FAQ

A new market is one where the company’s annual overseas sales have not exceeded S$100,000 in any of the last three years. Companies with >S$100,000 annual overseas sales for a particular market will not be supported for that market.

Yes, as long as the new market criteria is met for each market.

The grant cap of S$100,000 is applicable to each unique entity/company. However, if the parent company and its subsidiary are assessed to have similar business registration details (nature of business, address, shareholder/directorship, etc.), they will be treated as connected enterprises, and subjected to the same grant cap.

MRA only supports Singapore-registered business entities. Applications from entities such as non-profit organisations, societies, religious entities or government statutory boards, etc. will be rejected.

Companies are not allowed to apply for the MRA support if they have received grant approvals from Enterprise Singapore or other agencies for the same eligible expenses or events.

Yes, companies may apply for support under both EDG and MRA, as long as it is not for the same scope of work/services/activities supported.

Yes, companies can also benefit from DTDi for the same expenses. Qualifying expenses for tax deduction will be computed net of the MRA grant.

Companies can proceed to sign the contract with a third-party consultant/vendor and commence the project after application submission. Project commencement and completion dates must be in accordance to the project support period stated on Business Grants Portal.

An application is retrospective if any of the following events have taken place before application submission:

• Made a payment including initial deposit to the third-party consultant/vendor
• Signed the contractual agreement/purchase order with the third-party consultant/vendor
• Commenced the project with the third-party consultant/vendor

Applications for participation in overseas physical and virtual trade fairs are the only exception, as we recognise that a longer preparation time is required, and companies may need to secure the booth space in advance. Companies may make payment (including initial deposit) and/or sign the contractual agreement/rental agreement/purchase order with the show organiser/third-party vendor before application submission but are still required to submit the application before the trade fair’s commencement.

To ensure that there is no conflict of interest (COI), applicants should not have any relationship, connection, association, or dealings with their appointed third-party consultant/vendor, directly or indirectly via persons of authorities such as directors/shareholders.
The application will be rejected if there is COI detected between the applicant and their third-party consultant/vendor.

No, MRA supports eligible third-party costs for activities and services that companies do not have the in-house or internal capability to carry out.

The following list is non-exhaustive:

• A company who does not meet eligibility criteria
• A company holding a shell business registration, or having its main business operations outside Singapore
• A company seeking support for the purpose of fundraising or increasing domestic sales
• A retrospective application

1. There is unavailable booth space under the Singapore National Pavilion supported under LEAD
2. It can secure a better booth location compared to the Singapore National Pavilion
3. It prefers not to be part of the Singapore National Pavilion for various reasons
4. It prefers to exhibit at a different specialty hall within the same LEAD-supported tradeshow

None of the above will be supported. We strongly encourage companies to tap onto LEAD-supported trade fairs to reach global customers, get feedback on products and services, and learn more about overseas markets. Please refer here for LEAD-supported trade fairs.

MRA support covers up to the standard booth size based on majority of applications. Based on overall trends, a booth space of 36 sqm is reasonable for companies across different industries (includes the display of machines, furniture, etc.).

No, but the company's name should be reflected clearly on the booth and exhibitor listing.

Yes. In such cases, please submit the Job Description of the BD staff (in place of the Employment/Appointment Letter) for application evaluation.
Once the BD staff has been confirmed/hired, please update the application, or inform us through a Change Request with the Employment/Appointment Letter.

No. To qualify for MRA support, the foreign entity must be registered with the applicant company as the corporate shareholder.

For international IP applications, companies can submit one single application for multiple overseas markets under the Madrid System, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) System, Hague System, etc. Companies may indicate the key target market within the application form.
For direct national IP applications, companies should submit one MRA application for each overseas market. For more information, please refer to IPOS’ website.

Yes, as long as there are legitimate business relationships between your company and the manufacturing base, including but not limited to:

1. Manufacturing base as a wholly-owned entity under Singapore company, or;
2. Manufacturing base as a joint venture with an overseas partner, or;
3. Manufacturing base operating as a contract manufacturer.

