MRA Grant Eligibility: Do You Qualify?
Five questions covering Enterprise Singapore's core criteria, followed by the full requirements and the things that disqualify an application outright.
Interactive Eligibility Checker
Takes about two minutes. This is a guide to the core criteria — Enterprise Singapore makes the final assessment and some rules (conflict of interest, in-house capability, retrospective timing) sit outside a five-question check.
Detailed Eligibility Requirements
Let's dive deeper into each requirement so you understand exactly what qualifies.
Singapore Registration & Local Equity
Your company must be registered in Singapore and have at least 30% equity held by Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents. This requirement ensures the grant supports genuine Singapore-based businesses.
- Must be incorporated in Singapore with a valid ACRA registration
- At least 30% shareholding by Singapore Citizens or PRs
- Must actively operate a business in Singapore
SME Status
Your company must meet Enterprise Singapore's SME size test. The definition is generous: meeting either the turnover threshold or the headcount threshold is enough.
- Group annual sales turnover not exceeding S$100 million
- OR group employment size not exceeding 200 employees
- Only one of these conditions needs to be met
- Non-SMEs are not eligible under the MRA as it stands today. Enterprise Singapore has announced that eligibility will extend to local non-SMEs at up to 50% support from 2H 2026, alongside the launch of EDGE
New Market or Early Stage
You must be either entering a completely new market where you have no presence, or the target market must show early-stage potential with sales under S$100,000 annually for the past three years.
- New market: No prior operations or revenue in the country
- Early stage: Annual sales under S$100,000 for EACH of the past 3 years
- If sales exceeded S$100,000 in any of those years, it no longer qualifies as early-stage
- Be ready to evidence your sales history in that country
Eligible Activities
Your project must fall under one of Enterprise Singapore's three pillars, be delivered by a third party and cover work your company does not have the in-house capability to perform.
- Overseas Market Promotion — overseas marketing and PR activities, physical trade fairs (booth space and design each capped at 36 sqm), virtual trade fairs. Grant cap S$20,000.
- Overseas Business Development — identification of potential overseas partners through in-person one-to-one business matching, Overseas Marketing Presence (a BD employee stationed in-market, 6–12 months), or In-market Business Development (outsourced BD services, 3–12 months). Grant cap S$50,000.
- Overseas Market Set-up — overseas incorporation, IP registration, tax structure planning, import/export licences and certifications, trade credit insurance, market-specific agreement drafting. Grant cap S$30,000.
- Standalone market research and feasibility studies are not supportable activities in their own right — they appear as required deliverables within business development projects. See the pillar detail.
What's NOT Eligible
Be aware of activities and costs that fall outside the MRA Grant scope:
- Singapore-imposed GST — excluded from every pillar
- Out-of-pocket costs — airfare, accommodation, transport and staff meals, in every pillar
- In-house manpower and any scope of work you can deliver internally — MRA supports eligible third-party costs only
- General staff salaries. The one exception is Overseas Marketing Presence, where the basic salary and office rental of a full-time BD employee stationed in-market are supported for 6–12 months (up to 70% for local staff, 50% for foreign staff)
- Equipment, machinery, furniture, fixtures and capital goods
- Retrospective applications — if you have paid a deposit, signed a contract, purchase order or employment contract, or started work before submitting, the application is rejected. Overseas trade fairs are the narrow exception
- Marketing targeting the Singapore domestic market and publicity to raise capital or investment
- LEAD-supported trade fairs, B2C-only fairs and co-shared or co-located booths
- Group business matching meetings, vendor sourcing and investor meetings
- Warehouse, factory, residential or hotel space; utilities and internet/telecommunications
- Work delivered by a vendor you have any relationship, connection or association with — a conflict of interest means rejection
Common Eligibility Questions
Answers to the most frequent questions we hear about eligibility.
Can non-SMEs apply for the MRA Grant?
Not under the MRA as it stands today — the current criteria require the applicant to meet the SME size test. Enterprise Singapore has announced that from 2H 2026, eligibility will extend to local non-SMEs at up to 50% support, alongside the launch of EDGE. If you are a non-SME, prepare your project now and watch for the EDGE launch.
Do I need to apply before spending?
Yes and the rule is stricter than most people expect. An application is retrospective — and will be rejected — if before you submit you have paid a consultant or vendor including a deposit, signed a contract or purchase order, signed an employment contract, or started the project including preliminary activities. The one exception is overseas trade fairs, where payment or an agreement may pre-date submission provided the application is submitted no earlier than 6 months before the fair's official start date.
How many applications do I need and can I do several markets?
One application per pillar. A company can run all three pillars concurrently for the same new market, together drawing up to the S$100,000 grant cap for that market. You may also pursue several new markets at the same time, since the cap is per market — approval depends on showing you have the financing and manpower to deliver them all.
How is "30% local equity" calculated?
Local equity means shareholding held by Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents. It's calculated based on your company's share capital structure. If you're unsure, check your company's register of members or consult your accountant.
If we don't qualify now, can we apply later?
Yes. Eligibility is assessed at the point of application, so circumstances can change. Two changes are already on the horizon: from 2H 2026 Enterprise Singapore has announced that the "new market" criterion will be removed and eligibility will extend to local non-SMEs at up to 50% support, both alongside the launch of EDGE. If today's criteria exclude you, that may be the route.
What documentation proves we meet the SME size test?
Your latest financial statements, uploaded under the BGP's Company Profile. If your company is exempt from having its accounts audited, Enterprise Singapore accepts unaudited financial statements or certified management accounts. Newly registered companies without a full year of statements should provide year-to-date unaudited or certified accounts from the incorporation date.
Can a newly registered company apply?
Yes. Companies with less than one year of operations may apply. Approval requires demonstrating you have adequate resources to deliver the project and you should upload certified management accounts running from your incorporation date.
Which organisations are excluded outright?
Non-profit organisations, societies, religious entities, venture capital and investment holding companies and government subsidiaries. Enterprise Singapore supports Singapore-registered business entities whose key objective is generating overseas revenue. Shell registrations and companies whose main operations are outside Singapore are also rejected.
Ready to Get Started?
If you've confirmed your eligibility, here's what to do next.
Gather Your Documents
ACRA BizFile, latest financial statements, an itemised vendor quotation and a business proposal with deliverables and KPIs.
Plan Your Activity
Confirm the market is new to you, identify which pillar (or pillars) apply and budget on GST-exclusive third-party costs. Submit no earlier than 6 months before the project start date.
Submit Application
Your own authorised Corppass user submits on the Business Grants Portal — one application per pillar. Third parties cannot submit on your behalf.
Get Approved
Processing takes about 8–12 weeks. Accept the Letter of Offer, deliver the project within 12 months, then audit and file a single, final claim within 3 months of the project end.
Need help scoping your project against the pillars, or checking your sequencing before you commit to a vendor? That is the conversation worth having early.