Académique Documents
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Contents
Contents ........................................................................................................................................................ 2
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All Travel Agents have a Travel Related Users’ System (TRUST) account. (https://trust.yoursingapore.com/)
To verify if you have any outstanding requirements for your licence, please log into the TRUST website with
your User ID and password.
Please note that the reset password will be sent to the Key Executive’s email registered in TRUST. This new
password will only be valid for 15 minutes.
Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will be sending out information regarding licensing matters via email. Hence,
it is important to ensure that the licensee’s email address and contact details are updated in the TRUST
system.
Useful Contacts
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- All licensees must submit a copy of the Audited Statement of Accounts within 6 months after the
close of the firm or company’s financial year.
- Submission of Audited Statement of Accounts is to allow for verification of applicants’ and licensees’
net worth and financial health to ensure that they have sufficient capital to operate and not pose a
risk to the travelling public.
- This requirement is mandatory under the Travel Agents Regulations, Regulation 24(1)(b):
Every licensee shall submit the following information to the Board a copy of the audited statement of
accounts within 6 months after the close of the financial year.
EXAMPLE
- ABC Travel’s Financial Year (FY) End = 31 March 2013
- ABC Travel should submit Audited Accounts for the FY ended 31 March 2013 by 30 September
- For further information on Audited Statement of Accounts, you may refer to the User Guide on
Submission of Audited Statement of Accounts and Banker’s Guarantee.
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- All licensees must always maintain a minimum paid-up capital and net worth of $100,000.
- Submission of a Banker’s Guarantee/increase of paid up capital is to ensure that licensees met the
minimal financial requirement to ensure that companies have sufficient capital to conduct their
travel agent business and that they do not pose a risk to the travelling public.
- This requirement is mandatory under the Travel Agents Regulations, Regulation 13:
(1)A licensee shall ensure that any time –
(a) where the licensee is a sole proprietor or partnership, the firm’s capital is not less than $100,000
and its net worth is not less than that amount; or
(b) where the licensee is a company, its issued and paid-up capital is not less than $100,000 and its
net worth is not less than that amount.
- If there is any shortfall in net worth, the travel agency can top-up the net worth by either:
(i) Submitting a Banker’s Guarantee, in the format provided by STB and valid for at least one
year from date of issue, to be made payable to STB; or
(ii) Increasing its paid-up capital, and submitting an updated business profile from Accounting
and Corporate Regulatory Authority reflecting an increase in paid-up capital.
- To note: If the paid-up capital and net worth is less than the minimum amount of $100,000
Should a Banker’s Guarantee/increase in paid-up capital be required. STB will notify you of this
requirement and its deadline. Fines for late submission of Banker’s Guarantee may also be
applicable.
- For further information on Banker’s Guarantee, you may refer to the User Guide on Submission of
Audited Statement of Accounts and Banker’s Guarantee.
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- All licensees must submit the particulars of the Gross Annual Turnover for the previous year via
TRUST on or before 31 March of each year.
- The Board collects this information to better understand the licensee’s business and to have a gauge
of the overall business performance of travel industry in Singapore.
- This requirement is mandatory under the Travel Agents Regulations, Regulation 24(1)(a):
Every licensee shall submit the following information to the Board: the particulars of the gross
annual turnover on or before 31st March of each year for the preceding year in the form and manner
required by the Board.
- The required Gross Annual Turnover information is for the period from 1 January to 31 December of
the previous calendar year. The submission of Gross Annual Turnover therefore is not dependent on
the completion of auditing of company accounts.
EXAMPLE
- Please note that STB will only accept online Gross Annual Turnover submissions via the TRUST
website https://trust.yoursingapore.com. The Gross Annual Turnover exercise takes place in the
period of mid February to 31 March every year. Late submissions after 31 March may incur
composition amounts of up to $200.
- For further information on Gross Annual Turnover, you may refer to the User Guide on Submission
of Gross Annual Turnover.
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- All licensees shall ensure that there is a subsisting policy of Fidelity Insurance for every partner,
director or employee who is entrusted with the receipt, custody, disbursements or charge of the
licensee’s money or property.
- When requested by the Board, the licensee will need to submit a copy of the Fidelity Insurance
policy, and the completed Fidelity Insurance Declaration Form.
- Fidelity insurance acts of a form of protection for a company by providing coverage from the loss of
money, securities and inventory incurred from acts of employees such as, fraud, embezzlement and
counterfeiting.
