Singapore's 60% ABSD for Foreigners: How It Actually Works

July 2, 2026

Singapore's Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) for foreigners has stood at 60% since April 2023, on top of the standard Buyer's Stamp Duty (BSD) that applies to everyone regardless of nationality. In practice, that means a foreigner buying a S$2,000,000 condominium pays roughly S$74,600 in BSD plus S$1,200,000 in ABSD — a combined stamp duty bill exceeding 60% of the purchase price. This is intentional government policy aimed at cooling foreign speculative demand in a small, land-constrained market. Permanent Residents pay a comparatively modest 5% ABSD on a first property, while citizens pay none on their first home. There are limited exceptions: some nationals from countries with a Free Trade Agreement with Singapore (including the US, Switzerland, and others) are treated the same as Singapore Citizens for ABSD purposes — it's worth checking IRAS's current FTA list before assuming the foreigner rate applies.