MRA Grant FAQ: Straight Answers to 26 Questions

The Market Readiness Assistance (MRA) Grant is a Singapore government grant administered by Enterprise Singapore. It co-funds eligible third-party costs when a Singapore-registered SME enters a new overseas market.

From 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029, the MRA supports up to 70% of eligible costs for local SMEs, raised from the previous 50%. The grant is capped at S$100,000 per company per new market, split across three pillars.

Applications are made on the Business Grants Portal using Corppass and the grant is paid as a reimbursement after the project is completed, audited and claimed.

This is the single most misunderstood point about the MRA Grant. S$100,000 is the cap on the grant, not a cap on your spending.

Because Enterprise Singapore funds up to 70% of eligible costs, drawing the full S$100,000 grant means running roughly S$143,000 of eligible project cost (S$100,000 ÷ 0.7 ≈ S$142,900). Your own contribution would be about S$43,000.

Worked example: you plan a S$40,000 trade fair project under Overseas Market Promotion. The pillar's grant cap is S$20,000, which at 70% is reached at about S$28,600 of eligible cost. So Enterprise Singapore would fund S$20,000 and you would fund the remaining S$20,000. Note that audit costs count against the same pillar cap.

Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred dollars.

One application per pillar. Each of the three pillars is applied for separately on the Business Grants Portal — Overseas Market Promotion is one application, Overseas Business Development is another, Overseas Market Set-up is a third.

You can apply for all three pillars concurrently. A company may hold live applications or running projects under all three pillars at the same time for the same new market. Together they can draw up to the S$100,000 grant cap for that market.

So a company entering Vietnam might submit three applications: one to exhibit at a trade fair (Promotion), one to run in-market business matching (Business Development), and one to incorporate a Vietnamese entity and register its trademark (Market Set-up).

The one restriction inside a pillar: under Overseas Business Development, you cannot hold concurrent Overseas Marketing Presence (your own BD employee in-market) and In-market Business Development (outsourced BD services) applications for the same market. Choose one route.

Yes. Enterprise Singapore states that companies may apply for multiple new markets simultaneously. The S$100,000 cap is per company per new market, so each qualifying market has its own cap.

Approval depends on demonstrating that you have adequate financing and manpower resources to deliver all the projects you are proposing. A three-market, nine-application programme submitted by a five-person company will attract scrutiny.

Your company must satisfy all of the following:

• Registered and operating in Singapore as a business entity.
• At least 30% local equity held directly or indirectly by Singapore Citizens and/or Singapore Permanent Residents.
• Group annual sales turnover not exceeding S$100 million OR group employment size not exceeding 200 employees — only one of the two needs to be met.
• New to the target market: your annual sales in that country must not have exceeded S$100,000 in any of the preceding three years.

Not eligible: 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.

Newly registered companies with less than one year of operations can apply, but must show adequate resources and upload certified management accounts from the incorporation date.

Not under the MRA Grant as it stands today. The current eligibility criteria require the applicant to meet the SME size test — group annual sales turnover not exceeding S$100 million, or group employment not exceeding 200.

Enterprise Singapore has announced that from 2H 2026, eligibility will be extended to local non-SMEs with support of up to 50% of eligible costs. That change arrives alongside the launch of EDGE, the new grant that streamlines MRA, PSG and EDG into one scheme. If you are a non-SME, the practical advice today is to prepare your project and watch for the EDGE launch rather than submitting an MRA application now.

A new overseas country that your company is expanding into, where its annual overseas sales in that country have not exceeded S$100,000 in any of the preceding three years. Newness is assessed at country level, not by region, city or product line.

You can apply for the same target market more than once, provided you still meet the S$100,000 test for the preceding three years — including if you were a prior MRA beneficiary in that market.

Enterprise Singapore has announced that the "new market" criterion will be removed from 2H 2026, so that support also covers deepening a presence in existing overseas markets. Until then, the new-market test applies.

Three pillars, each with its own grant cap. Full detail on the three pillars page.

Pillar 1 — Overseas Market Promotion (grant cap S$20,000)

• Overseas marketing and PR activities that build brand visibility and product awareness: in-store promotions, road shows, pop-up stores, publicity across social media and online/offline media channels.
• Overseas physical trade fairs: booth space rental and booth design/construction (each capped at 36 sqm), pitching or speaking slots and creation of marketing/publicity collaterals.
• Virtual trade fairs: virtual exhibition hall and booth access, webinars and conferences, pitching slots, post-event analytics, business meeting and matching sessions, collaterals and logistics for shipping product samples overseas.

Pillar 2 — Overseas Business Development (grant cap S$50,000)

• Identification of potential overseas partners: partner research and in-person, one-to-one business matching with potential licensees, franchisees, agents, distributors, suppliers, joint venture partners and logistics providers.
• Overseas Marketing Presence (OMP): deploying a full-time Business Development employee into the target market, covering basic salary and office rental for 6 to 12 months. Supported at up to 70% for local BD staff, or 50% for foreign staff.
• In-market Business Development: outsourced third-party BD services — recruitment and preparation of local BD personnel, outreach to new leads and review of market entry strategy. Minimum 3 months, maximum 12 months.

