Help
Hi All
I'm a UK citizen with an Indonesian wife ... we've been considering the possiblity of retiring to Singapore, but there's some things we're not sure of.
Does anyone know if that's allowed? Do either of us need a sponsor? Or a lot of money in the bank?
How do we go about finding somewhere to live in Singapore, and can anyone point us to reliable information about costs of housing, renting and general cost of living expenses so we can work out whether we can afford to live there?
Also, as I'm still in my early fifties, and a qualified psychiatric nurse, does anyone know how easy/difficult it is to get work out there - especially in the field of mental health, or perhaps elderly care?
Really appreciate your help.
Cheers, folks.
Trev and Ana.
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Can A UK Citizen Retire to Singapore?
#2
Posted 12 December 2007 - 09:25 PM
I don't think that there is a retirement visa option for Singapore.
Permanent Resident status has to be applied for and granted during a working contract and before the age of 50.
Otherwise you must invest a minimum of SGD1 million in the Singapore economy.
As for costs of living, a lot depends on your lifestyle:
Booze is expensive. A bottle of spirits is 2 - 3 times what I'd pay for in Aus.
Accommodation is expensive compared to neighboring countries, but probably on par with Aus.
Owning a car is expensive.
Most other things are pretty cheap, eating out, buses, taxis etc.
Permanent Resident status has to be applied for and granted during a working contract and before the age of 50.
Otherwise you must invest a minimum of SGD1 million in the Singapore economy.
As for costs of living, a lot depends on your lifestyle:
Booze is expensive. A bottle of spirits is 2 - 3 times what I'd pay for in Aus.
Accommodation is expensive compared to neighboring countries, but probably on par with Aus.
Owning a car is expensive.
Most other things are pretty cheap, eating out, buses, taxis etc.
This post has been edited by TizMe: 12 December 2007 - 09:31 PM
#3
Posted 29 December 2008 - 07:58 PM
Twelve months after the original post but...
Seeing as your wife is Indonesian, why not settle there? If you have a superannuation nest egg, it'll last a lot longer there than in Singapore.
An alternative could also be Malaysia. There's the Malaysia My Second Home scheme http://www.mm2h.com/ . You may even be allowed to cross into Singapore to work or simply work where you live. Get yourself a TESOL certificate and you can teach English for some pocket money.
What you will also have to deal with in Singapore is that the majority of Indonesian women in Singapore are there as maids. Stories abound about how poorly some Singaporeans treat their Indonesian and Philipina maids, and your wife may not be looked on favourably there.
Hope this helps.
Seeing as your wife is Indonesian, why not settle there? If you have a superannuation nest egg, it'll last a lot longer there than in Singapore.
An alternative could also be Malaysia. There's the Malaysia My Second Home scheme http://www.mm2h.com/ . You may even be allowed to cross into Singapore to work or simply work where you live. Get yourself a TESOL certificate and you can teach English for some pocket money.
What you will also have to deal with in Singapore is that the majority of Indonesian women in Singapore are there as maids. Stories abound about how poorly some Singaporeans treat their Indonesian and Philipina maids, and your wife may not be looked on favourably there.
Hope this helps.
#4
Posted 30 December 2008 - 06:24 PM
TizMe, on 2007-12-12 21:25:04, said:
I don't think that there is a retirement visa option for Singapore.
There is a retirement visa now quietly available but not really on "general" release yet - this is according to a Singaporean lawyer I know - it is aimed at wealthy retirees who may want to keep their offshore money in Singapore, and spend some time but not necessarily all their time there (note: without a valid visa it is generally difficult to open a bank account in SG)
CC
#5
Posted 12 February 2009 - 08:34 PM
One option that might be worth exploring is to set up a small, one person business here. It's very easy to do, there is a visa available for those who wish to do so and you could do just enough business to keep it ticking over - teaching, writing, selling over the internet, whatever. Ministry of Manpower and EnterpriseOne have more information.
Otherwise, neighbouring Malaysia has schemes to attract retirees.
Otherwise, neighbouring Malaysia has schemes to attract retirees.
#6
Posted 14 February 2009 - 11:09 AM
why the he11 do you want to retired in Singapore, there is nothing there, you will get bore of it soon enough, bad choice.
#7
Posted 14 February 2009 - 12:43 PM
Each to their own.
I much prefer to live in Singapore than Thailand.
No "farang" prices.
No corrupt policeman stopping you in the street for their "tea" money.
No ladyboys manhandling you and picking your pockets as you walk down the street.
No f###ing idiots shutting down the airport because the government they voted for wasn't voted for by everybody else.
No rubbish litterred around the streets.
No f###ing pickups driving around my street blaring advertisments from speakers.
No f###ing villiage speakers that blare out the radio to the entire villiage at 6am whether you want to sleep in or not.
I could go on...
I much prefer to live in Singapore than Thailand.
chingy_, on 2009-02-14 11:09:14, said:
there is nothing there
No "farang" prices.
No corrupt policeman stopping you in the street for their "tea" money.
No ladyboys manhandling you and picking your pockets as you walk down the street.
