The Singapore Nursing Board (SNB) registers every nurse and midwife who works in Singapore. If you trained abroad, you cannot apply to SNB on your own: you first need a job offer from an eligible healthcare institution with inpatient services, and that employer’s HR team applies to SNB for you. You must hold a valid nursing registration and licence from where you trained, and have practised as a nurse within the past 5 years. Foreign-trained nurses are then required to sit the SNB licensure examination, a computer-based test at Pearson VUE. The SNB fees are small: S$60 to apply, S$55 to register as a Registered Nurse, S$85 for the exam and S$55 a year for your practising certificate.
This guide covers SNB registration for foreign nurses step by step, the exam, fees, work passes and how to find nursing jobs in Singapore. We checked every official page on 16 October 2026. Rules and fees change, so check SNB’s site before you act. This is general information, not legal advice.
Who the Singapore Nursing Board registers
SNB keeps three registers that matter for foreign applicants:
- Registered Nurse (RN), including Registered Nurse (Psychiatric)
- Registered Midwife (RM)
- Enrolled Nurse (EN)
SNB calls this registration for RNs and midwives and enrolment for ENs. Once registered, you also need a yearly practising certificate (PC) to work.
SNB registration for foreigners: eligibility
SNB’s page for foreign-trained nurses and midwives (SNB foreign-trained applicants) sets these conditions:
- You completed a pre-registration or pre-enrolment nursing or midwifery programme that SNB assesses as equivalent to an accredited Singapore programme.
- You hold nursing or midwifery registration in the country where you trained and a current practising licence.
- You have relevant clinical practice in your home country within the past 5 years.
- You have an offer of employment from an eligible healthcare institution with inpatient services.
SNB assesses each application on its own merits. Depending on the result, it may ask you to sit the licensure exam, go through a competency assessment, or start on provisional registration or enrolment.
Does SNB set an English test?
SNB’s pages for foreign-trained applicants that we read do not state an English test score. Employers may set their own requirement, so ask the hospital before you book IELTS or OET. Our guide to OET or IELTS for nurses compares the two tests.
SNB does not work with agents
SNB states plainly that it “does NOT work with employment agents”. The application must come from the employer’s HR department. Before applying, HR emails SNB to check that you are eligible; only after SNB agrees does HR submit the online application on your behalf. SNB sends the outcome to the employer, not to you.
So if anyone offers to handle your SNB registration for a fee, remember that SNB will not accept an application from them. Read our guide to ethical nurse recruitment and scams before you pay anyone.
SNB registration step by step
- Get a job offer from a Singapore hospital or other institution with inpatient services.
- HR checks your eligibility with SNB by email.
- You prepare documents (see below) and sign the declaration pages of the SNB application form.
- HR submits the online application and pays the S$60 application fee.
- Verifications are sent to SNB. Your first regulator, and any regulator you practised under, must send a registration verification directly to SNB from an official email address or by post. Your training institution sends your transcript the same way.
- SNB assesses your file and may require the licensure exam, a competency assessment or provisional registration.
- You sit the SNB licensure exam if required.
- SNB approves your registration or enrolment. You pay the registration fee and the practising certificate fee.
SNB only assesses applications once the fees and all documents have arrived, and it keeps the documents you submit (SNB applications).
Documents SNB asks for
- A cover letter from your employer stating the intended job, position and principal place of practice.
- The declaration pages (pages 11 to 13) of the SNB application form.
- A passport photograph, and your passport (plus work pass if you have one).
- Proof of any change of name.
- Your nursing transcript, showing theory and clinical hours or weeks.
- Training and graduation certificates, your registration certificate and current licence.
- Evidence of past employment, and a service gap letter if you have a gap of more than one year.
- Certified English translations of documents in other languages. Originals must be seen by HR, or copies certified by a notary public or lawyer.
Universities can take weeks to issue a transcript that shows clinical hours, so request it early.
Singapore Nursing Board exam
SNB states that “Foreign trained nurses/midwives are required to sit for the SNB Registered Nurse (RN)” and Enrolled Nurse (EN) licensure exams (SNB licensure examinations).
| Item | What the official pages say |
|---|---|
| Format | Computer-based testing since 28 November 2024 |
| Delivered by | Pearson VUE, at designated test centres |
| Length | Multiple-choice questions, to be completed within 60 minutes |
| Fee | S$85 before GST |
| How to book | After SNB assesses your application, Pearson VUE emails you an Authorisation to Test (ATT). You book a date within the period it gives |
| Results | Sent to your prospective employer, not to you |
The format, booking and results details come from Pearson VUE’s SNB page (Pearson VUE SNB). You must accept a non-disclosure agreement at the start, and an on-screen calculator is provided. SNB publishes separate test plans for the RN and EN exams on its exam page; use them to plan your revision. SNB’s pages do not list the number of questions, the pass mark or the number of attempts, so ask your employer.
