PR Approved? Here's Your Complete Checklist for What to Do Next

Quick answer: Approval is the milestone everyone plans for — the weeks right after it are the part nobody warns you about. There's a formalities appointment with a deadline attached, an Entry Permit and Re-Entry Permit to sort out, a blue IC to apply for, CPF contributions that start on a graduated schedule (not the full rate), a driving licence conversion window that's shorter than most people expect, and — depending on your home country — a citizenship or PR renunciation obligation that's entirely on you to handle, not something ICA reminds you about. None of this is complicated in isolation, but the deadlines overlap, and the ones you miss (REP, driving licence conversion) are the ones with real consequences. Here's the checklist in the order it actually matters.

Immediately: complete formalities before your acceptance window closes

Your In-Principle Approval letter comes with a validity period — typically a matter of months, not open-ended — within which you need to complete "formalities" with ICA: this is the in-person (or in some cases online) step where you accept the offer, and it's where your PR status actually takes effect. Miss the window on the letter and the approval can lapse, at which point there's no extension process — you'd be back to a fresh application.

• Check the exact deadline on your approval letter — it's specific to you, not a fixed rule.
• Complete formalities (biometrics, photo, and formally accepting PR status) within that window.
• Pay the Entry Permit fee (S$20) — this is what converts your approval into actual PR status, distinct from the card itself.

Same visit: apply for your Re-Entry Permit and blue IC

These aren't automatic add-ons — you apply for both separately, usually at the same appointment, and both cost money on top of the Entry Permit fee.

• Re-Entry Permit (REP) — S$10 per year of validity ICA grants (up to S$50 for the maximum five years). You need a valid REP every time you leave and re-enter Singapore as a PR; there's no grace period built in for a first-time applicant who skips this. See our full REP renewal guide for how the renewal cycle and the December 2025 rule change work once this first one expires.
• Blue identity card (NRIC) — S$50, and you'll need this for essentially everything else on this list: opening accounts, registering with CPF, signing a lease, enrolling children in school.

Budget roughly S$120 total for these three fees per adult applicant, on top of the S$100 application fee you already paid to apply.

First few weeks: get your CPF and tax status right

• Confirm your employer has started CPF contributions from your PR effective date — this should happen automatically through payroll once your IC is issued, but it's worth checking your first payslip after formalities rather than assuming it's correct.
• Understand the graduated rate — new PRs don't start at the full contribution rate. It's roughly 9% combined in year one and 24% in year two before reaching the full rate in year three. This isn't a mistake if your first payslip looks lower than a colleague's — see our CPF contribution rates for new PRs guide for the exact schedule and how to apply for full rates earlier if your employer agrees.
• You're a tax resident from day one as a PR — no 183-day test to clock, unlike a foreign employee. This mostly matters at your first tax filing; our first-year tax filing guide covers what's actually different.

Within 3 months: convert your driving licence

This is the deadline people miss most often simply because they don't know it exists. As a new PR, you have 3 months from your PR effective date to convert a foreign driving licence — far shorter than the 12-month window an ordinary visitor gets. Miss it, and the simplified conversion route generally isn't available anymore; you'd need to go through the full local licensing process instead. See our licence conversion guide for what's required and which nationalities need the practical test.

Handle any renunciation obligations back home

If your home country doesn't allow dual citizenship, or restricts holding permanent residence elsewhere while retaining full citizenship rights, that renunciation process is entirely yours to initiate — ICA doesn't manage it and won't chase you for it. Check your home country's specific rules (they vary widely) and start the paperwork early if it applies to you, since some countries' processes take months.

When you're ready: housing decisions

There's no rush here, but the eligibility clock starts from your In-Principle Approval date, not your IC collection date — so it's worth knowing where you stand even if you're not buying yet.

• HDB resale flats need 3 years of PR status (from your IPA date) plus a valid family nucleus — see our 3-year waiting period guide and HDB eligibility guide.
• Private property (condo) has no PR waiting period at all, if you want to buy sooner — compared side by side in our condo vs HDB guide.
• ABSD applies either way — 5% on a PR's first residential property, HDB or private. Details in our ABSD guide.
• Most CPF Housing Grants need a Citizen in the household — a PR-PR couple generally won't qualify. See our HDB grants guide before assuming a grant will apply.

Healthcare: know what you're covered for

• MediShield Life covers you automatically from your PR effective date, on the same claim limits as Citizens — no application needed. Details in our MediShield Life for PRs guide.
• The public hospital subsidy tier is lower for PRs than Citizens — roughly 50% inpatient / 25% outpatient versus up to 80% / 70%. This is the gap most new PRs underestimate; see whether private insurance is worth it.
• CHAS is Citizens-only — don't budget around it. Our CHAS and Medisave guide explains what you do and don't get.

If you have school-age or NS-liable children

• Primary school registration — PR children go through the same P1 phases as Citizens, but sit behind every Citizen distance band in balloting. See our P1 registration guide and the balloting priority breakdown.
• Sons who became PR as dependants are NS-liable — register at 16.5, enlist around 18, same as a Citizen son, even though a first-generation adult PR parent is usually exempt. See our National Service for PR sons guide — worth reading well before your son's mid-teens, not after.

Longer horizon: two things worth putting on a calendar now

• Your REP expiry date — set a reminder for 4-5 months before it expires, not three. Letting it lapse while you're overseas now carries a hard 180-day deadline under ICA's rules, with no route back if you miss it.
• Citizenship eligibility — the standard route opens after 2 years as a PR (age 21+), though it's a floor to apply, not a guarantee of approval. Our PR-to-citizenship timeline guide covers the routes, the renunciation requirement, and NS obligations that come with approval.
• A will — Singapore's intestacy rules apply based on domicile, not citizenship, so a PR without a will faces the same default statutory distribution a Citizen would. See our estate planning basics for PRs, especially if you hold assets overseas or want your CPF nomination sorted separately.

This article is general information, not immigration, tax, or financial advice, and reflects ICA, CPF Board, and IRAS rules as published as of September 2026 — always confirm current fees, deadlines, and requirements at ica.gov.sg and cpf.gov.sg. EasySGPR helps you prepare and strengthen a Singapore PR application you submit yourself via Singpass — we don't file on your behalf and we don't guarantee outcomes.