Organization : Singapore Tourism Board
Facility : Apply for a Travel Agent Licence
Country : Singapore
Website : https://www.stb.gov.sg/
Details Here : https://www.stb.gov.sg/content/stb/en.html
STB Apply for Travel Agent Licence
Companies or persons in the business of making travel arrangements or conducting tours in or outside of Singapore are required to apply for a Travel Agent Licence.
Related / Similar Service :
Who Needs a Licence
Under Section 4 of the Travel Agents Act (Cap. 334), a person carries on the business of a travel agent if the person carries on, or advertises or holds himself out as carrying on, a business of any of the following :
a. supplying any person a right to travel on any conveyance;
b. supplying any person –
** a right to travel on any conveyance to; and
** a right of accommodation at a hotel or similar boarding premises at,
** one or more places, whether in Singapore or elsewhere;
c. purchasing, or reserving, for resale to a person a right to travel on any conveyance;
d. supplying any tour (whether or not organised by the person) to any other person; or
e. such other similar activity as may be prescribed. The term “supply”, in relation to a travel product, includes the sale, or arranging for the provision, of the travel product.
Despite the above, a person does not carry on the business of a travel agent if :
a. For the activity mentioned in (a), the person carries on the activity only in respect of a conveyance the person owns;
b. For the activities mentioned in (a) or (c), the person carries on the activity only in respect of a conveyance that is :
** used for a regular route service within the meaning of the Bus Services Industry Act 2015 (Act 30 of 2015); or
** used for a community bus service or courtesy bus service, within the meaning of the Bus Services Industry Act 2015, and that travels only within Singapore; or
** used for a train service within the meaning of the Public Transport Council Act (Cap. 259B);
c. For the activity mentioned in (b), the person carries on the activity only in respect of :
** a conveyance the person owns; and
** a hotel or similar boarding premises the person owns or operates;
d. For the activity mentioned in (d), the person carries on the activity only in respect of any place or point of interest that the person owns or operates.
e. The person supplies a tour where participants only visit places or points of interest within Singapore and where :
** the person does not provide any conveyance to the participants of the tour (e.g. walking tours); or
** every participant is required to contribute to the movement of the conveyance provided (e.g. cycling tours);
i. The person supplies a right to travel on any conveyance only within Singapore and does not carry on a business of supplying any tour.
ii. The person supplies services to a licensee for the purposes of a tour.
Additionally, the following entities do not require a travel agent licence :
** Government and statutory boards
** Institutions of a Public Character
Engaging in the business of a Travel Agent without a travel agent valid licence is an offence under the Travel Agents Act.
How to Apply
Applications for a Travel Agent licence must be made online via the Travel Related Users’ System (TRUST). An application fee of $200 is to be paid to STB when submitting an application. Before applying for a Travel Agent (TA) licence
Before proceeding to apply for a Travel Agent’s licence, you are required to fulfil the following conditions :
** Register the business with the Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) to conduct the travel agent business. For businesses that are not yet registered under ACRA, please approach STB on how to apply for a travel agent licence.
** Registered business must have a minimum paid-up capital of S$50,000 (for Niche Licences) or S$100,000 (for General Licences), and a net value of the same amount.
** All applicants must nominate a suitable person as the Key Executive.
i. The Key Executive is responsible for the day-to-day administration and operations of the travel agency. He should preferably be a director of the business (as listed in ACRA) and have managerial experience in the travel business.
** Specify an office to be used for the conduct of the travel agency business.
** Set up an e-mail address specifically for the operation of your travel agency business.
** The applicant and all relevant individuals1 of the applicant must be suitable persons to be involved in the management or operation of the business of a travel agent.
Licence Fees
Following the successful processing of an application, a licence fee of $400 is to be paid to STB before a licence of up to 2 years is issued and the applicant’s travel agency is listed in the Travel Agent Directory of the STB Corporate Website.