Becoming a Private Investigator in Singapore: What the Licence Actually Requires

2026-10-16 · Philip Choo · AI9OS

Many searches for a private investigator course in Singapore expect a diploma to be the gate. It is not. The gate is a licence issued by the Singapore Police Force under the Private Security Industry Act 2007, and the course is one of the things the licence asks for.

This is a note on what the licence page says. It is general information, not legal advice, and requirements should be checked against the page when you apply.

Who needs the licence

The Act requires a licence to act as a private investigator, and a separate licence to run a private investigation agency. The section 5 definition, its five exclusions and the penalties in sections 6 and 7 are set out on our Singapore registry page. The short version: if you will be paid to find out about a person or a matter, assume you need the licence, and read the definition before assuming you do not.

The two eligibility tests

The licence page lists two:

1. Be a Singapore Citizen or a Singapore Permanent Resident. Permanent residents upload a passport copy.
2. Be a fit and proper person. Quoting sections 21(8) and 21(9) of the Act, the page lists what the licensing officer may treat as a sign that someone is not: associating with a criminal in a way that indicates unlawful activity, dishonesty or lack of integrity, using harassing tactics, a mental disorder, and being an undischarged bankrupt. The list does not limit what else the officer may consider.

The second test is a judgment, not a checklist. Nothing on the page tells you how an old conviction or a past bankruptcy will be weighed. If either applies to you, that is the conversation to have before you pay for training.

The training requirement

Applicants need the WSQ certificate in "Perform Investigation Activities in Compliance with Legal Requirements (PI)", or an exemption from the training requirement where they are eligible for one.

That is the "course" in most searches. Its title says what it is for: carrying out investigation activities in compliance with legal requirements. The training is about the law you work under, which is why the police ask for it.

Fee, validity and timing

• Fee: S$16, non-refundable.
• Validity: five years, for new licences and renewals alike.
• Processing: at least four to six weeks from receipt of the application and supporting documents.
• Renewal: the police write about two to three months before expiry.

Applications go through the GoBusiness Licensing portal with Singpass.

The rule most people miss

The licence page says it plainly: a licensed private investigator is not allowed to solicit for services on their own. Only the licensee of a private investigation agency can advertise private investigation services.

So the individual licence lets you work. It does not let you open for business. To take clients directly you need the agency licence as well, which has its own application and its own conditions. Anyone planning to go independent should read both before choosing the first.

If you are hiring, not applying

The same rule tells a client something useful. An individual offering investigation services directly, with no agency behind them, is either working under an agency licence that should be named, or soliciting in a way the licence page says is not allowed. Our guide to checking an investigator is licensed shows where to look in Singapore and four neighbouring jurisdictions.

Sources

• Singapore Police Force, "Apply for Private Investigator Licence", police.gov.sg, last updated 14 September 2026, read 5 October 2026 and re-checked 12 October 2026.
• Private Security Industry Act 2007, Singapore Statutes Online.

(General information, not legal advice.)