How to Start a Clinic in Singapore: A Step-by-Step Guide

Opening a GP clinic in Singapore comes down to five things: register your business, get the right people registered and appointed, secure suitable premises, obtain an Outpatient Medical Service licence through MOH’s HALP portal, and set up the systems you need to run - and stay compliant from day one. This guide walks through each step, with the fees and timelines you can plan around.

The 30-second version:

A clinic is a licensed healthcare service under the Healthcare Services Act (HCSA) - not just a business with a shopfront. You’ll need an Outpatient Medical Service licence, applied for on the Healthcare Application and Licensing Portal (HALP), plus a registered doctor, a Clinical Governance Officer, cleared premises, and a clinic system that can meet your NEHR/HIA obligations. Budget at least two months for licensing.

Official source: Healthcare Services Act (HCSA) ↗

Step 1 — Set up the business and the people

Before you touch a licence application, get the foundations in place:

• Register your entity with ACRA. A clinic can be a sole proprietorship, a partnership or a company - a single doctor can run one as a sole proprietor, they don’t have to incorporate. Whatever the structure, HCSA holds the owner (sole proprietorship), the partners (partnership) or the directors (company) accountable as key appointment holders, so pick the structure that fits your ownership and liability plans. Note that ACRA may route certain name applications to a referral authority for approval, which can add time, so reserve your name early.
• Confirm your doctors’ registration. Every medical practitioner who practises must be registered with the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) and hold a valid Practising Certificate. Full registration allows independent practice; conditional registration is supervised and limited to SMC-approved institutions.
• Line up your key appointment holders (see Step 3). These are people the licence requires, so identify them early rather than after you’ve signed a lease.

Getting the entity and the SMC registrations sorted first means nothing blocks you later in the licence application.

Step 2 — Understand the licence you need

Singapore licenses healthcare on a service basis, not a premises basis. The Healthcare Services Act (HCSA) replaced the old Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act (PHMCA); Outpatient Medical Service licensing began in Phase 2, from 26 June 2023.

A GP clinic needs the Outpatient Medical Service licence. It’s required whenever you examine, assess, diagnose, treat or provide medical care to an outpatient (and it also covers clinical procedures and diagnostic tests). Because licensing is service-based, you choose one or more Modes of Service Delivery (MOSD):

• Permanent premises - the brick-and-mortar clinic.
• Temporary premises - care delivered at a non-permanent location, e.g. house calls at a patient’s home.
• Conveyance - a mobile clinic operating from a vehicle, e.g. a medical bus.
• Remote - teleconsultation.

You license the services you provide, so a clinic that also does house calls and teleconsults adds those modes to the same licence.

Step 3 — Appoint your key people

HCSA requires named accountability for every licensed service:

• Principal Officer (PO) - required of all licensees; responsible for day-to-day operations and operational compliance.
• Clinical Governance Officer (CGO) - required for the Outpatient Medical Service. The CGO must reside in Singapore, be a fully SMC-registered medical practitioner with a valid Practising Certificate, and be a family physician or specialist, or have at least 5 years of relevant full-time experience (or 5 years in aggregate over a continuous 10-year period) in the relevant healthcare setting. If you deliver the Remote mode (teleconsultation), the CGO must also have completed the required telemedicine training.

These aren’t rubber-stamp roles - they carry real regulatory responsibility, so choose people who will actually oversee the clinic.

Step 4 — Sort out your premises

For a clinic on permanent premises, MOH clearance on the premises comes before the licence application:

• Medical-use clearance (GFA). You must first obtain MOH’s confirmation that the clinic proposal qualifies under the medical use quantum guidelines. This is done by completing MOH’s Check GFA form and emailing it to MOH, which replies within 14 working days. Don’t sign a lease before you know the unit qualifies for medical use.
• Change of use & fit-out. Depending on the unit, you may need URA approval for medical use, an SCDF fire-safety clearance, and BCA sign-off for any structural works. Note that URA caps medical use in a commercial building at 3,000 sqm or 20% of its commercial floor area, whichever is smaller - part of why a unit may not qualify. Verify these on the respective agencies’ portals for your specific premises.

Premises clearance is the step most first-time clinic owners underestimate, so resolve it early.

Step 5 — Apply on HALP

Applications go through the Healthcare Application and Licensing Portal (HALP) at halp.moh.gov.sg ↗, logging in with SingPass or CorpPass. The flow:

1. Select the licensable healthcare service(s), any specified services, and your Modes of Service Delivery.
2. Enter your licensing and service details, and attach the supporting documents.
3. Submit and pay the licence fee, then complete the self-assessment checklist.
4. Attend the inspection MOH arranges.
5. Receive the outcome by email and view your e-licence on HALP once approved.

The numbers to plan around:

• Fee: S$360 per stand-alone MOSD (a brick-and-mortar clinic bundled with house calls and teleconsultation is also S$360). Specified services carry additional fees.
• Lead time: submit at least two months in advance.
• Processing: within 30 working days from submission to approval, if all conditions are met.
• Validity: an HCSA licence is typically valid for two years unless MOH specifies otherwise.

Fees and timelines per MOH/HCSA; verify current figures at hcsa.gov.sg ↗ before you budget.

Step 6 — Set up to operate (and to stay compliant)

A licence lets you open; these let you actually run a clinic:

• A clinic system (HIMS). You’ll need one for records, billing and claims, and if your clinic is in scope for the Health Information Act (HIA), it must be HIA-compliant so it can contribute to the NEHR by your deadline. Choosing a non-certified system now means switching before your deadline. Our buying guide walks through how to choose, and the HIA guide explains the obligation.
• Data protection. From day one you’re handling patient data under the PDPA (and the HIA’s security duties) - see PDPA for healthcare.
• Medicines & waste. Storage and handling of controlled drugs must meet HSA requirements, and clinical waste disposal must comply with NEA rules.
• Subsidy schemes (optional). To offer government subsidies you must apply for accreditation - e.g. become a participating CHAS clinic (CHAS medical accreditation is linked to CDMP accreditation). It’s an application to MOH, not automatic, so plan it into your billing setup.

Step 7 — Plan for renewal from the start

An HCSA licence isn’t set-and-forget. It runs for a fixed term (typically two years), and you renew it on HALP - renew at least two months before it expires to avoid a late fee (you can start up to six months ahead). Expect a self-assessment as part of ongoing licensing; inspections are risk-based and, since MOH de-linked inspections from renewal in 2018 for clinics with a good compliance history, may not fall at renewal time. Building good record-keeping and clinical-governance habits from opening day keeps every renewal and inspection routine rather than a scramble. For the full renewal timeline, the 20% late-fee window and what inspectors check, see how to renew your clinic licence.

Next steps

Opening a clinic in Singapore is a sequence, not a single form: business → people → premises → licence → systems. Get the SMC registrations and premises clearance sorted early, budget two months for licensing, and choose your clinic system with your NEHR/HIA obligation already in mind so you don’t buy twice.

OtterSG is an HIA-compliant clinic system delivered with cybersecurity and support in one programme - so a new clinic can meet its NEHR contribution and security duties from the start. See how that works →

This guide is general information for people planning to open a clinic in Singapore; it is not legal, regulatory or business advice. Licensing requirements, fees and timelines are set by MOH and other agencies and may change - always verify on the official portals (hcsa.gov.sg, halp.moh.gov.sg, smc.gov.sg) or with a qualified adviser before acting.