Citizenship and passes for your baby in Singapore: who needs what, and by when

Your baby's citizenship and passes depend on your own status and where the birth happened. If you're married and one of you is a Singapore citizen, a baby born here is a citizen automatically, ICA says, so you only register the birth. Any other baby born in Singapore gets a Special Pass for 42 days and needs a passport and a longer pass before it ends. A baby born overseas to a Singapore citizen needs a citizenship application, best made before the first birthday.

How to sort out your baby's citizenship or pass, step by step

1. Register a Singapore birth on LifeSG within 42 days. ICA charges S$18, and you download the digital birth certificate within 90 days. See how to register a birth in Singapore.
2. Check your baby's status. ICA says a child born here to legally married parents, where either parent is a Singapore citizen, is a citizen automatically.
3. If your baby isn't a citizen, find the Special Pass end date on the Advisory Note that comes with the digital birth certificate. ICA gives 42 days from the date of birth.
4. Apply for your baby's passport at your own embassy or high commission straight away. MOM asks Employment Pass and S Pass parents to get the passport and apply for the pass within 6 weeks of birth.
5. On an Employment Pass or S Pass, ask your employer to apply for a Dependant's Pass on the myMOM Portal. MOM charges $105 to apply and $225 when the pass is issued.
6. If you're permanent residents, sponsor your baby for a Long-Term Visit Pass on ICA's e-Service. ICA charges S$45 to apply and S$60 to issue it, and processes most within 6 weeks.
7. Running out of days? If the passport is late and the ICA Advisory Note ends within 7 days, ask MOM to extend the Special Pass. Without a Dependant's Pass, use ICA's extension of stay form to renew it or apply for a visit pass.
8. For a baby born overseas, register the birth in that country, then the Singapore citizen parent applies for citizenship on ICA's e-Service. The fee is S$18 and ICA takes up to 1 month when documents are in order.
9. Once your baby is a citizen, join Baby Bonus and apply for a Singapore passport. Our guides to Baby Bonus and parenthood support and applying for a baby passport take it from there.

Which route fits your family

MOM issues the Dependant's Pass to dependants of eligible work pass holders. ICA generally issues the Long-Term Visit Pass to dependants of citizens and PRs.

Born overseas: Singapore citizenship by descent

For a baby born today, Article 122 of the Constitution lets either parent pass on citizenship by descent, whether that parent is a citizen by birth, registration or descent. Two extra conditions apply to some parents.

• If you're a citizen by descent yourself, you must have lived in Singapore lawfully for at least 5 years in total before the birth, or at least 2 years in total in the 5 years just before it.
• If you're a citizen by registration and your baby gets the birth country's citizenship just by being born there, citizenship by descent doesn't apply.

ICA checks your child's eligibility when the application arrives. A child who doesn't qualify by descent is then considered for citizenship by registration.

Singapore doesn't register births that happen abroad, so you register your baby with the local authorities first. Then the Singapore citizen parent applies on ICA's citizenship e-Service with Singpass. Have these ready, as ICA's document checklist lists them where they apply:

• Your baby's foreign birth certificate.
• A recent colour digital photo, 400 x 514 pixels, on a white background.
• Your baby's passport or travel document, if it wasn't issued by ICA.
• Your marriage certificate if you married outside Singapore, plus any adoption, divorce or custody papers.
• An official translation of anything not in English.

The S$18 fee applies when the birth mother is a citizen, or the father is a citizen married to her at the birth, and there's no fee for the citizenship certificate. Other children pay S$100, plus S$70 for the certificate. ICA processes overseas-born children's applications within 1 month when every document is in order, and sends an In-Principle Approval letter once it approves.

Apply before your baby turns 1. The Constitution allows one year from the birth, or a longer period if the Government permits it. A later application needs a letter explaining the delay, says Singapore's Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City, and the High Commission in New Delhi asks for extra papers too, such as the parents' employment letter and 3 years of income tax assessments. If the first birthday has passed, call ICA's citizenship unit before you apply.

Once approved, your baby can get a Singapore passport, which needs citizenship first. Singapore doesn't recognise dual citizenship, CMPB says. Within 12 months of turning 21, your child gives up any foreign citizenship and takes the Oath of Renunciation, Allegiance and Loyalty, or loses Singapore citizenship at 22. The oath is free and done in person on the day, at ICA or the nearest Singapore Overseas Mission.

Sons also have National Service duties. CMPB says male citizens are liable for NS from 13, even when living overseas, register at 16.5 and are enlisted at the earliest chance from 18. A son of 13 or older living overseas with you may need an Exit Permit and a bond.

Work pass parents: a Dependant's Pass for your newborn

MOM lets your employer apply for a Dependant's Pass for your baby if you hold an Employment Pass or S Pass, earn a fixed monthly salary of at least $6,000, and the company sponsoring you is an established Singapore-registered one.

