Moving to Singapore brings a long list of tasks. There is a work pass to collect, a flat to rent and a bank account to open. Insurance often sits near the bottom of that list. Yet some cover is required from the start, and other cover depends on how a household lives.
This checklist explains how insurance is arranged here for a newcomer. It covers what the rules require, what an employer usually handles and what a landlord may raise. It then walks through the six kinds of insurance compared on this site: travel, personal accident, maid, home, pet and car.
The aim is to help a reader see which kinds apply to them before comparing plans. It is general information. Each person's situation differs, and so does each policy's wording.
1. Start with what the rules require
The clearest legal requirement for many households concerns a domestic helper. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) sets the insurance an employer must hold for a foreign domestic worker. Any household that plans to hire a helper needs this cover in place.
Maid insurance is built around those MOM rules. A typical plan includes:
- Hospital and surgical bills, at or above the MOM minimum
- Personal accident cover of S$60,000, as MOM requires
- The S$5,000 security bond, provided through the insurer
- Repatriation if the helper passes away or must return home
There are also clear limits. Plans do not cover conditions found at the helper's pre-employment medical exam. Pregnancy and childbirth, cosmetic and routine dental treatment, and self-inflicted injury are also excluded. Plans for new helpers and renewals are set out on the maid insurance page.
Driving has legal rules of its own. Anyone planning to drive here can check what applies to them before taking a car on the road.
2. What an employer may already provide
Many employers in Singapore arrange some form of group cover for staff. What it includes differs widely between companies. Some schemes focus on medical bills. Others add accident or life cover. Some extend to a spouse or children, while many do not.
A newcomer can ask the human resources team a few plain questions. What does the group scheme pay for? Does it cover family members? Does it apply outside working hours or overseas? Does cover stop when the job ends?
The answers show where the gaps are. A gap in accident cover, for example, may point towards personal accident insurance. A gap during business or leisure travel may point towards travel insurance.
3. What a landlord may raise about the home
Most newcomers rent first, whether an HDB flat or a condo unit. HDB is the Housing and Development Board, which builds and manages public housing. The owner of a rented home usually arranges cover for the building itself. That cover does not normally extend to the tenant's own belongings.
Some tenancy agreements mention insurance or set out who pays for which kind of damage. It helps to read the lease closely and ask the landlord what the owner already insures.
Home insurance is designed for the parts a tenant or owner is responsible for. It generally covers:
- Belongings against fire, flood, burglary and accidental damage
- Renovations and fixtures the policyholder paid for
- Legal liability if someone is hurt in the home
- Somewhere to stay if the home cannot be lived in
It does not cover wear and tear or gradual deterioration. It also excludes losses while the home is left empty for more than 60 days, damage by pets or pests, and business equipment and stock. That last point matters for anyone who works from home with company equipment. Plans for tenants and owners of HDB flats, condos and landed homes are on the home insurance page.
4. Personal accident cover for daily life
Personal accident insurance pays out after an injury caused by an accident. That might be a fall on a wet hawker centre floor or a slip on the MRT stairs. It applies at work, at home and abroad. It is priced on what the insured person does for a living.
A plan typically offers:
- A lump sum for accidental death or permanent disability
- Medical bills after an accident, including traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and physiotherapy
- A daily cash benefit while in hospital
- On some plans, infectious diseases such as dengue and hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD)
It does not cover illness that was not caused by an accident, unless the plan names it. Self-inflicted injury, injury under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and war, terrorism and nuclear risks are also excluded. Plans for single adults, couples and families are on the personal accident page.
5. Travel insurance for trips out of Singapore
Singapore is a short flight from much of Asia, and many residents travel often. Travel insurance applies to trips out of Singapore. Some people buy it for each trip, while others choose annual cover.
A plan generally covers medical treatment and hospital stays overseas, and emergency evacuation and repatriation. It also covers trip cancellation and shortening for covered reasons. Lost or damaged baggage, travel delays and missed connections are usually included as well.
Exclusions matter here too. Medical conditions a person already had before buying are excluded, unless declared and accepted. So is travel to places the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against. Losses under the influence of alcohol or drugs and belongings left unattended in a public place are not covered. Single-trip and annual plans are on the travel insurance page.
6. Cover for a car or a pet
Owning a car here involves the Certificate of Entitlement (COE), road tax and insurance. Car insurance covers injury to other people and damage to their property. Comprehensive plans also cover damage to the insured car from accidents, fire and theft. Many plans add windscreen repair, personal accident cover for the driver and 24-hour roadside assistance.
Car insurance does not cover driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It excludes drivers not named on the policy, outside its terms, and private hire, racing or rallies. Wear and tear and mechanical breakdown are also excluded. Prices by car and driving record are on the car insurance page.
Newcomers who bring a dog or cat, or adopt one here, may look at pet insurance. It is generally designed to help with vet bills after an illness or injury. Benefits, limits and exclusions differ between plans, so the details are worth reading on the pet insurance page.
7. How to compare plans and make a claim
Once the relevant kinds of cover are clear, plans can be set side by side on the comparison page. Prices are ranked by premium. Benefit limits, sums insured and excess amounts differ between plans and are not shown in this guide. Each one is worth checking in the policy wording before buying.
A few questions help with any plan. What does it cover, and what does it exclude? Who counts as an insured person? What must be declared at the start? How long is the period of cover?
Claims follow the insurer's own process. Keeping receipts, reports and photographs makes that process easier. The general steps are set out on the claims page.
In summary
A newcomer can approach insurance in three steps. First, meet what the rules require, such as MOM's cover for anyone hiring a helper. Second, find out what an employer's group scheme and a landlord's own policy already cover, and note the gaps. Third, match the remaining risks to the right kind of cover, whether home, personal accident, travel, car or pet insurance, and read each plan's exclusions before comparing prices.