Part of our Nursing Councils of the World series. Last checked: October 2026.
Nurses and midwives in Singapore are regulated by the Singapore Nursing Board (SNB) under the Nurses and Midwives Act. Singapore relies heavily on foreign-trained nurses from the Philippines, India, Myanmar, Malaysia and elsewhere. Its process has one rule that surprises many applicants: you cannot apply on your own.
Quick answer: SNB fees for a foreign-trained nurse come to about S$255 plus GST (roughly US$195) in total:
- S$60 application fee, paid when you apply online
- S$85 + GST for the licensure exam, paid when you book with Pearson VUE
- S$55 registration or enrolment fee and S$55 practising certificate, paid on approval
- These are approximate. Check the SNB’s official fees page before paying, and ask your employer: many reimburse them.
Employer-only applications
- You need a job offer from an eligible healthcare institution with inpatient services.
- The hospital’s HR first checks with the SNB that it is allowed to employ foreign-trained nurses, then submits the application for you online.
- The SNB does not deal with recruitment agents. Agents must work through the hospital’s HR.
- The SNB sends the outcome to your employer, not to you.
Who is eligible
- You must have completed a pre-registration (RN) or pre-enrolment (EN) nursing or midwifery programme that the SNB assesses as equivalent to an accredited Singapore programme.
- You must be registered in the country where you trained and hold a current practising licence.
- You need relevant clinical practice within the past five years. A gap of more than a year needs a service gap letter.
- Documents not in English need certified official translations.
Verification goes direct to the SNB
You must arrange for every nursing regulator where you have been registered or practised to send verification of your registration directly to the SNB. Your school must also send your transcript, broken down into theory and clinical hours or weeks. These should come from an official institutional email. Copies you send yourself are not accepted. Start this early, because slow councils and schools are the most common cause of delay.
The SNB Licensure Examination
- Foreign-trained applicants usually sit the SNB RN or EN Licensure Examination, and a competency assessment may also be required.
- Since 28 November 2024 it has been a computer-based test delivered by Pearson VUE.
- Once the SNB authorises you, you receive an Authorisation to Test (ATT) email from Pearson VUE. You then book a date and centre within the authorised period. Many candidates sit it in their home country.
- Bring a passport that matches the details your employer submitted exactly.
- The SNB publishes test plans and sample questions for both the RN and EN exams. Use them, because they show exactly what is tested.
Fees (approximate)
| Item | SGD | When paid |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | 60 | On online application |
| Licensure exam (Pearson VUE) | 85 + GST | When booking |
| Registration / enrolment fee | 55 | On approval |
| Practising certificate | 55 | On approval |
| Total | about 255 + GST (about USD 195) |
Provisional registration
The SNB may grant provisional registration or enrolment rather than full registration at first. The Ministry of Health has also described an on-the-job assessment during a 6–12 month probation for newly hired foreign-trained RNs. Applicants who do not meet the RN standard may be offered enrolment as an Enrolled Nurse, who works under RN supervision. Ask your employer exactly which status you will start on, and what you need to do to move to full registration.
Practising certificate and mandatory CPE
Practising certificates are renewed every year. Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is now mandatory:
| Category | CPE points per year |
|---|---|
| Registered Nurse | 15 |
| Enrolled Nurse | 10 |
| Registered Midwife | 10 |
Discipline
Under the Nurses and Midwives Act, the SNB can investigate complaints about professional misconduct, fitness to practise or criminal convictions. It can censure, fine, impose conditions, suspend or remove a nurse from the register. Working without a valid practising certificate is an offence, so don’t let your yearly renewal lapse. The SNB uses direct source verification because it accepts transcripts and registration checks only from the issuing body. Submitting false documents ends an application and can lead to prosecution.
Also in Asia: Brunei, the Philippines and the Gulf (Qatar, Oman).
Sources: Singapore Nursing Board, Foreign-trained nurses and midwives; SNB Licensure Examinations; SNB, Mandatory CPE for PC renewal; Ministry of Health Singapore, Verification of foreign nurses’ qualifications; Nursing Manthra, SNB registration for foreign nurses (updated June 2026). Confirm details on snb.gov.sg.
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