Rules on Student's Pass
Student’s Pass Application
New Applications
New applications must be submitted at least two months and not more than six months from the course commencement date.
Applicants are not required to be present in Singapore while their applications are being considered. Hence, applicants are advised to apply for a Student’s Pass outside of Singapore as no extension of stay will be considered while the applications are under processing.
Applicants are advised to enter Singapore to complete the formalities for the issuance of a Student’s Pass only after their applications have been approved. They will be issued with Student’s Passes within one month from the course commencement date.
New Fee Structure
Under the new fee structure, applicants are required to pay a non-refundable processing fee of $30 when an application for STP is submitted to ICA for consideration. Payment must be made through the ICA online portals for STP application (i.e. SOLAR or SOLAR+). Successful STP applications will only need to pay a one-time fee of $60 for the issuance of the LTP cards, regardless of the duration of the pass granted. The prevailing visa fee will continue to apply for those visa-required countries.
Foreign students will be required to pay a sum of $60 for replacement of lost or damaged STP cards.
Basic Documents Required
- 2 copies of Form 16 and Form V36 (Adobe Reader required).
- 2 recent passport-sized photographs.
- 1 copy of Form V36A (Adobe Reader required) duly completed and signed by the school.
- Photocopy of applicant’s travel document pages showing his/her full particulars and travel document’s date of expiry.
- Photocopy of applicant’s Birth Certificate.
- Applicant’s highest Educational Certificates and transcripts (certified or notarised copy)
- A documentary proof of financial ability in the form of bank statements or fixed deposits or savings account (photocopy) if applicant comes from visa-required countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Vietnam and others.
Exemption from Applying for a Student’s Pass
A foreigner is exempted from applying for a Student’s Pass if he /she is a:
- Dependant's Pass holder studying in a Government/ Government-Aided/ Independent school/ Foreign System School/ Kindergarten registered with Ministry of Education (MOE) or Childcare centre licensed by Ministry of Community Development, Youth Sports (MCYS);
- Immigration Exemption Order holder; and
- Visitor who has been granted a short term Visit Pass at the Singapore Checkpoint and wish to attend a short course that can be completed within the validity period of the initial Visit Pass granted to him/her at the Singapore checkpoint or 30 days, whichever is shorter. It must also satisfy two other criteria, that is, the course:
- Must be a complete and stand-alone module of its own. Courses with multiple programme modules are excluded from this Student’s Pass exemption scheme; and
- Must not involve hands-on practical occupational training and/or industrial attachment which have interaction with walk-in customers or be conducted at premises that are also the places of business, e.g. hair salons and beauty salons.
Local Sponsor
With effect from 15 December 2008, local sponsor is NOT REQUIRED for submitted applications.
Security Deposit
Where applicable, a security deposit may be required from the applicant upon approval of the application. The amount of security deposit is as follows:
| Country | *Form of Security Deposit | Rate per Person |
|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh, Myanmar, People's Republic of China & India | Banker's Guarantee from any established bank in Singapore or Cashier's Order. | S$5,000.00 |
| Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand | Banker's Guarantee from any established bank in Singapore or Cashier's Order or NETS. | S$1,000.00 |
| Others | S$1,500.00 |
* Security Deposit in the form of Cashier's Order or NETS is only applicable for applicants aged less than 21 years old. Applicants 21 and above, Security Deposit are strictly by Banker’s Guarantee.
Submission
With effect from 1 June 2007, new applications are to be submitted via the Student’s Pass OnLine Application & Registration+ (SOLAR+) system.
New applications by PRC nationals, who are above 19 years old (i.e, passed their 19th birthday at the time their applications are submitted to Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA)) and wish to attend a language, commercial, vocational or fine arts non-graduate/postgraduate degree course [including the University of London (UOL) tuition programmes], will be routed to the Singapore Embassy in Beijing (where an interview with the applicant may be required) for processing before routing to ICA for assessment. The applications will be routed directly to ICA for assessment if the PRC nationals are intending to take up a full-time course at an approved PEO that is awarded the Singapore Quality Class for Private Education Organisation [SQC(PEO)] by SPRING, Singapore.
Processing Time
The general processing time for a new application is about four weeks [two weeks for PEOs that are awarded the SQC (PEO) status] upon the receipt of a duly completed application by ICA. Some applications may however take a longer time to process. The PEO will be notified of the outcome by post.
