Can ICA/MOM checks be made even if the tenant has an IPA

In Singapore, when facilitating residential rental transactions, real estate salespersons (RES) are required to conduct due diligence checks on tenants and occupiers. For foreign tenants, these checks involve verifying the validity of their immigration or work passes.

An In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter issued by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) cannot be used in lieu of the original work or immigration passes for these checks. The IPA letter does not serve as proof of the foreigner's current immigration status, and therefore, it is not recommended to use it for verification purposes.

Instead, RES must check the original immigration pass, work pass, or student pass, and verify its validity through the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) or MOM websites. This ensures compliance with the Immigration Act and the Women’s Charter, which mandate that property owners and tenants take responsibility to prevent the misuse of properties for vice activities or harbouring immigration offenders.