No f###ing idiots shutting down the airport because the government they voted for wasn't voted for by everybody else.
No rubbish litterred around the streets.
No f###ing pickups driving around my street blaring advertisments from speakers.
No f###ing villiage speakers that blare out the radio to the entire villiage at 6am whether you want to sleep in or not.
I could go on...
#8
Posted 14 February 2009 - 01:21 PM
TizMe, on 2009-02-14 11:43:01, said:
No f###ing villiage speakers that blare out the radio to the entire villiage at 6am whether you want to sleep in or not.
So it *wasn't* all a bad dream? They really do switch those fu":ing things on? I thought it was all a bad bad dream, like something out of Clockwork Orange.
#9
Posted 14 February 2009 - 03:23 PM
TizMe, on 2009-02-14 12:43:01, said:
Each to their own.
I much prefer to live in Singapore than Thailand.
No "farang" prices.
No corrupt policeman stopping you in the street for their "tea" money.
No ladyboys manhandling you and picking your pockets as you walk down the street.
No f###ing idiots shutting down the airport because the government they voted for wasn't voted for by everybody else.
No rubbish litterred around the streets.
No f###ing pickups driving around my street blaring advertisments from speakers.
No f###ing villiage speakers that blare out the radio to the entire villiage at 6am whether you want to sleep in or not.
I could go on...
I much prefer to live in Singapore than Thailand.
No "farang" prices.
No corrupt policeman stopping you in the street for their "tea" money.
No ladyboys manhandling you and picking your pockets as you walk down the street.
No f###ing idiots shutting down the airport because the government they voted for wasn't voted for by everybody else.
No rubbish litterred around the streets.
No f###ing pickups driving around my street blaring advertisments from speakers.
No f###ing villiage speakers that blare out the radio to the entire villiage at 6am whether you want to sleep in or not.
I could go on...
Hear hear! And can I add:
The best food in Asia
You can walk anywhere day or not and not feel threatened
So multi-cultural I don't even feel like a foreigner (bit different to being "Khun Farang" in Thailand)
English is the main language
Easy to get a job
Easy to set up a business
Great health care service
The services all work
Great public transport
Plenty of beaches, cycle tracks, parks, tropical rainforests, art galleries, museums, etc
I could go on too...
#10
Posted 14 February 2009 - 04:51 PM
than why not just stay home country. everything is there too.
#11
Posted 14 February 2009 - 05:59 PM
If it's a choice between London, with all the stinking litter, dreadlocked hobos, graffiti covered underpasses that stink of stale urine, hoodies and thugs that make waiting for a bus a frightening experience, not to mention the CRAP public transport network... I'd take Singapore or Hong Kong any day.
#12
Posted 14 February 2009 - 07:47 PM
chingy_, on 2009-02-14 16:51:03, said:
than why not just stay home country. everything is there too.
| $0 – $6,000 | 0% |
| $6,001 – $34,000 | 15% |
| $34,001 – $80,000 | 30% |
| $80,001 – $180,000 | 40% |
| $180,001 and over | 45% |
| S$20,000 | 0% |
| S$20,000 - S$30,000 | 3.5% |
| S$30,000 - S$40,000 | 5.5% |
| S$40,000 - S$80,000 | 8.5% |
| S$80,000 - S$160,000 | 14% |
| S$160,000 - S$320,000 | 17% |
| S$320,000 and above | 20% |
#13
Posted 21 February 2009 - 06:04 AM
Mandrunk, on 2009-02-14 18:59:22, said:
If it's a choice between London, with all the stinking litter, dreadlocked hobos, graffiti covered underpasses that stink of stale urine, hoodies and thugs that make waiting for a bus a frightening experience, not to mention the CRAP public transport network... I'd take Singapore or Hong Kong any day.
Interesting to compare London with Singapore and Hongkong, as both are former British colonies...
chingy_, on 2009-02-14 12:09:14, said:
why the he11 do you want to retired in Singapore, there is nothing there, you will get bore of it soon enough, bad choice.
There is no reason to retire in Singapore nor in any other rich Asian country, for example here in Japan.
If you are retired and you have your secured income, you better should move on to a low-priced country, like Thailand, where housing and personal help when you get old, is much much cheaper.
About Singapore, better go over the border to Malaysia for retirement in Johore Bahru. You can visit Singapore any time, daily if you like.
TizMe, on 2009-02-14 13:43:01, said:
Each to their own.
I much prefer to live in Singapore than Thailand.
I much prefer to live in Singapore than Thailand.
If you compare Singapore with Thailand....
But better to compare a city with a city and not as a country with a country. Singapore is tiny and Thailand is wide...
So maybe to compare Singapore with Phuket?
But to compare rich with poor will bring similar results everywhere... for example to prefer to live in London and not in Sofia or Bucarest...
If you ask me, if I prefer Tokyo to Singapore, for me the choice is easy. Singapore? No way!
I would not call Singapore even an 'Asian' country/or city. It is a Western-style city controlled by a little arrogant dictatorship-government, a little island serving as hub for business/transit.
