Applying for Licence

Applying for Certification of Registration & Hotel-Keeper’s Licence

Any person who wishes to operate a hotel has to apply to the Hotels Licensing Board for the following as stipulated under the Hotels Act (Chapter 127):

• Certificate of Registration to use the premises as a hotel; and
• Hotel-keeper’s licence to enable the person to manage the hotel

Note:

• All hotels should have a valid Certificate of Registration and the Hotel-keeper’s Licence while the hotel is in operation.
• The hotel can only begin operation once it has collected the certificate and licence.

At A Glance

Submission of Application

1. Application for the Certificate of Registration and Hotel-Keeper’s licence is to be submitted online at the LicenceOne Portal.

2. Application for Certificate of Registration and Hotel-keeper’s licence for new hotels can be made from 1 January to 30 November only.

3. Please submit all the following documents as attachments together with the online application.

4. For the Certificate of Registration:
   • Cover letter with the date of proposed commencement of operation of the Hotel.
   • Grant of Written Permission from Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)
   • ACRA business profile of the proposed hotel name, hotel management and hotel owner
   • Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) / Certificate of Statutory Completion (CSC) from the Building & Construction Authority (BCA)
   • Temporary Fire Permit (TFP) / Fire Safety Certificate (FSC) from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)
   • Note: If the building does not require further clearances from SCDF and/or BCA, a Letter from a Professional Engineer is required to certify that the existing TOP/CSC issued by BCA is still valid. * Copy of the advertisements in the Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao. Section 9 of the Hotels Licensing Regulations requires the applicant to advertise within fourteen (14) days from the date of the online application its intention to operate the hotel. The advertisement must be in the format of a Notice. The application will be processed if there are no objections from the public within fourteen (14) days of the advertisement date.
5. For Hotel-keeper’s Licence
   • Resume (Curriculum Vitae) of the proposed hotel-keeper
   • Copy of proposed hotel-keeper’s employment pass (if applicable)
6. All applications will be maintained in the system for 3 months. Should the application not be completed within this period, the application will lapse and the applicant will need to submit a new one.

Approval Process

1. A pre-opening inspection will be carried out to ascertain the hotel is ready for operations.
   • Furniture and fittings in most rooms
   • Clearly visible hotel frontage & signage
   • Reception counter or area for receiving guests
   • Fully installed and operating security
   • Adherence to terms and conditions stated in URA’s Written Permission and conditions laid down by other Government agencies

2. Processing of the application will take a minimum of three weeks upon receipt of all the documents required and placement of the advertisements.

3. You will be informed via SMS and/or e-mail if your application has been approved. Please make payment online via the LicenceOne Portal. Fees for both the Certificate of Registration and Hotel-keeper’s Licence need to be paid via LicenceOne Portal before they can be issued.

4. Please collect the Certificate and Licence from: Singapore Tourism Board, 1 Orchard Spring Lane, Singapore 247729

5. The Hotels Licensing Board reserves the right to prescribe additional conditions por waive existing conditions for any application for a Certificate of Registration and/or a Hotel-keeper’s Licence.

The step-by-step guide to completing the application can be found here

For further clarification, please email hlb_info@hlb.gov.sg or call 6736 6622.