Is visiting Singapore for attending a conference Business or Tourism?

Question

I am flying to Singapore at the end of this month for attending a conference and am in the process of applying for the visa.

• Do conferences fall under Business or Tourism?
• What should I enter as the purpose of visit (I have currently entered "Conference ()")

I ask this because Business and Tourist Visas have difference document requirements.

Documents Required

For Business Visit (attending business negotiation/discussion)

1. Completed Form 14A (original) .

2. One recent passport-sized colour photograph (to be pasted on the top right-hand corner of (Form 14A) which meets the following requirements:

   • Image must be taken within the last 3 months .

   • Photograph should be in colour, must be taken against a white
     background with a matt or semi-matt finish .

   • Image must show the full face and without headgear (headgear worn in
     accordance with religious or racial customs is acceptable but must not hide the facial features) .

3. Photocopy of the applicant's passport biodata page. Please ensure that the passport is valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry .

4. Completed Form V39A (Letter of Introduction for Visa Application)¹ . 5) Computer printout of the Singapore registered business entity’s detailed business profile (showing the names of all the directors / shareholders) from the Instant Information Service, Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) and printed within the last 3 months.

¹ Letter of Introduction (LOI) may be issued by a local contact in Singapore. For visa applicants attending business negotiation / discussion in Singapore, the local contact must be a Singapore registered business entity . The person acting on behalf of the business entity must be a Singapore Citizen / Singapore Permanent Resident who is at least 21 years old . If you are not able to furnish a LOI from a local contact, you may approach your Embassy to issue a LOI to support your visa application.

For Social Visit (visiting families, friends, relatives and for tourism)

1. Completed Form 14A (original) .

2. One recent passport-sized colour photograph (to be pasted on the top right-hand corner of (Form 14A) which meets the following requirements:

   • Image must be taken within the last 3 months .

   • Photograph should be in colour, must be taken against a white
     background with a matt or semi-matt finish.

   • Image must show the full face and without headgear (headgear worn in
     accordance with religious or racial customs is acceptable but must not hide the facial features).

3. Photocopy of the applicant's passport biodata page. Please ensure that the passport is valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry.
4. Completed Form V39A (Letter of Introduction for Visa Application)².
5. Local contact's Singapore Identity Card (original and photocopy).

² Letter of Introduction (LOI) may be issued by a local contact in Singapore. Any Singapore Citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident who is at least 21 years old can act as a local contact. If you are not able to furnish a LOI from a local contact, you may approach your Embassy to issue a LOI to support your visa application.

Answer 1

This looks like a business trip. You should contact the organization committee and ask them to provide to you the letter of introduction.

One "important" note, if you look at this page : https://www.mfa.gov.sg/content/mfa/overseasmission/beijing/visa_information/bizSocialLevel1.html

It is written :

Applicant who is invited by Singapore government agencies, universities or are attending exhibition/conference/convention in Singapore are not required to produce Form V39A and business profile. The applicant however needs to present the original letter by the inviting organisation or event organiser addressed to the applicant. The invitation letter must be signed by the invitee of the organiser and addressed to the applicant (the full name as in passport).

So based on this, you might not need a lot more than the letter of introduction. This page is for Chinese but I am not sure to which extent, it isn't also applicable for you as you seem to belong to the same country classification. The best for you is to check with the organization.

The generic details for India are there : https://www.mfa.gov.sg/content/mfa/overseasmission/new_delhi/visa_information/overview.html