time

Work rights

A Student's Pass on its own does not let you work. During term time you may work without a work pass only if your institution is on the Ministry of Manpower's list and the work is either 16 hours a week at most or an industrial attachment or internship that counts towards graduation; during vacation, there is no hour cap for students at institutions on the Ministry's separate vacation list, which is longer than the term-time one. Exchange students may not work at all.

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Dependants

A Student's Pass holder cannot sponsor a spouse or children. The only family route ICA ties to a student is a Long-Term Visit Pass for one parent or grandparent of a child studying on a Student's Pass, and only one of them may apply, with a Singapore citizen or permanent resident aged 21 or over acting as local sponsor.

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Processing time

ICA processes a Student's Pass application within one week, or within two weeks where an entry visa is also needed, counted from the day after submission. Some applications take longer, and you cannot extend a stay in Singapore while one is pending.

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After graduation

There is no automatic post-study pass. Graduates of a listed Institute of Higher Learning can apply for a Long-Term Visit Pass to look for work, submitting educational certificates and transcripts through ICA's e-Service on the non-Singpass option, and it costs the same SGD 45 and SGD 60 as any other LTVP with a processing time of six weeks. It is not a work pass: to take a job you still need one, applied for by the employer.

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Singapore student visa requirements for Indian students

Indian passports need an entry visa, and it comes with the IPA

India is on ICA's visa-required list, so the entry visa is bundled into the In-Principle Approval letter rather than applied for separately, and SGD 30 for the Multiple Journey Visa falls due when the pass is issued.

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Transit through Changi can be visa-free

Nationals of India are among those ICA lists as possibly eligible for the Visa-Free Transit Facility, which is separate from the entry visa in your IPA and does not replace it.

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Singapore student visa requirements for Nigerian students

Nigerian travel documents require a Singapore entry visa

Nigeria is on ICA's visa-required list. The visa is issued inside the IPA letter, and the SGD 30 Multiple Journey Visa fee is collected alongside the SGD 60 issuance fee at completion of formalities.

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Singapore student visa requirements for Pakistani students

Pakistani travel documents require a Singapore entry visa

Pakistan is on ICA's visa-required list, so budget for the SGD 30 Multiple Journey Visa on top of the two Student's Pass fees.

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Singapore student visa requirements for Bangladeshi students

Bangladeshi travel documents require a Singapore entry visa

Bangladesh is on ICA's visa-required list, and the visa arrives inside the IPA letter rather than through a separate application at a Singapore mission.

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Singapore student visa requirements for Chinese students

An ordinary PRC passport is not on the visa-required list

Mainland China does not appear on ICA's list of travel documents needing a Singapore entry visa, so no visa is bundled into the IPA and the SGD 30 fee does not arise. A PRC Travel Document, by contrast, is listed and does need one.

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United States
From $535 all-in
United Kingdom
From $1,760 all-in
Canada
From $175 all-in
Australia
From $2,250 all-in
Germany
From $190 all-in
France
From $183 all-in

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How much is the Singapore student visa fee?
The Student's Pass application charge is $35 (Student's Pass application processing fee). Add the other mandatory items — Student's Pass issuance fee $46 — and the all-in mandatory total is $81. Optional extras add up to $100 on top.
Can you work on a Singapore student visa?
A Student's Pass on its own does not let you work. During term time you may work without a work pass only if your institution is on the Ministry of Manpower's list and the work is either 16 hours a week at most or an industrial attachment or internship that counts towards graduation; during vacation, there is no hour cap for students at institutions on the Ministry's separate vacation list, which is longer than the term-time one. Exchange students may not work at all. Source: Ministry of Manpower — Work pass exemption for foreign students (August 2026).
How long does a Singapore student visa take?
ICA processes a Student's Pass application within one week, or within two weeks where an entry visa is also needed, counted from the day after submission. Some applications take longer, and you cannot extend a stay in Singapore while one is pending. Source: ICA — Student's Pass for Institutes of Higher Learning (August 2026).
Can you bring your family on a Singapore student visa?
A Student's Pass holder cannot sponsor a spouse or children. The only family route ICA ties to a student is a Long-Term Visit Pass for one parent or grandparent of a child studying on a Student's Pass, and only one of them may apply, with a Singapore citizen or permanent resident aged 21 or over acting as local sponsor. Source: ICA — Becoming a Long-Term Visit Pass Holder (August 2026).
What's not included in the Student's Pass fee?
Tuition, living costs and the money you have to show in your account are separate from the fees on this page. Use our cost-of-study calculator at /tools/cost-calculator for a complete budget.
When are these fees due?
Application and biometric fees are paid before submission. Health surcharges (UK IHS, Australian OSHC) are paid as part of the visa application. Some fees (Anmeldung in Germany, OFII in France) are paid after arrival.

Official sources

Last verified August 2026.