MOM asks work pass parents to register the birth within 14 calendar days, well inside ICA's 42. The pass application needs a copy of the birth certificate stating the parents' names, so registration comes first.

If the passport isn't ready, your employer uploads proof that you've applied, such as a letter from the embassy. MOM only issues the pass once the passport is ready. Most applications get an outcome within 3 weeks.

A Special Pass issued by MOM extends itself by 28 days if the Dependant's Pass isn't ready. If you hold ICA's Advisory Note instead, ask for an extension, but only once it has 7 days or less left. If the application is refused, MOM won't extend the Special Pass, so the baby leaves before it ends or you ask ICA for an extension of stay.

Not eligible, or not applying? MOM points you to a Long-Term Visit Pass, or to ICA for a visit pass or a Special Pass extension.

PR parents and other pass holders

ICA's automatic citizenship needs a citizen parent, so a baby born to PR parents starts on the same 42-day Special Pass. As PRs, you can sponsor your baby for two things on ICA's e-Service.

• A Long-Term Visit Pass, for a child under 21 of a citizen or PR, born within a legal marriage or adopted. It costs S$45 to apply and S$60 to issue, and ICA processes most within 6 weeks.
• Permanent residence, for an unmarried child under 21 born within a legal marriage or adopted. It costs S$100 to apply, and ICA generally decides within 6 months.

We found no deadline after the birth on ICA's PR page. The date that matters is day 42, when the Special Pass ends, so start the Long-Term Visit Pass first. If it won't be ready in time, ICA's extension of stay form renews the Special Pass.

Neither of you a citizen or PR, and on a Long-Term Visit Pass or another ICA pass? ICA's Long-Term Visit Pass for children covers children of citizens and PRs only, so use the extension of stay form and call ICA before day 42.

What citizenship changes for Baby Bonus and the CDA

Your child must be a Singapore citizen to join the Baby Bonus Scheme, LifeSG says. A baby who becomes a citizen after birth still qualifies: full benefits if at least one parent was a citizen at the birth, pro-rated if neither was. Citizenship has to come before your child turns 12, and you apply by 31 December of the year they turn 12.

For a baby born overseas, MSF says citizenship comes first and the Baby Bonus application second. The Cash Gift needs married parents. Citizen children of never-married parents, born on or after 1 September 2016, still get the CDA benefits.

LifeSG also says the SG Child Support Package will replace Baby Bonus, and enrolled children move across automatically. For the amounts, see our Baby Bonus guide, the Baby Bonus calculator and, for single parents, single parent benefits.

Where to get help

• ICA call centre: +65 6391 6100, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5.30pm.
• ICA Services Centre: 2 Crawford Street, Singapore 207218, Monday to Friday, 8am to 4.30pm.
• ICA's citizenship unit takes questions on an overseas-born child's application and its status at +65 6391 6324 or ICA_Citizenship_Unit@ica.gov.sg, as listed by Singapore's High Commission in London.
• MOM, for the Dependant's Pass: 6438 5122 for local callers, Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm, or the online feedback and enquiries form on MOM's contact page.

Ask ICA or MOM if your family sits outside the table, such as parents who aren't married, an adopted baby, or a parent who is a citizen by descent. Ask before the Special Pass ends.

For the rest of the newborn paperwork, work through our after-birth admin checklist. Planning a trip? Travel after giving birth covers flying with a newborn.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get Singapore citizenship for a baby born overseas?

Register the birth where your baby was born. Then the Singapore citizen parent applies on ICA's e-Service with Singpass and sends the foreign birth certificate and a digital photo. ICA processes it within 1 month when your documents are complete.

Is there a time limit for citizenship by descent in Singapore?

The Constitution gives one year from the birth, or longer if the Government permits it. Apply before the first birthday. After it, include a letter explaining the delay, as Singapore's Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City asks, and call ICA's citizenship unit first.

Can my newborn get PR in Singapore if we're both PRs?

You can apply. ICA lets a PR parent sponsor an unmarried child under 21 born within a legal marriage, for S$100, and generally decides within 6 months. Until then, a Long-Term Visit Pass keeps your baby here after the 42-day Special Pass.

When must I apply for a Dependant's Pass for my newborn in Singapore?

Within 6 weeks of birth, MOM says. Your employer submits it on the myMOM Portal, with the passport or proof that you've applied for one. Staying past 42 days without a pass is an offence under the Immigration Act, so ask for a Special Pass extension if the passport runs late.

Can a newborn baby get a Long-Term Visit Pass?

Yes, if a parent is a Singapore citizen or PR and your baby was born within a legal marriage or adopted. That parent sponsors it on ICA's e-Service for S$45, plus S$60 when it's issued.

Does my baby need Singapore citizenship to get the Baby Bonus?

Yes. LifeSG says your child must be a Singapore citizen, and a baby who becomes one after birth still qualifies. Benefits are full if one parent was a citizen at the birth and pro-rated if neither was.