Exit Permit (EP) and bond

On this page

  • What you need to know

  • What you need to do

  • Overview of requirements

  • When Exit Permit and bond are required

  • How to apply for Exit Permit and bond

  • Validity of Exit Permit

  • Cancelling Exit Permit

  • Related articles

Last updated 30 April 2024

What you need to know

  • Your son or ward has to comply with the Exit Permit (EP) and bond requirements once he turns 13 years old.
  • An EP is required if he intends to stay outside of Singapore for more than 3 months.
  • In some situations, a bond is required to get an EP. The bond is a legal agreement that he will return to Singapore before the expiry of his EP. If your son or ward does not return to Singapore before the expiry of his EP, he will be committing an offence and he will have to pay the amount indicated in his bond.
  • It is an offence if your son or ward remains outside of Singapore for 3 months or longer without a valid EP. He may be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to 3 years, or both.

What you need to do

  • Ensure your son or ward applies for an EP on the OneNS web portal if he will be overseas for 3 months or longer. No action is required if he is overseas for less than 3 months.
  • He may need to furnish a bond.
  • Start the application process up to 3 months before his departure date, to cater sufficient time for processing.

Overview of requirements

Every male Singaporean and Permanent Resident (PR) above 13 years old must comply with EP and bond requirements.

Between 13 and 16.5 years old

Duration overseas

3 months to less than 2 years

What’s needed

Exit Permit

Between 13 and 16.5 years old

Duration overseas

2 years or longer

What’s needed

Exit Permit and bond

Above 16.5 years old

Duration overseas

3 months or longer

What’s needed

Exit Permit and bond

When Exit Permit and bond are required

Exit Permit

If your son or ward is a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident (PR), he must apply for an Exit Permit (EP) if:

  • he is 13 years old or older, and
  • he will be overseas for 3 months or longer.

He does not need an EP if he is travelling overseas for less than 3 months. If your son or ward has enlisted or completed his full-time National Service (NS), the requirements for EP are different.

Exit Permit with bond

To get an EP, your son or ward will also need to provide a bond if either:

  • he will be overseas for 2 years or longer, from 13 to 16.5 years old, or
  • he will be overseas for 3 months or longer, after he turns 16.5 years old.

Your son or ward does not need a bond if he will be overseas for work attachments that are part of his academic curriculum, or seafaring internships.

Bond amount

The bond amount will be based on an assessment of both parents’ income. The bond amount is either $75,000 or 50% of the combined annual gross income of both parents for the preceding year, whichever is higher. By default, the bond will be by Banker’s Guarantee.

If he is asked to provide a bond but you are not able to do so, the Central Manpower Base (CMPB) will evaluate your situation on a case-by-case basis, based on its merits, and advise you accordingly.

How to apply for Exit Permit and bond

Your son or ward can use his Singpass to apply for an Exit Permit (EP) on the OneNS web portal. If your son is below 15 years old and does not have a Singpass account, he may contact the NS Call Centre at 1800 6373737 or contact@ns.sg.

He should apply for an EP up to 3 months before his departure date, to cater sufficient time to process an application, especially if a bond is required.

During the application, he will be asked to submit:

For those applying for deferment for overseas studies

  • Latest school letter, issued within the last 6 months, certifying the level and course of study, course commencement and completion dates.
  • If he does not have the latest school letter, he can provide other supporting documents that indicate the level and course of study, course commencement and completion dates.

For those applying for overseas deferment for other purposes

  • Supporting documents relating to the overseas travel or stay purpose.

Information required if your son or ward needs to provide a bond

Parents’ employment status and income tax assessment notices will be needed. Such as:

  • Latest Income Tax Assessment Notice or income statements, showing total income earned for the preceding year in Singapore and overseas, for both parents or guardians, if applicable.
  • For those without Income Tax Assessment Notice, an employment letter which indicates the gross income of the preceding year.
  • Proof of parents’ or guardian’s overseas employment or registration of business.
  • Copy of parents’ or guardian’s identity documents.

Validity of Exit Permit

If your son or ward’s application for an Exit Permit (EP) is successful, he will be notified via email. In most cases, his EP will have a validity of up to 2 years or the duration of your travel, whichever is shorter.

You must make sure that your son or ward has been issued an EP before or within 3 months of leaving Singapore and that he returns to Singapore before it expires.

If he’s staying overseas for longer

Your son or ward should renew his EP. Remind him to do so at least 2 months before its expiry. It is an offence to remain outside of Singapore after the EP expires. He may be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to 3 years, or both.

If your son or ward forgets to renew his EP and it has expired while he is overseas, contact the NS Call Centre at 1800 6373737 or contact@ns.sg immediately.

If the details of his overseas studies have changed

Your son or ward should apply for a new EP if there’s a change in the following details:

  • Place of study
  • Course of study
  • Institution he is studying at

Cancelling Exit Permit

Your son or ward should cancel his Exit Permit within 3 months of its start date if he is not leaving Singapore.

Visit the Central Manpower Base (CMPB) website for more information on Exit Permit and bond.

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