Pillar 3 — Overseas Market Set-up (grant cap S$30,000)

• Incorporating or registering an overseas entity (with your company as corporate shareholder).
• Intellectual property registration in the target market — the Singapore applicant must own the IP.
• Tax structure planning, import/export licences and certifications (including FDA and factory registration costs), trade credit insurance and drafting of market-specific business agreements.

Two exclusions apply to every pillar and catch out more applicants than any other rule:

• Singapore-imposed GST.
• Out-of-pocket costs — airfare, accommodation, transport and staff meals.

Pillar-specific exclusions:

• Marketing and PR: publicity costs to raise capital or investment; marketing aimed at the Singapore domestic market; activities showing no engagement with the target market's business environment; content that is merely translated or replicated rather than adapted to the market.
• Trade fairs: fairs already supported under the LEAD programme; co-shared or co-located booths; B2C-only fairs; booths staffed by vendor representatives; displays without your branding.
• Business development: in-house manpower; group business matching meetings (all meetings must be one-to-one); sourcing of service providers or vendors; investor meetings for capital raising or selling shares; concurrent Overseas Business Development-approved fees in the same market.
• Overseas Marketing Presence: salary paid in shares or equity, overtime, commission, bonus, additional allowances, insurance, airfare, meals and accommodation; freelancers or remote workers; rental of warehouse, factory, residential or hotel space; equipment, furniture, fixtures, utilities and internet or telecommunications costs.
• Market Entry: standalone IP objection costs; generic or template-based agreements without market-specific provisions.

One more principle worth internalising: the MRA supports eligible third-party costs for activities your company does not have the in-house capability to carry out. If you already offer that service to your own clients, it will not be supported.

A retrospective application is one submitted after the project has effectively begun — and it will be rejected. Your application is retrospective if, before you submit, any of these has happened:

• Payment has been made to a consultant or vendor, including a deposit.
• A contractual agreement or purchase order has been signed.
• An employment contract has been signed (for Overseas Marketing Presence).
• The project has commenced, including preliminary activities.

The one exception: for overseas trade fairs, payments or agreements may pre-date submission — but the application must be submitted no earlier than 6 months before the fair's official start date.

For a BD hire, you may extend a job offer before applying, but the employment contract must be finalised only after submission and the dates must align with the project support period in the Business Grants Portal.

Enterprise Singapore states that applications should be submitted 6 months or less before the project start date. Submit too early and the project falls outside the window; submit too late and you risk starting work before approval, which makes the application retrospective.

Build the 8–12 week processing time into your planning. If your trade fair is in November, you want the application in by roughly August at the latest.

Enterprise Singapore states that each complete application takes approximately 8 to 12 weeks to process.

"Complete" is doing real work in that sentence. Incomplete applications generate clarification requests and each round adds time. The timeline also depends on how clearly your proposal ties costs to deliverables.

Once approved, you receive a Letter of Offer setting out the approved grant amount, approved activities, the project qualifying period, required deliverables, the claim deadline and the appointed auditors.

No. Enterprise Singapore does not maintain a list of pre-approved vendors for the MRA Grant and it does not designate "approved MRA consultants". Any firm describing itself that way is describing a status that does not exist.

You choose your own third-party vendor. What matters is:

• No conflict of interest. You must have no relationship, connection, association or dealings — direct or indirect — with your appointed vendor. Detected conflicts result in rejection.
• An itemised quotation submitted at application stage, because your approved costs are based on it and cannot be increased later.
• The work is genuinely outsourced. Scopes you have in-house capability to deliver are not supported.

Note also that your company must submit the application itself. Enterprise Singapore requires all BGP submissions to be made by the grant applicant through its own authorised employees. Vendors, service providers, corporate secretaries and other third parties must not submit or manage the grant on your behalf. A consultant can advise you, help you scope the project and help you assemble documentation — but the submission is yours.

A tax deduction is treated differently from a grant, but between two grants the rule is strict: you cannot receive support from two schemes for the same expenses or event. Enterprise Singapore is explicit: companies may not apply for MRA support after receiving grant approvals from Enterprise Singapore or other agencies for the same eligible expenses or events.

You can hold EDG and MRA support concurrently, as long as they cover different scopes of work, services or activities. For example, EDG for a business process redesign and MRA for a trade fair in Indonesia.

Double Tax Deduction for Internationalisation (DTDi) can be claimed on the same expenses supported by the MRA. Qualifying expenses for the tax deduction are computed net of the MRA grant amount.

Always declare other government support in your application. Non-declaration is treated as a false declaration.

Enterprise Singapore's non-exhaustive list of rejection grounds includes:

• Failing any of the eligibility criteria.
• Shell business registrations, or companies whose main operations are outside Singapore.
• Seeking support for fundraising, or for increasing domestic Singapore sales.
• Retrospective applications.
• A detected conflict of interest with the appointed vendor.
• Applying for a scope of work you have the internal capability to deliver.
• False declarations.