- This requirement is legislated under the Travel Agents Regulations, Regulation 19:
(1) The licensee shall ensure that there is a subsisting policy of fidelity insurance for every partner,
director or employee who is entrusted with the receipt, custody, disbursements or charge of the
licensee’s money or property.
(2) The licensee shall furnish a copy of any such policy taken out in accordance with paragraph (1)
when requested to do so by the Board.
- For further information on Fidelity Insurance, you may refer to the User Guide on Submission of
Fidelity Insurance.
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- Licensees whose travel agent licence expires in the current year will need to renew the licence.
The travel agent licence will only be renewed upon fulfilment of all requirements applicable to the
licensee during the current licence period. Failure to comply with the requirements may result in
fines, revocation or non-renewal of the travel agent licence.
- The requirements listed below are to be fulfilled before licence renewal can be processed.
- A checklist of the requirements is also available in the User Guide on Travel Agent Licence Renewal
for your reference.
- For further information on how to renew your travel agent licence, you may refer to the User
Guide on Travel Agent Licence Renewal.
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- All licensees are required to notify the Board within 14 days of any change of address of its place of
business; or its contact details.
- This is to allow the Board and the travelling public to locate and contact the licensees when the need
arises.
- For further information on updating the changes in licensee’s particulars, you may refer to the
User Guide on Update Changes in Licensees Particulars.
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- All licensees are required to notify the Board within 14 days of any change of address of the
following.
iii) Key Executive’s contact details such as phone/mobile numbers, and email addresses;
iv) Key Executive’s by reason of death, resignation or revocation of appointment.
- This is to allow the Board to locate and contact the licensees and the key contact person when the
need arises.
- If there is a change in residential address for the Key Executive, please submit soft copies of the
following supporting documents to stb_ta@stb.gov.sg with the subject: Change in KE details for [TA
no. & Name]:
i) A copy of the Key Executive’s NRIC (Front & Back) reflecting the latest residential
address
- For further information on updating changes in Key Executive’s particulars, you may refer to the
User Guide on Update Changes in Key Executive Particulars.
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- All licensees are required to appoint another key executive within 6 months of any change in the
Key Executive ceasing to carry out his duties.
- The Key Executive is the official contact person for the Board to liaise with when the need arises. As
he will be responsible for managing the travel agency, some managerial experience is important to
uphold professionalism in the travel agent industry.
- For the appointment of a new Key Executive, please submit soft copies of the following supporting
documents to stb_ta@stb.gov.sg with the subject: Change in KE for [TA no. & Name] :
i) New Key Executive’s resume
ii) New Key Executive’s NRIC (front & back)
iii) Letter of appointment and Directors’ Resolution for the appointment of the new Key
Executive, printed on company’s letter head and signed by all directors with a valid
company stamp
iv) An updated copy of your company/firm’s ACRA business profile
v) Update of Business Particulars Form (Annex A)
vi) Key Executive declaration form signed by the new Key Executive (Annex B)
ii) A Director of the Company, or an equivalent to the head of the company with at
least 1 year of managerial experience, who is responsible for the proper
administration and management of the affairs of the travel agent.
iii) For sole-proprietor or partnership, the Key Executive should preferably be the sole
proprietor (Owner) / Partner
- For further information on updating changes in Key Executive’s particulars, you may refer to the
User Guide on Update Changes in Key Executive Particulars.
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You will need to apply for a travel agent's licence with STB if your business falls within Section 4
of the Travel Agents Act (Cap. 334):
(a) Selling tickets entitling an individual to travel, or otherwise arranging for a person a right of
passage on any conveyance;
(b) Selling to, or arranging or making available for, a person’s right of passage to, and hotels or
other accommodations at, one or more places (being places within or outside Singapore, or
some of which are within and others of which are outside Singapore);
(e) Holds yourself out as, or advertising that you are, willing to carry on any activity referred to in
paragraph (a), (b), (c) or (d).
Operators carrying out activities at (a) do not require a Travel Agent's licence if they are using
conveyances owned by them;
Operators carrying out activities at (b) do not require a Travel Agent's Licence if they own both
the conveyance and place of accommodation.
You can visit the Travel Related Users' System (TRUST) website at
https://trust.yoursingapore.com/ to download a copy of the Travel Agents Act (Cap. 334) and
Regulations (Cap. 334, Rg 1).
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Before proceeding to apply for a Travel Agent's licence, you are required to fulfil the
following conditions:
1. Registration of Company
All applicants are required to first register the company with the Accounting & Corporate
Regulatory Authority (ACRA) for the purpose of conducting the business of a travel agent.
