NealV wrote:Hello Eagle,
Thank you for your response. I probably should have qualified "self-employed". I am a writer, not a business owner.
So my real question is whether a foreigner can lease a
property in Singapore?
Or is it only possible to rent a property with a Pass or PR ?
if the later, would I still need to establish myself as a business "sole proprietor" as a writer, and follow steps to request an employment pass for myself? What if I was not actually earning... as in during the research phase of a project ?
Are there any pass types for non employees? I have reviewed the EntrePass , but that does seem a fit for a writer / artist either....
Thank you
In the world of Singapore, even creative types have to eat... therefore, you are either in the country as an investor or as a working stiff, starving writer or otherwise.
I'm serious when I said that Singapore's population would rise to 50 million if foreigners could rent/lease property in Singapore without legal residence. Lots of people with lots of money in the region who would like to do exactly what you want to do... use Singapore as their residential address with no connections otherwise. Singapore flats,
condos, and semi-D's would be stuffed with corrupt Indonesian generals, Chinese businessmen on the take, and Indians trying to use Singapore as a way to gain a PR into yet another country.
If you are serious about Singapore, and you earn your living as a writer, then I'd consider setting yourself up as a full time resident. You could form a sole proprietorship, a private limited would be better, and demonstrate your ability to earn a living, pay some Singapore taxes, and be of value to Singapore. You'd be hard pressed to rent an affordable place for six months anyway as most leases are a year to two years. An Entrepass is not your thing. My SWAG is that if you can demonstrate income and experience, you might be successful in your application, as you wouldn't exactly be displacing too many budding Singapore writers... much different than coming in as an IT tech or accountant.
I'd second what PNGMK said about being a stateless, wandering minstrel, except that Thailand has been getting their act together and cracking down on overstayers... even my wife got whacked at BKK for flying into the country one Sunday after already being there for 93 days in a year. But crossing into Laos at relatively remote spots for a visa run is good, too, as automation hasn't reached some points.
I also know a British couple who bought a house in Batam city center and remodeled it. Very nice, it was. I can only guess what strings they had to pull to own it. But I can offer you a couple of anecdotes about the challenges you may find. First, they bought a car, but no expat in their right mind will drive their own car in Batam... you'll be a hard target for corrupt police should anything untoward like an accident, happen. Therefore, you will always have a driver at your beck and call.
And second, they moved from Singapore to Batam. Had all their furniture in a container shipped across. They shipped immediately before Christmas. They didn't get their stuff delivered until March. Why? Because, in the meanwhile, there had been local elections and a power change. Their "agent" didn't know who to bribe to get the container safely through customs until the new pecking order had been shaken down.
Finally, Kuala Lumpur may be your best bet, because, as PNGMK said, Malaysia tends to be "lenient", aka, not paying attention. I rented an apartment at KL Sentral for 18 months. It was a
condo unit owned by a German woman as an investor. The entire building (and all the surrounding buildings) is filled with such units... owned by foreigners and leased out to anybody by local real estate agents. No work permit required to rent but must be rented in the name of a company... a minor inconvenience.
I flew in and out of KL at least 60 times during those 18 months, even rode my motorcycle back and forth to Singapore a few times, and nobody ever once asked me how it is my passport is chock full of entry stamps into Malaysia... every week... every few days, even. But technically, I should have had a local company sponsor and a work permit. I could have been pulled aside at immigration and questioned, and sent back to Singapore. But, I wasn't. In fact, things were so loose, I'd pick up 3 or 4 bottles of scotch at duty free when I came in... for my friends... not once in 18 months did anyone at customs ever look into my duty free bags to see that I was violating my allowance. KL is an interesting place... everything sort of half works.
