Retiring in Singapore: Stay Options, Tax on a French Pension, Cost of Living and Health

At the date of consultation, neither the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) nor the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) presents a dedicated retiree visa: the passes available rest on employment, a family tie, study or investment. A French retiree wishing to live there therefore looks at three avenues: an extended visit stay, a family-linked Long-Term Visit Pass, or permanent resident status through investment.

This reality explains why many French retirees compare Singapore with its neighbours: the last section of this page points to Malaysia and Thailand. The page on living in Singapore describes daily life, neighbourhoods and the rules of life for those who choose the island all the same.

Visit stay: a French national receives on arrival a social visit pass of 90 days at most, with a passport valid for at least 6 months after departure (France Diplomatie). The ICA reviews extension applications made online, filed when 14 days or less of validity remain; processing takes 5 working days, and a fee of 40 SGD applies when the stay reaches 90 days, then for each further block of 90 days. The ICA assesses each application in light of the circumstances and the presence of close relatives who are citizens or permanent residents. A long stay is therefore at the ICA’s discretion.

Long-Term Visit Pass: the ICA grants it in particular to the spouse, the unmarried child and the parent of a citizen or permanent resident; a child aged 21 and over sponsors the application with Singpass. Parents-in-law are not eligible. The spouse of a citizen may qualify for the LTVP+, which offers longer residence. For its part, the MOM allows an Employment Pass or S Pass holder earning at least 12,000 SGD of fixed salary a month to sponsor their parents; the pass then follows the duration of the main pass.

A retiree joining a child settled in Singapore examines these conditions with the ICA before any move. The page on expat family insurance explains cover for relatives.

The Global Investor Programme (GIP), run by the Economic Development Board (EDB), confers permanent resident status on global investors who intend to grow their businesses from Singapore. The candidate must show a substantial entrepreneurial track record. This programme is not a retirement route; it is presented here for information, based on the EDB factsheet updated in May 2025.

• Option A: an investment of at least 10 million SGD in a new entity or in the expansion of a business in Singapore, with at least 30% of the capital and a place on the management team.
• Option B: 25 million SGD invested in an approved “GIP-select” fund that places its capital in Singapore companies.
• Option C: setting up a family wealth management office in Singapore with at least 200 million SGD of assets, of which at least 50 million SGD transferred to and kept in Singapore.

After approval in principle, valid for 6 months, the investor meets the investment condition within 6 months, then formalises permanent residence within 12 months; a re-entry permit valid for 5 years is then issued (EDB). These thresholds reserve the programme for very particular wealth profiles, and most French retirees look at other countries.

The tax treaty between France and Singapore, signed on 15 January 2015 and in force since 1 June 2016, aims to avoid double taxation of income (Légifrance). For pensions:

• Private pensions (article 17): pensions and similar remuneration paid to a resident of a State in respect of past employment are taxable only in that State, i.e. in Singapore for a retiree who is a tax resident of Singapore.
• Public pensions (article 18): pensions paid by a State or one of its entities for services rendered are taxable only in that State, unless the recipient is a resident of the other State and holds its nationality without holding that of the paying State. For a retiree of French nationality, a French public pension therefore remains taxed in France.

On the Singapore side, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) specifies that a foreigner is a tax resident after 183 days of stay in the previous calendar year, or 3 consecutive years of presence, and that foreign-source income received in Singapore, including deposited into a Singapore bank account, is generally not taxable, unless it passes through a partnership based in Singapore. Residents apply a progressive scale of 0 to 24%, detailed in the page on working in Singapore.

Each situation depends on the tax residence adopted, the nature of the pension and any additional income: a tax adviser or the tax authorities confirm the treatment before departure. The guide on receiving your pension abroad details the payment of French pensions, and the guide on quarters worked abroad the rights acquired.

According to SingStat, a resident household spent on average 5,931 SGD a month in 2023, of which 29.8% on housing, 20.0% on food and 13.4% on transport; these averages concern households of all compositions and are lower for a single person. Housing remains the major item: in the second quarter of 2026, the median rent of a 3-room HDB flat runs from 2,500 SGD (Choa Chu Kang) to 3,300 SGD (Central area), and that of a 4-room flat from 3,000 SGD to 4,600 SGD (HDB).

A person who receives no local salary builds their budget from their pension, their savings and any rents received in France. The cost of health is a decisive element: without subsidy, a hospital stay or chronic treatment is billed at the full rate, detailed in the page on the Singapore healthcare system. The guide to budgeting for health abroad helps put a figure on this line.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) reserves MediShield Life, MediSave, MediFund and CHAS for citizens and permanent residents. A French retiree holding a Long-Term Visit Pass or on a visit stay therefore pays for care at the unsubsidised rate. France Diplomatie estimates hospitalisation at around €2,300 a day at the patient’s expense, states that the embassy does not cover costs and asks you to hold an assistance contract or insurance that covers surgery, hospitalisation and medical repatriation.

The CFE offers a plan for retirees from €147 a month, whose price varies with age, country and family composition. Age-appropriate international health insurance remains the alternative solution, with a medical questionnaire and ceilings to compare. The guides on a retiree’s health insurance abroad, the S1 form and CFE or private insurance complete the choice, as does the page on retirement insurance abroad. The page on reimbursement in Singapore describes each situation.

For lack of a retiree visa in Singapore, many retirees look at neighbouring countries, which offer dedicated residence frameworks. The page on retiring in Thailand presents retirement visas available from age 50, with their financial and insurance conditions, and the Malaysia country guide describes the MM2H long-term residence programme, which requires health insurance valid in Malaysia. The Thailand country guide brings together the insurance obligations. Singapore can remain a destination for short stays from these countries, for care, travel or family visits.