US Citizen to use Singapore as a travel hub. Is it possible?

[damrc]

Hey folks!

I am planning to take a few years off to travel the world, and want to use Singapore as my home base.

I have friends who lives there, so I can stay with them, but I'm restricted to the US Citizen 30-day entry limit.

Has any fellow US Citizen left the country for a few days after staying the 30 days, then come back a few days later to stay another 30 days? Has it been an issue for anyone?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[damrc]

FWIW I just re-read my VISA and it says on the stamp I can stay for 90 days... which is huge as I will probably always travel somewhere for at least a week within those 90 days.

[PNGMK]

Just try to stay out for as long as possible (>5 days) and you should be ok.

[x9200]

Once you leave Singapore this 90 days is gone. Upon your next entry you may be granted another 90 or ... not. This is up to the Immigration Authorities discretion to do this. If they see you doing this (border hopping) frequently you may be given a day or two only to pack your staff and get out of the country or you may be refused the entry and asked to come back not earlier than in 5-6 months time.

[sundaymorningstaple]

^^This.

It has happened more than once. But there a few on here who seem to think in Singapore if you have money you can buy your way into repeat entries (not in bribes but just by being a high net worth individual. I wouldn't recommend it. Today's political scenario is causing a lot of tightening up and thing that often were just "turn a blind eye to" are now being called to task, regardless of where you call home.

[sundaymorningstaple]

For the record, from 1982 until 1993 I lived here on 30 day visas but I worked offshore so was gone for two months at a time and came back on rotation for 28 days, so I was never in Singapore for more than 183 days a year (6 months). But I did manage to marry a local girl, have two children and owned three cars here (all on a tourist visa). Now you cannot get a local drivers license unless you have residency of some sort here. But after the mid 90's they started tightening up a bit and after 2011 General Election, we have trouble keeping track of the tightening up as it gets progressively worse.

[Strong Eagle]

If you are traveling and not working, I just don't see the problem others have posited. Singapore loves tourists to come and use Singapore as a jumping off point to other places. I just don't see this as an issue.

[x9200]

Yep, but a typical tourist stays in a hotel and supports the local economy leaving there and in other related places heaps of dollars. He does not sound like going to follow this route.
Traveling around longer than staying in would probably be ok, but if the reversed pattern I would expect to attract the ICA's attention eventually.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Additionally, there is the problem of "visiting". At some point I would also think they would be looking at the residential vrs commercial lodging address, seeing that it was just in the news recently about tourists staying in private/public housing and the fact that it's illegal. Whether or not there is money passing back and forth I doubt that it would matter too much if it appeared as furnishing temporary tourist lodgings (moreso if there is not any "relationship" there.

Try it. Let us know if it all goes belly up and you get banned from Singapore. It's the only way we get our anecdotal evidence.

[the lynx]

Couch surfing. Not allowed.

:just pointing out:

[Wd40]

Additionally, there is the problem of "visiting". At some point I would also think they would be looking at the residential vrs commercial lodging address, seeing that it was just in the news recently about tourists staying in private/public housing and the fact that it's illegal. Whether or not there is money passing back and forth I doubt that it would matter too much if it appeared as furnishing temporary tourist lodgings (moreso if there is not any "relationship" there.

Try it. Let us know if it all goes belly up and you get banned from Singapore. It's the only way we get our anecdotal evidence.

Just curious, since you have mentioned this in another place as well, can you share the link to the news article?

Edit: never mind; found the link, google for this "Hosting a paying guest? It could be illegal"

[Wd40]

In my company we have an internal message board that is thriving with ads of short term room rentals without any contract or agent fee. Its booming with atleast 20 ads a day and a big win win.

Consider this. A Indian couple rent a big posh 5i apartment in punggol for $2.5k and then they dont need such a big place for themselves. But then posh HDBs dont come in 2 bedroom sizes. So they rent out one room to a bachelor Indian colleague from the same office for $800. There are others who rent out 2 rooms in the same 5i. Big win.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Couch surfing. Not allowed.

:just pointing out:

That is exactly what I was driving at. The term eluded me though. Tks!

[nakatago]

In my company we have an internal message board that is thriving with ads of short term room rentals without any contract or agent fee. Its booming with atleast 20 ads a day and a big win win.

Consider this. A Indian couple rent a big posh 5i apartment in punggol for $2.5k and then they dont need such a big place for themselves. But then posh HDBs dont come in 2 bedroom sizes. So they rent out one room to a bachelor Indian colleague from the same office for $800. There are others who rent out 2 rooms in the same 5i. Big win.

Easily subverted by having the single guy added into the tenancy agreement so that he's not subletting but entering into a current agreement.

Just sayin.'

[Wd40]

In my company we have an internal message board that is thriving with ads of short term room rentals without any contract or agent fee. Its booming with atleast 20 ads a day and a big win win.

Consider this. A Indian couple rent a big posh 5i apartment in punggol for $2.5k and then they dont need such a big place for themselves. But then posh HDBs dont come in 2 bedroom sizes. So they rent out one room to a bachelor Indian colleague from the same office for $800. There are others who rent out 2 rooms in the same 5i. Big win.

Easily subverted by having the single guy added into the tenancy agreement so that he's not subletting but entering into a current agreement.

Just sayin.'

Thats an added hassle to contact the agents and the owner again to add the person. Besides, the person may not be able to commit for 6 months.

Right now, it works on a month by month basis. Typically, such cases involve people coming to Singapore from India on short term assignments like 2-3 months or wife getting pregnant and going to India for short term.