What a Chinese national can actually buy

Most private condominiums and apartments are open to foreign buyers — including mainland Chinese passport-holders. What is restricted under the Residential Property Act: landed homes (terrace, semi-detached, bungalow) and HDB flats. Sentosa Cove landed property is the lone exception — foreigners may apply for purchase approval through the Singapore Land Authority on a case-by-case basis. For the vast majority of Chinese-buyer enquiries the practical answer is: a private condo or apartment, anywhere on the island.

The five-step process

  1. Confirm the all-in budget. Working number is roughly listing price × 1.65 (price + 60% ABSD + ~3.5% BSD + ~0.2% legal). On a S$2M target that is ~S$3.3M cash-out at completion.
  2. Lock financing in principle. Approach DBS, OCBC, or UOB for an in-principle non-resident mortgage offer. Expect 50–60% LTV, MAS-capped at 75%.
  3. Shortlist and view. Remote-first works — WeChat video viewings are standard for overseas-based Chinese clients in 2025–2026.
  4. Exercise the Option to Purchase. 1% option fee on issuance, 14 days to exercise; ABSD is due within 14 days of exercise.
  5. Completion. Typically 10–12 weeks for a resale; longer for new launches under SPA. Conveyancing handled by your appointed Singapore law firm.
5-question check · 资格检查

Can you buy what you're looking at?

Quick check on property eligibility under the Residential Property Act for a mainland Chinese passport-holder without Singapore PR. Not a substitute for legal advice — but tells you in 30 seconds whether to keep looking at a listing.

Q1What's your residency status?

Verdict

—

Financing reality

For a mainland Chinese buyer with no Singapore tax filing, banks typically lend 50–60% LTV on the property valuation (MAS caps the headline at 75% for first-property non-residents, but underwriting rarely reaches the cap without strong Singapore-source income). The mortgage offer needs Chinese tax returns plus audit statements for business owners, a Singapore bank account for monthly repayments, and a minimum 25% Singapore-source downpayment. Currency conversion is its own line item — work with a broker who can lock SGD/CNY on the OTP date rather than at completion 10 weeks later.

ABSD reality — the 60% line

ABSD is the single biggest cost line for any Chinese buyer in Singapore. Foreigners pay 60% on the purchase price as of May 2026 — on a S$2M condo, that is S$1.2 million in cash, due within 14 days of exercising the Option to Purchase. Combined with BSD of S$69,600, the total stamp duty alone is approximately S$1.27M. The full breakdown — rates by buyer profile, FTA exemptions that drop the rate to Singaporean levels, the matrimonial-home remission — lives in the full ABSD 2026 guide. Run the number on your specific budget before you start viewing.

Conveyancing in Mandarin (sort of)

All Singapore conveyancing is formally English: the OTP, the Sale and Purchase Agreement, the mortgage offer, and the title transfer are English-only documents. For clients more comfortable in 中文, I read through the OTP clause-by-clause in Mandarin before signing and refer to one of two bilingual property law firms I trust for the formal review. Legal fee budget: roughly S$2,500–3,500 for a straightforward private resale; slightly more for a new-launch SPA.

On a 2024 deal where the buyer was Shenzhen-based and could only fly in for the OTP signing, the entire viewing process happened on WeChat video — 90 minutes inspecting balcony seals on a unit I was physically standing in. The deal closed on the second video call. Real estate has been remote-first for Chinese buyers in Singapore since 2020 — it works, you just need an agent who is set up for it.