The Singapore student visa you are searching for is officially called a Student’s Pass, issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority. The confirmed fees are small, the process runs online through a system called SOLAR, and for an Indian student the entry visa is issued together with the pass, so you do not apply for a separate visa at all.
This page walks the application in order, using ICA’s own figures, and flags the one number that circulates online without any ICA basis.
Is it a visa or a pass, and does the difference matter?
It’s a Student’s Pass, and the difference matters only because searching for the wrong word sends you to the wrong information. ICA issues the Student’s Pass to let you study, and for nationals who also need an entry visa, that visa is handled inside the same approval.
You cannot start the pass on your own. You must first be accepted into an approved full-time course, and if that course is at a private college, the college must be EduTrust-certified for the pass to be possible at all. Once you have the offer, the application runs jointly between you and the institution.
How does the Student’s Pass application work, step by step?
The whole process runs through SOLAR, which stands for Student’s Pass Online Application and Registration. Your institution starts it and you complete your half. In order, it goes like this.
- Your institution registers you in SOLAR and gives you a reference to log in with.
- You complete eForm 16, the Student’s Pass application form inside SOLAR, and pay the processing fee.
- ICA processes it and, if approved, issues an In-Principle Approval letter you use to travel.
- You complete the formalities in Singapore, which include a medical examination report if one is required for your course, and an appointment at ICA to have the pass issued.
- ICA issues the pass, and you pay the issuance fee and, if it applies to you, the Multiple Journey Visa fee.
The one part students get wrong is treating it as something they do alone. It isn’t. The institution is a required party at both ends, so stay in contact with its admissions or student pass office throughout.
What does the Student’s Pass cost?
Two fees are confirmed on ICA’s own issuance page, and they are small. ICA states that a S$60 issuance fee for the Student’s Pass and a S$30 Multiple Journey Visa fee, if applicable, are payable online after approval.
| Fee | Amount | When you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Issuance fee | S$60 | After approval, when the pass is issued |
| Multiple Journey Visa | S$30, if it applies to you | With the issuance fee |
| Processing fee | Charged at submission | When you submit through SOLAR |
Note the order. The processing fee comes first, when you submit, and it is non-refundable even if the application is later declined. The issuance and visa fees come last, only once the pass is approved. Sources differ on the exact processing amount, so read it off SOLAR at the point you apply rather than from any guide, including this one.
When should you apply?
Apply at least two months, and no more than three months, before your course starts. That is the window Singapore institutions publish for the Student’s Pass, and unusually, applying too early is a real problem, not only applying too late. An application filed outside the window can be rejected and force you to start again. Aim for the middle of the band once you have firm course dates.
Processing itself is quick. ICA works to about one week if you do not need an entry visa and about two weeks if you do, so the timeline is dominated by the submission window, not by ICA.
Do Indian students need a separate entry visa?
No. Some nationalities need a visa to enter Singapore as well as the pass to study, and Indian passport holders are in that group. The useful part is that you don’t apply for it separately.
The entry visa is issued as the Multiple Journey Visa, together with the Student’s Pass, which is exactly why the S$30 visa fee sits alongside the S$60 issuance fee on ICA’s page. One approval covers both the right to enter and the right to study, so there is no second application and no separate visa appointment.
How much money do you have to show?
ICA publishes no fixed bank-balance figure for the Student’s Pass, so the specific amounts you see quoted online are not an ICA rule. The widely repeated “show S$30,000” is a consultancy number, not an immigration requirement.
That doesn’t mean money is irrelevant. Your institution may ask for evidence that you can pay your fees and support yourself, and you should be ready to show that you can cover tuition and living costs, which run a typical student S$1,800 to S$2,800 a month. But treat a specific bank-balance threshold as something to confirm with your institution, not as a national rule set by ICA.
- The permit is a Student’s Pass from ICA, not a separate “study visa”. Your college applies with you through SOLAR.
- ICA confirms a S$60 issuance fee and a S$30 Multiple Journey Visa fee, paid online after approval.
- A non-refundable processing fee is charged when you submit, so check the current amount in SOLAR.
- Apply at least two months, and no more than three months, before your course starts.
- For an Indian student the entry visa comes with the pass. There is no separate visa application.
- ICA publishes no fixed bank-balance figure, so the “show S$30,000” claims you see are not an ICA rule.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Singapore student visa called?
It is a Student’s Pass, issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority. Indian students often search for a “student visa” or “study visa”, but the official permit to study is the Student’s Pass. For nationals who also need an entry visa, that visa is issued together with the pass.
How much does a Singapore Student’s Pass cost?
The two confirmed ICA fees, issuance and the entry visa, total S$90 and are paid online after approval. A separate non-refundable processing fee is charged earlier, at submission through SOLAR, and its amount is quoted inconsistently, so read it off SOLAR when you apply.
How do I apply for a Student’s Pass in Singapore?
Through SOLAR, the Student’s Pass Online Application and Registration system. Your institution registers you, you complete eForm 16 and pay the processing fee, ICA issues an In-Principle Approval letter, and you complete the formalities and any medical examination in Singapore before the pass is issued.
When should I apply for my Student’s Pass?
Two to three months before your course starts. Both ends are enforced, so an application filed too early can be rejected just as one filed too late can miss the start date. ICA processing itself takes only about one to two weeks, so the window, not the processing, is what governs your timing.
Do Indian students need a separate visa for Singapore?
No. Indian passport holders need an entry visa as well as the Student’s Pass, but the entry visa is issued as the Multiple Journey Visa together with the pass. There is no separate visa application, which is why the S$30 visa fee sits next to the S$60 issuance fee.
How much bank balance is needed for a Singapore student visa?
ICA does not publish a fixed bank-balance figure, so quoted amounts like S$30,000 are not an ICA requirement. Your institution may ask for evidence that you can pay fees and support yourself, so confirm any specific figure with your institution rather than treating it as a national rule.
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