Bringing Nanay and Tatay to S'pore: no visa needed, but a long stay takes S$12,000 salary

Bringing your parents to Singapore takes no visa, but a long stay needs S$12,000 salary.

Filipino visitors get a visit pass at the checkpoint, often up to 30 days. Sponsoring a parent's Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) takes a fixed monthly salary of at least S$12,000.

For most kababayans, that makes a visit pass plus an ICA extension the route that works.

The visitor route

Philippine passport holders need no entry visa for Singapore. An ICA officer issues an electronic visit pass on arrival.

The officer sets the length, often up to 30 days. Check the e-Pass she receives for her exact date.

Your parents should carry proof they will go home: a return ticket, your address, and enough money for the trip.

SG Arrival Card

Submit the free SG Arrival Card in the three days before they fly.

Do it for them if they are not confident with a phone. Use an email you check, because the e-Pass lands there.

Airlines check for it before boarding, so a missing card causes trouble at NAIA, not Changi.

Extending her stay

Apply through ICA's online e-Service once her pass has 14 days or fewer left. ICA accepts no walk-ins.

ICA decides how long any extension runs and processes requests within five working days.

A S$40 fee applies if the extension takes her stay to 90 days or more from her entry date.

Approval is not automatic. Give an honest reason: family visit, child working here, a fixed date to go home.

Never let her overstay. It follows her the next time she tries to enter, and it can affect you as host.

The parent LTVP

MOM lets Employment Pass and S Pass holders sponsor a parent on an LTVP only if they earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$12,000. MOM counts your own fixed pay, not your household total.

The bar for a spouse or children sits lower, at S$6,000. See our guide to bringing your family on a Dependant's Pass.

Work Permit holders, kasambahay included, cannot sponsor family at all. No agent can bend the rule for a fee.

PRs and citizens

Singapore PRs and citizens sponsor a parent's LTVP through ICA, not MOM. A child aged 21 or over sponsors through ICA's e-Service with Singpass.

ICA lists no salary figure for this route. Fees are S$45 to apply and S$60 on issuance, plus S$30 for a Multiple Journey Visa if needed.

ICA processes most applications within six weeks, so give yourself lead time. Parents-in-law do not qualify.

Hospital bills

On a visit pass or an LTVP, your parents count as foreigners at any hospital.

They get no citizen or PR subsidy and no MediShield or MediSave. A short admission can run into thousands of dollars.

Buy visitor health insurance that covers the whole stay, and read the terms on pre-existing conditions.

If Nanay takes maintenance meds for hypertension, diabetes or her heart, pack enough plus extra, with the prescription in her hand-carry.

Before you book

Renew her Philippine passport if it falls within a year of expiry.

Budget for groceries, transport and days out. Our travel guide from kababayans who live here lists free light shows and hawker meals.

Then build the trip around a rest day or two of your own, and confirm the parent salary bar on MOM's LTVP eligibility page.