Exit Permit (EP) and bond

Exit Permit

If you’re a Singapore citizen or Permanent Resident (PR), you must apply for an Exit Permit (EP) if:

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

You do not need an EP if you are travelling overseas for less than 3 months. If you have enlisted or completed your full-time National Service (NS), the requirements for EP are different.

Exit Permit with bond

To get an EP, you will also need to provide a bond if:

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

You do not need a bond if you will be overseas for work attachments that are part of your 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 you are 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.

You can use Singpass to apply for an Exit Permit (EP) on the OneNS web portal. If you’re below 15 years old and do not have a Singpass account, you may contact the NS Call Centre at 1800 6373737 or contact@ns.sg.

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

During the application, you 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 you do not have the latest school letter, you 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 you need 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.

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

You must make sure that you have been issued an EP before or within 3 months of leaving Singapore, and that you return to Singapore before it expires.

If you’re staying overseas for longer

You should renew your EP at least 2 months before its expiry. It is an offence to remain outside of Singapore after the EP expires. You may be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to 3 years, or both.

If you forget to renew your EP and it expires while you’re overseas, contact the NS Call Centre at 1800 6373737 or contact@ns.sg immediately.

If the details of your overseas studies have changed

You should apply for a new EP if there’s a change in the following details:

• Place of study
• Course of study
• Institution you’re studying at

You should cancel your Exit Permit within 3 months of its start date if you’re not leaving Singapore.

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