#14
Posted 21 February 2009 - 08:08 PM
Andiamo, on 2009-02-14 14:23:09, said:
Hear hear! And can I add:
The best food in Asia
You can walk anywhere day or not and not feel threatened
So multi-cultural I don't even feel like a foreigner (bit different to being "Khun Farang" in Thailand)
English is the main language
Easy to get a job
Easy to set up a business
Great health care service
The services all work
Great public transport
Plenty of beaches, cycle tracks, parks, tropical rainforests, art galleries, museums, etc
I could go on too...
The best food in Asia
You can walk anywhere day or not and not feel threatened
So multi-cultural I don't even feel like a foreigner (bit different to being "Khun Farang" in Thailand)
English is the main language
Easy to get a job
Easy to set up a business
Great health care service
The services all work
Great public transport
Plenty of beaches, cycle tracks, parks, tropical rainforests, art galleries, museums, etc
I could go on too...
I like Singapore too!
#15
Posted 21 February 2009 - 11:55 PM
Mandrunk, on 2009-02-14 16:59:22, said:
If it's a choice between London, with all the stinking litter, dreadlocked hobos, graffiti covered underpasses that stink of stale urine, hoodies and thugs that make waiting for a bus a frightening experience, not to mention the CRAP public transport network... I'd take Singapore or Hong Kong any day.
Sh!t, that sounds like a tough choice. I don't know how you were able to make it so quickly. The colorful description alone makes my nostrils ache.
#16
Posted 09 March 2009 - 10:54 PM
soorry, singapore needs pyschiatric nurses. lots of people becoming crazy, why don't try get a job at the singapore mental health institute first and decide later if you want to settle here. do a google to find out the url for singapore mental health institute to check out if they have any job opening. your wife can apply for a dependent pass if you can find work here.
#17
Posted 11 March 2009 - 12:15 PM
I often take the cynical view that all big cities look alike in most respects- at least superficially. Singapore will differ from Sydney, Auckland, London and so on only in deeper respects.
The fact that Singers is almost so clean you could drop your sandwhich on the footpath, pick it up and eat the rest of it with very little chance of a gastric consequence can be taken as either a good thing or a bad thing. Ditto, or perhaps double ditto for the Singaporean government.
Seven out of every nine Singaporeans are ethnically Chinese, many of whom have a superficially western lifestyle, so you can take the island republic as being a good introduction to dealing with "Asians" or "Orientals" without too much fear of being tsunamied by foreign culture or "no speaky English".
I really don't like running Singapore down- though anyone else can, if they have a valid argument. (Just shooting your mouth of without a valid reason just makes you a tool.) I know the place has issues with the way things are run, but there are a heck of a lot of things the place has going for it that we either don't have here in Australia, or have lost. Social order and fundamental respect for one's elders and betters being prime examples.
But in this, Tiz, you have to take into account how the respective governments raise money from other sources. Singapore has no natural resources. It even imports labour to power its construction industry and maids to clean their houses as most would consider it beneath them to do such jobs.
Australia has a whopping social security bill. At last look it was of the order of AUD 70 to 80 billion per annum. And that for a country of just over 21½ million people. I don't even want to get started on this issue: (A) I'll get p*ssed off and cranky for the rest of the afternoon and (
I really don't know the entire situation and don't wish to shoot my mouth off with a volley of comment based on my own ignorance.
The fact that Singers is almost so clean you could drop your sandwhich on the footpath, pick it up and eat the rest of it with very little chance of a gastric consequence can be taken as either a good thing or a bad thing. Ditto, or perhaps double ditto for the Singaporean government.
Seven out of every nine Singaporeans are ethnically Chinese, many of whom have a superficially western lifestyle, so you can take the island republic as being a good introduction to dealing with "Asians" or "Orientals" without too much fear of being tsunamied by foreign culture or "no speaky English".
I really don't like running Singapore down- though anyone else can, if they have a valid argument. (Just shooting your mouth of without a valid reason just makes you a tool.) I know the place has issues with the way things are run, but there are a heck of a lot of things the place has going for it that we either don't have here in Australia, or have lost. Social order and fundamental respect for one's elders and betters being prime examples.
TizMe, on 2009-02-14 21:47:54, said:
But in this, Tiz, you have to take into account how the respective governments raise money from other sources. Singapore has no natural resources. It even imports labour to power its construction industry and maids to clean their houses as most would consider it beneath them to do such jobs.
Australia has a whopping social security bill. At last look it was of the order of AUD 70 to 80 billion per annum. And that for a country of just over 21½ million people. I don't even want to get started on this issue: (A) I'll get p*ssed off and cranky for the rest of the afternoon and (
I really don't know the entire situation and don't wish to shoot my mouth off with a volley of comment based on my own ignorance.
#18
Posted 11 March 2009 - 12:53 PM
he1l just retire where mandy live, in the boonies out of no where, its cheap with nothing to do except riding buffallo, take a walk down the dirt road, once in a while have a beer with wife, if you really have extra time just go dig some irrigation, shiet rice field smell good in the morning Couf!! Couf!!... 
just k/d mand. 
just k/d mand.
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