The consultant will advise the company on the relevant FTAs, and help assess the benefits of leveraging on the FTAs, including those that Singapore is not a member of.

TCI is supported under the Market Entry activity, to encourage companies to take up TCI cover to protect themselves against buyer defaults in new overseas markets. Companies can approach a Singapore-registered TCI broker/insurer to structure and purchase the TCI policy.

Please note that the lists below are not exhaustive:

For all scopes:

• Singapore-imposed Goods and Services Tax (GST)
• Costs charged by other Singapore government Agencies (except incorporation/registration of entity if the costs are mandatory as part of the process)
• Out of pocket expenses (e.g., airfare, accommodation, transport)
• Commissions or success fees
• Costs incurred for the purpose of fulfilling contractual obligations with clients
• Costs incurred for sourcing of investors, suppliers, capital raising, selling of company’s shares

Overseas Marketing and PR Activity

• Prototyping
• Food samples/products, promotional prizes/gifts, sponsorship fees (prize money)
• In-house manpower, maintenance, security deposit
• Stand-alone costs and/or collaterals that are not related to the marketing/PR campaign (e.g., video production for social media posts or production of corporate brochures that are not relevant to the campaign)
• Telemarketing
• Publicity costs to raise capital or investments
• Equipment (e.g., tablet, printer, hard disk, computer)

Overseas Trade Fairs

• Logistics for overseas physical trade fairs, in-house manpower (e.g., promoters, maintenance, security deposit, sales commission, namecard, and success fees)
• Shared/split booths
• Costs incurred for logistics for overseas physical trade fairs, in-house manpower (e.g. promoters, maintenance, security deposit, sales commission, namecard, and success fees)
• Media buy expenses
• Purchase of equipment, furniture, electrical appliances
• Insurance costs
• Sponsored or corporate gifts (e.g., notebooks, pens, lucky draw prizes), prize money
• Subscription to generic online databases

Business Matching and In-Market BD

• Office rental, manpower salary
• Subscription to generic databases or directories

Overseas Marketing Presence

• Commission, bonus for the BD staff
• Subscription to generic databases or directories
• Incidental costs – staff's overtime pay, transport allowances, airfare, meals, accommodation, etc.
• Other office costs – equipment/furniture, fixture, utilities, internet/ telecommunication costs, etc.
• Rental of warehouse, factory space, residential space, hotel room/suite
• Deposit and any form of down payments

Market Entry

• Costs required to operationalise the business (e.g., signboard license, bookkeeping services)
• Costs related to appointment of Power of Attorney
• Corporate secretariat services
• Paid up capital
• Annual registered office address/lease contract
• Custodial director service
• Individual director tax registration
• Costs related to manpower issues such as employee recruitment/work permit/visa
• Product certification/testing costs (note: product registration costs, such as FDA registration, that are required as part of obtaining import/export licenses can be supported)
• Product liability insurance
• Trademark/Patent filings for Singapore

FTA & Trade Compliance Consultancy

• Assistance with Customs Authorities post-audit FTA checks
• Application for Advanced Ruling with Singapore customs

The Business Grants Portal (BGP) is a one-stop portal for businesses to apply for government grants. This paperless system allows entities to find the grants they need with ease, enjoy a convenient form completion process, and reduce the time spent on the application. If the company has yet to register for a Corppass Administrator account, please visit www.corppass.gov.sg. After successful registration, users need to be assigned the e-Service access to BGP in order to submit their grant application.

You may contact the Business Grant Portal helpdesk at +65 6708 7288 or submit an enquiry form at go.gov.sg/bgphelpdesk.
Operating hours are from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm (Mondays to Fridays)

You may call the Corppass Helpdesk at +65 6643 0577 or email them at support@corppass.gov.sg.
Operating hours are from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm (Mondays to Fridays) and from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm (Saturdays). Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.

You may choose to upload unaudited financial statements or management accounts, if audited statements are unavailable.
If the company is newly registered and a full year's financial statements are not available, you may provide unaudited financial statements or management accounts for the year-to-date.

