🇸🇬 Singapore draws red line for foreign creative freelancers
New rules aim to safeguard local talent in weddings & creative industries
📍 SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) 🏛️ and the Visual, Audio, Creative Content Professionals Association (Vicpa) 🎥🎨 have drawn a clear line:
👉 Foreign freelancers without work passes ❌ can no longer provide creative services — including photography 📸, videography 🎬, and make-up 💄 — even at weddings 💍.
🚫 What’s banned
Foreigners on tourist or student visas ❌ cannot work in Singapore’s creative industries 🎭📸.
Companies 🏢 are prohibited from engaging or promoting unlicensed foreign freelancers 🚫.
Rule applies across weddings 💍, events 🎉, and broader creative sectors 🎬🎨.
⚖️ Penalties: Up to S$20,000 in fines, 2 years’ jail, or both. Repeat offenders risk being barred from working in Singapore.
“Foreigners on tourist or student visas are not allowed to perform such work in Singapore, and companies cannot engage them to provide services to clients, nor promote their services.” (Vicpa and MOM, The Strait Times)
🎯 Why it matters
Leveling the field ⚖️: Local creatives face unfair price competition as foreign freelancers often undercut rates 💸.
Industry sustainability 🌱: Singapore-based professionals shoulder MediSave, taxes, insurance, and overheads 🧾 — costs foreigners sidestep.
Bigger picture 📸🎭: Part of Singapore’s wider push to professionalize the creative workforce 🏛️ and ensure sustainable industry growth 📈.
🌏 Regional context
Creative industries are booming across Southeast Asia 🌏 — from Bali’s wedding videography hubs 💍🎥 to Bangkok’s fashion photography scene 👗📸.
Singapore’s stricter rules 🏛️ aim to differentiate its market as premium and highly professional ✨, protecting local jobs 👥 while maintaining global competitiveness 🌍.
Positioned as a regional creative and media hub 🎭🎬, Singapore’s policy signals an intent to balance openness with fairness ⚖️.
💡 The takeaway
This crackdown isn’t about stifling creativity 🎨❌ — it’s about protecting Singapore’s creative ecosystem 🌱.
Vicpa urges companies to hire local freelancers 👥, ensuring Singapore remains a trusted hub 🌏✨ for high-quality, ethical creative services 📸🎬💄.
Need more angles?
The Strait Times Firms not allowed to engage foreign freelancers to provide creative services in S’pore: MOM, Vicpa
Mothership S'pore companies not allowed to engage foreign freelancers to provide creative services: MOM, VICPA
Malay Mail Singapore cracks down on unlicensed foreign freelancers in creative industries, including weddings
(ELS/QOB)