Insurance checklist for your first 90 days in Singapore

This checklist sets out what a new arrival in Singapore should confirm, arrange and review about insurance in the first 90 days. It is ordered by urgency: hospital cover comes first because a gap there is the most expensive to discover late; life cover, nominations and records follow. It is a checklist of questions to answer, not a list of products to buy, and items marked as the employer's obligation are duties of the employer, not of the employee. Each item says what to do, why it matters and where to check.

Week 1: establish what you already have

The first week is about facts, not purchases. Employment contracts often mention "medical benefits" without saying what they include.

1. Confirm your pass type and expiry. Why: employer insurance duties and your access to national schemes depend on it. Where: your pass card or MOM notification letter.
2. Know what your employer must insure. Why: for S Pass and Work Permit holders, the employer must buy and maintain medical insurance of at least S$60,000 a year covering inpatient care and day surgery (MOM, updated 18 September 2026). For Employment Pass holders, MOM states that providing medical insurance is not a requirement (MOM FAQ). Where: MOM pass pages; your contract. This is the employer's obligation, not the employee's.
3. Check work injury cover. Why: employers must have work injury compensation insurance for all employees doing manual work and for non-manual employees earning S$2,600 or less a month, local or foreign (MOM, 2024-07-11). Non-manual employees earning more than S$2,600 a month fall outside the compulsory group, although some employers insure them voluntarily. Where: HR.
4. Ask HR for the group benefits summary. Why: it states the benefit limits, ward entitlement, area of cover, outpatient benefits and whether dependants are included. Where: HR or the benefits portal.
5. Note the plan's end date and renewal date. Why: group cover usually ends with employment and its terms can change at each renewal. Where: benefits summary.
6. Check any waiting periods in the group plan. Why: some benefits start only after a period of service or enrolment. Where: policy schedule or HR.
7. Find out how hospital admission works. Why: you should know whether the insurer issues a letter of guarantee to the hospital or whether you pay first and claim. Where: insurer's member guide or HR.
8. List cover you are bringing from abroad. Why: a home-country or international policy may or may not cover you while resident in Singapore. Where: your existing policy's area-of-cover and residence clauses.

Days 8–30: close the hospitalisation gaps

Once you know what the employer plan covers, close the gaps for each person in the household.

9. Compare the group limits with likely private hospital bills. Why: group plans set annual and per-condition limits that may be lower than you assume. Where: benefits summary; health insurance for expats.
10. Give each dependant a named source of hospital cover. Why: Dependant's Pass holders are not in MediShield Life, which covers Singapore Citizens and PRs. Where: group plan (if dependants are included) or a personal plan; see insuring your family.
11. Decide whether you need cover that continues after this job. Why: a personal policy bought later is underwritten afresh, and health changes in the meantime can lead to exclusions. Where: group vs personal cover.
12. Check area of cover for travel and home visits. Why: local plans and international plans differ in where treatment is covered. Where: international medical insurance.
13. If hiring a domestic helper, buy the required policies before the helper starts work. Why: the employer must buy medical insurance with an annual claim limit of at least S$60,000 and personal accident insurance of at least S$60,000 a year, and cannot pass the cost to the helper (MOM, updated 18 September 2026). Where: MOM helper insurance page.
14. Check that any insurer or adviser you deal with is regulated in Singapore. Why: dealing with unregulated persons, including those based overseas, means forgoing the protection given under MAS' regulations (MoneySense). Where: MAS Financial Institutions Directory and Register of Representatives.
15. Use the free-look period. Why: for policies other than travel, car and maid insurance, you have at least 14 days from receiving the policy documents to cancel in writing (MoneySense, updated 2026-05-11). Where: the policy document pack.
16. Answer health questions fully. Why: non-disclosure can lead to a claim being declined. Where: the application form; how to buy insurance.

Days 31–90: review protection, nominations and records

With hospital cover settled, review the longer-term layer.

17. Estimate life and critical illness needs. Why: group life cover usually ends with employment; MAS's Basic Financial Planning Guide uses benchmarks of about 9 times annual income for death and TPD cover and 4 times for CI (2023-10). Where: life and critical illness.
18. Include obligations abroad in the estimate. Why: a home-country mortgage or parents' support is part of what cover must repay. Where: your own budget.
19. Make or update beneficiary nominations. Why: a nomination tells the insurer whom to pay and can avoid delay; trust and revocable nominations work differently. Where: insurer's nomination form; family page.
20. Complete CRS and FATCA self-certifications accurately. Why: insurers that issue cash value insurance or annuity contracts must register with IRAS for CRS (IRAS, 2026-08-19); account holders should provide tax residency information and update it when circumstances change, and wilfully giving false information may lead to a fine of up to S$10,000 (IRAS, 2021-10-19). Where: insurer forms.
21. Note your expected tax residency. Why: for a year of assessment, you are generally a tax resident if you stayed or worked in Singapore for 183 days or more in the preceding calendar year; IRAS has concessions for stays spanning two or three consecutive years, and personal reliefs depend on residency (IRAS, 2026-05-12). Where: IRAS.
22. Set premium payment so it survives a job change. Why: a personal policy paid through salary deduction or a corporate card can lapse when employment ends. Where: your own bank arrangements.
23. Diarise renewal and review dates. Why: group plans renew each year and terms may change. Where: your calendar.

Documents folder and common mistakes

Two habits protect everything above: keeping records where your family can find them, and avoiding the errors that new arrivals make most often.

Documents folder

Keep a single folder, digital and paper, that a family member could find.

Common mistakes in the first 90 days

To go through this checklist for your own household, you can register through this site's contact options.