Any personnel assigned as a BGP user in the company and given a Preparer or Acceptor role by the company's Corppass Administrator can edit and submit the grant application. Contact details of the new user should be updated on BGP.

Under the e-Service section on BGP, the company's Corppass Administrator should assign an Acceptor role to the new CEO/MD. This enables him/her to accept the LOF.

If the grant has not been approved, the Corppass Administrator can update the LOF addressee in the grant application form.

If the grant has been approved and the LOF has been issued, no amendment to the addressee can be made.

The applicant company's Corppass Admin would need to add in the “MTI - Business Grant Portal (BGP)” digital service:

1. Login at www.corppass.gov.sg
2. Go to 'e-Services' > 'Select Entity e-Services'
3. Type "bgp" in the search bar to the right (next to 'filter')
4. Tick the box on the left of “BGP”, then press 'Next'
• If there is no checkbox to tick, you may skip ahead to Step 7 below.
5. Press 'Next' and 'Submit'
6. Press 'Return to Homepage'
• After adding BGP for the company, the Admin would then need to assign it to the relevant staff.
7. Go to 'e-Services' > 'Assign selected e-Services'
8. Tick the box next to the relevant staff's name and press 'Next'.
9. Type “bgp” in the search bar to the right (next to 'filter')
10. Tick the box on the left of “BGP”, then press 'Next'
• Select the "Acceptor" role.
• "Authorization Effective Date" can be today
• "Authorization Expiry Date" can be left blank
11. Press 'Next' and 'Submit'
• If you are unsure of who your Admin is, you may use your SingPass to check on the identities of your entity's Corppass Admins and Sub-Admins
12. Go to www.corppass.gov.sg
13. Click on 'Services' > 'Find Your Corppass Admin'
14. Login to SingPass
15. Enter the company's UEN
16. Press 'Search' (the respective admins' names will be displayed)

For further enquiries regarding Corppass roles, please refer to the Corppass User Guide.

If payment has not been made and project has not commenced: Resubmit a new application on BGP, and cancel the existing project.
If project is ongoing: Submit a change request on BGP under “Change in project costs”.

The maximum support period for MRA is 12 months, and companies can take up to a maximum of 3 months to submit its claims upon completion of the project. Companies with valid reasons may request for an extension from Enterprise Singapore via BGP before the project end date. The request will be subject to approval.

The Auditor's Report allows for a smoother review of claims. The responsibility of the auditor is to verify and confirm the amounts shown on the Statement of Claim are in accordance with the provisions of the Letter of Offer. The auditor would then issue the Auditor's Report.

The Auditor's Report is mandatory and serves as a confirmation statement by an independent auditor that certifies the amounts shown on the Statement of Claim are in accordance with the provisions of the Letter of Offer.

Upon approval of the MRA grant, please refer to Annex 6 of the Letter of Offer in the Business Grants Portal.

We are only able to defray costs that are incurred as a result of third-party engagements. The applicant would have to make payment to the third-party consultant/vendor directly.

No. MRA grant support is approved based on the quotation submitted by companies during the application stage. The approved quantum is final, and additional claims are not allowed.

No. The grant is administered on a reimbursement basis to ensure that the grants are strictly utilized for the approved project.

An email will be sent to the email address stated in BGP to confirm the transaction.

Step 1/4

• Acceptor login to BGP > Click on 'Updates Required' tab
• Click on grant's Project Title

Step 2/4

• Click on 'Withdraw Application'

Step 3/4

• Enter details in 'Remarks' section
• Click on 'Withdraw Application'

Step 4/4

• Grant application has been withdrawn

For further enquiries, kindly contact us through the Enterprise Infoline.

If you are unsure which initiatives and programmes you should tap on, and would like to get in touch with business advisors from SME Centres for advice, please make an appointment here for a call or Skype chat. Walk-ins are allowed during operating hours, but SMEs are strongly encouraged to make an appointment to confirm the slot.

The operating hours are from 9am to 5:30pm (Monday to Friday).