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    Student visa guide

    Singapore student visa 2026: cost, requirements and how to apply

    The Student's Pass, applied for in ICA's SOLAR e-Service costs $81 in fees nobody can skip, up to $181 if every situational extra applies.

    By Global Admissions Editorial · Checked against 4 official sources

    How much does a Singapore student visa cost in 2026?

    Applying for a student visa in Singapore on 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, applied for in ICA's SOLAR e-Service cost breakdown

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

    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, applied for in ICA's SOLAR e-Service 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 and documents checklist

    10 documents every applicant provides.

    DocumentWho needs itWhat it involves
    A place on an approved full-time courseeveryoneThe 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. source
    Registration Acknowledgement Letter from your schooleveryoneYour institution registers you in SOLAR first and issues this letter. You cannot start the application without it. source
    Travel document biodata page, plus a birth certificate where it applieseveryoneOriginals go to ICA when you complete formalities, along with copies for ICA to keep. source
    Your full background detailseveryoneThe form asks for every country or place you have previously lived in, your educational background, employment history and how your studies are being funded. source
    Family details where they applyeveryonePersonal information for your parents, spouse and siblings is part of the application form. source
    A Singapore address, contact details and an email addresseveryoneThe digital pass is sent to the email address on the application, so a working address matters after issuance as well as before. source
    A recent digital color photographeveryonePassport-sized, taken within the last three months, and meeting ICA's published photo guidelines. source
    Official translations for anything not in EnglisheveryoneICA 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 notarized. It does not endorse translation companies. source
    Medical Examination Report where your approval letter asks for oneeveryoneThe form is downloaded from ICA and handed in before the pass can be issued. It is not required of every applicant. source
    An entry visa if your travel document needs oneeveryoneYou 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. source

    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.

      source
    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.

      source
    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.

      source
    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.

      source
    5. Complete formalities and pay the issuance fee

      Book an appointment at the ICA Services Centre at 2 Crawford Street, or attend the offsite enrollment 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.

      source
    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.

      source

    Singapore student visa 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.

    ICA: Student's Pass for Institutes of Higher Learning · checked August 2026

    Singapore student visa work rights, dependants and what comes after

    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.

    sourcecompare all countries

    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.

    source

    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.

    sourcecompare all countries

    Singapore student visa requirements for Indian students

    The full Singapore visa guide for Indian students, with the fee in your currency.

    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.

    source

    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.

    source

    Singapore student visa requirements for Nigerian students

    The full Singapore visa guide for Nigerian students, with the fee in your currency.

    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.

    source

    Singapore student visa requirements for Pakistani students

    The full Singapore visa guide for Pakistani students, with the fee in your currency.

    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.

    source

    Singapore student visa requirements for Bangladeshi students

    The full Singapore visa guide for Bangladeshi students, with the fee in your currency.

    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.

    source

    Singapore student visa requirements for Chinese students

    The full Singapore visa guide for Chinese students, with the fee in your currency.

    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.

    source
    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.