For Sole-Proprietors (SP), Partnerships, & Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP), applicants are
also required to register your business with ACRA for the purpose of conducting the business of
a travel agent.
2. Paid-Up Capital
For registered companies, applicants shall ensure that at any time, the issued and paid-up
capital is not less than $100,000 and the net worth is not less than that amount.
For sole-proprietor or partnership, applicants shall ensure that at any time, the firm’s capital is
not less than $100,000 and its net worth is not less than that amount.
3. Key Executive
All applicants must nominate a suitable person for the position of a Key Executive (KE). The KE
is the contact person between the Board and the travel agency. He / She is in charge of the day-
to-day operations and administration of the travel agency.
The nominee for the Key Executive of the company is subject to the approval of the Board.
(b) The KE should preferably be a director of the company. Otherwise, he/she should have at
least one year of managerial experience and be familiar with the travel business.
(c) The KE’s curriculum vitae (CV), testimonials and recommendation letters are required to be
submitted to STB for assessment and approval. A Director’s Resolution signed by all the
directors of the company with a valid company stamp and a letter of appointment stating
his/her position within the company should be submitted for reference.
(d) For sole-proprietor or partnership, the KE should preferably be the sole proprietor (Owner) /
Partner.
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4. Company Internet E-mail Address & Travel Related Users' System (TRUST)
Applicants will have to apply for an e-mail address specifically for the operation of the travel
agency business. All e-mail correspondence regarding the travel agent licence application will
be made via this e-mail address, including the notification of final approval for the Travel Agent’s
Licence.
The Travel Related Users' System (TRUST) is an integrated internet-based administration and
information. It allows all licensed travel agents to update corporate information, reflect the
resignation and appointment of key executives and even submit licence renewal online. To
access the TRUST website, applicants will be issued with a User ID and password after they
have obtained final approval for the Travel Agent's licence.
All directors, executives and managerial staff of the company must be persons of good
character and fame. Applicants may be required to produce satisfactory evidence to support
such requirements.
Applicants may not have secured an office for conducting the travel agency business at the time
of Travel Agent licence application; it is advisable for applicants to consider possible locations of
the office in advance. When the Travel Agent licence application is given In-Principle Approval,
the applicant will be notified to locate a suitable office, subject to the Board’s approval of the
following conditions:
(a) The applicant must produce documentary proof (e.g. certificate of stamp duty, tenancy
agreement, etc.) to support the suitability of the office for the conduct of the travel
agency business.
(b) The office shall be used exclusively for the conduct of the business of a travel agency.
(c) The office space may either be purchased by the company or leased for a minimum
period of one year.
(d) If the Landlord is an individual, a copy of the stamped duty or property tax document
should also be submitted.
(e) For Home Office Premises, documents showing approval from the relevant authorities
(HDB/URA) should be submitted.
If there is any sharing of premises, you must seek approval from the Board and submit relevant
supporting documents and ground plan showing proper demarcations from other businesses.
(iii) Agreement from main tenant on the sharing of premises in a business letter.
(iv) A ground plan showing proper demarcations between the licensee and other occupant(s)
should be submitted.
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(v) A proper signage display at the main lobby/entrance and within premises.
Please note all travel agency licence applications are to be filed online. You must declare
any shareholdings in other travel agencies.
All submissions to the Board should be submitted in soft copies to the Travel Agent
Licensing & Regulatory Review Department, via email to stb_ta@stb.gov.sg .
The application will take approximately one to two weeks to process upon full and complete
submissions of supporting documents. Thereafter, you will receive an In-Principle Approval
(IPA) notification via e-mail.
In-Principle Approval assures applicants with confidence in securing office premises for their
business operations before Final Approval.
You may be required to fulfil additional conditions and submit additional documents to support
your application before final approval is given for your travel agent licence.
STB is deemed to have responded to you if there has been an attempt to reach you by phone,
e-mail or any other common forms of communication. E-mail will be the main channel of
communication for correspondences of your licence application.
A typical condition includes submission of the certificate of stamp duty & tenancy agreement for
the premises where you intend to conduct travel agency business. The tenancy agreement
should be for a period of at least one year. If you own the premise, you need to show proof of
ownership.
Upon successful approval of your travel agent licence application, you will be notified via email
for the payment of licence (to be made via On-line Business Licensing Service (OBLS) payment
portal) and collection of your travel agent licence at Singapore Tourism Board in person.
A Travel Agent's Licence costs S$300 and will expire on 31 December of the following year in
which it was issued.
Please note that you are not allowed to commence business until STB grants final
approval to your application.
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