Can I take the Singapore Nursing Board exam in India or the Philippines?
The exam runs at Pearson VUE test centres, and Pearson VUE’s page links to its test centre finder rather than listing countries. Whether you can sit it outside Singapore depends on which centres the ATT lets you book. Check the finder after you receive your ATT. You cannot book the exam without an employer’s application, so be wary of anyone offering to “register you for the SNB exam”.
SNB fees
These are SNB’s published fees for foreign-trained applicants, last updated on 16 June 2025 (SNB fees):
| Fee | Registered Nurse | Enrolled Nurse |
|---|---|---|
| Application (foreign-trained) | S$60 | S$60 |
| Registration or enrolment (foreign-trained) | S$55 | S$50 |
| Licensure exam (Pearson VUE) | S$85 before GST | S$85 before GST |
| Practising certificate, per year | S$55 | S$35 |
| Late practising certificate renewal | S$40 | S$30 |
Ask whether your employer pays any of these for you.
Work passes for nurses
SNB registration lets you practise; a work pass from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) lets you work. Your employer applies for it. Which pass you get depends on your salary and qualifications. The minimum qualifying salaries currently are:
| Pass | Minimum monthly salary now (all sectors except financial services) | From 1 January 2027 (new applications) |
|---|---|---|
| S Pass | S$3,300, rising with age to S$4,800 at 45 and above | S$3,600, rising to S$5,100 |
| Employment Pass | S$5,600, rising with age to S$10,700 at 45 and above, plus the COMPASS points test | S$6,000, rising to S$11,500 |
Sources: MOM S Pass and MOM Employment Pass. Renewals of passes expiring from 1 January 2028 use the new figures.
Nurse salary in Singapore
SNB does not set pay, and the public hospital groups do not publish nurse salary scales on the pages we checked. We found no official salary table for foreign-trained nurses that we could quote. The work pass minimums above are a floor for the pass, not a nursing pay rate. Compare offers on basic salary, allowances, shift pay, housing support, flights and the bond or contract length.
Nursing jobs in Singapore
On Nurse Jobs World on 16 October 2026 we listed 107 open nursing jobs in Singapore (Singapore nursing jobs). The roles came from Singapore’s public healthcare clusters, including SingHealth, the National University Health System (NUHS) and NHG Health. These are hospitals with inpatient services, so they meet SNB’s employer condition.
Tips:
- Apply directly on the hospital group’s career site. SNB works only through employers.
- Check your 5-year window. If your last clinical practice is older than 5 years, SNB’s criteria are not met.
- Gather verifications early. Your regulator and university must send them directly to SNB.
- Look at other routes too. See jobs open to applicants abroad and our interview questions guide to prepare for hospital interviews.
Practising certificate renewal
Practising certificates run on a calendar year and expire on 31 December. SNB asks you to apply and pay for the yearly renewal no later than one month before expiry. Renewal for 2027 opened on 1 September 2026. You log in to the SNB portal, complete a fitness-to-practise declaration and pay by Visa or MasterCard, or your employer may pay on your behalf in September. Missing the deadline costs a late fee (SNB PC renewal).
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for SNB registration online by myself?
No. For foreign-trained nurses, the employing hospital’s HR department submits the online application after SNB confirms by email that you are eligible. SNB does not deal with employment agents, and it sends the result to your employer.
How much are the Singapore Nursing Board exam fees?
SNB lists the licensure examination, run by Pearson VUE, at S$85 before GST. The other fees for a foreign-trained Registered Nurse are S$60 to apply, S$55 to register and S$55 a year for the practising certificate.
Do foreign nurses need experience to register in Singapore?
Yes. SNB asks for relevant clinical nursing or midwifery practice in your home country within the past 5 years, together with a valid registration and current practising licence from the country where you trained.
What is on the Singapore Nursing Board exam?
It is a computer-based multiple-choice exam that must be completed within 60 minutes, delivered at Pearson VUE test centres. SNB publishes separate test plans for the Registered Nurse and Enrolled Nurse exams, which list the content areas.
How do I renew my SNB registration?
To keep working, you renew your practising certificate every year; it expires on 31 December. Renew on the SNB portal, ideally a month before expiry, by completing a declaration and paying S$55 (Registered Nurse) or S$35 (Enrolled Nurse).