Two structural rules also cause rejections: group applications (two or more companies named as applicants on one form) are not allowed, and third parties must not apply or manage the grant on behalf of the applicant.

If you are rejected, Enterprise Singapore explains why. Most rejections stem from a fixable scoping or documentation problem — but a retrospective application cannot be undone, which is why timing matters more than anything else.

The maximum support period for the MRA is 12 months. Within that:

• Overseas Marketing Presence: minimum 6 months, maximum 12 months, with no interruption to market presence.
• In-market Business Development: minimum 3 months, maximum 12 months.
• Trade fairs: participation must align with the approved trade show dates in the Letter of Offer.

If you cannot complete within the approved period, submit a BGP Change Request before the project end date with a valid reason. Approval is not automatic and requests to increase the original grant amount will not be considered.

No. The MRA Grant is administered strictly on a reimbursement basis — Enterprise Singapore does not provide it as a cash advance. You fund the project, complete it, get it audited, submit a claim and are then reimbursed.

This has a real cash-flow implication. On a S$143,000 programme you are carrying the full amount until claim approval, which realistically means many months after you first pay a vendor. Plan your working capital accordingly.

Claims are filed on the Business Grants Portal under the Claims tab. The key rules:

• A single and final claim. Qualifying costs are based on the quotation submitted at application stage. The approved quantum is final and additional claims are not allowed — so vendor variations billed after the activity cannot be recovered.
• Deadline: claims must reach Enterprise Singapore no later than 3 months from the end of the project qualifying period, and by the deadline specified in your Letter of Offer. Miss it and Enterprise Singapore reserves the right to refuse payment.
• Audit: an Enterprise Singapore-appointed auditor verifies your costs against the Letter of Offer. Audit cost starts from S$200 depending on scope and is supported up to 50%, capped at S$500. Project and audit costs share the same pillar cap. Auditor contact details are in Annex 6 of the Letter of Offer.
• Deliverables: your uploaded documents must clearly show that every project deliverable in the Letter of Offer has been met. Non-compliance results in pro-rated or rejected claims. Enterprise Singapore may raise queries on deliverables even after the auditor has signed off the costs.

Disbursement: approximately 14 working days via PayNow Corporate after claim approval, or up to 8 weeks via GIRO. You will receive an email confirming the transaction. Full detail on the claims and disbursement page.

Requirements vary by pillar and company profile, but a typical application needs:

• ACRA BizFile showing your company details and shareholding.
• Financial statements. If your company is exempt from audit, you may upload unaudited financial statements or certified management accounts. Newly incorporated companies without a full year should provide year-to-date unaudited or certified statements.
• An itemised quotation from your chosen third-party vendor — this determines your approved costs, so vague quotes are a liability.
• A business proposal setting out the project scope, timeline, budget, deliverables and KPIs. The KPIs you state here are what you will be assessed against at claim stage.
• Corppass access with Preparer and Acceptor roles assigned to the right people.

Pillar-specific extras: for Overseas Marketing Presence, the BD staff's job description (an employment letter is not required if you have not yet hired). For Market Entry, documentation showing you own the IP being registered.

Any staff member assigned as a BGP user with a Preparer or Acceptor role by your Corppass Administrator can edit and submit the application. Update the new user's contact details on the BGP.

If the CEO or MD authorised to accept the Letter of Offer leaves, your Corppass Administrator assigns the Acceptor role to the new CEO/MD via the e-Service section. If the grant is not yet approved, the Corppass Administrator can update the Letter of Offer addressee in the application form. Once the grant is approved and the Letter of Offer has been issued, the addressee cannot be amended.

It depends on where you are in the project:

• No payment made and project not commenced: submit a new application with the new vendor and cancel the existing one.
• Project ongoing: submit a BGP Change Request under "Change in project costs", including the new vendor's quote, before the project end date. Approval is at Enterprise Singapore's discretion.

In both cases the grant amount is finalised on approval. Requests to increase the original grant amount will not be considered.

Only as a starting point. Enterprise Singapore's position is that while virtual business matching meetings can serve as initial touchpoints to identify potential partners, business matching projects should primarily be conducted in person.

At claim stage, what is assessed is documented evidence of physical, in-market, one-to-one meetings that you attended directly — held at business premises rather than at events or tradeshows — with dates, venues, named attendees, outcomes, photographs and business cards. Group meetings are not supported.

Enterprise Singapore's stated reasoning is that MRA support covers up to the standard booth size based on the majority of applications and that 36 sqm is reasonable across different industries.

The cap applies to both booth space rental and booth design and construction. You can build a larger booth — you just cannot claim the portion above 36 sqm.

There is no required booth design, but your company name or brand must be clearly displayed on the booth and in the exhibitor listing and the fair must be an international one with international exhibitors and primarily trade visitors.

For general enquiries, use the Enterprise Infoline at go.gov.sg/askenterprisesg.

• Business Grants Portal helpdesk: +65 6708 7288 or bgp_helpdesk@enterprisesg.gov.sg, 8.30am–5.30pm Monday to Friday.
• Corppass helpdesk: +65 6643 0577 or support@corppass.gov.sg, 8am–8pm weekdays and 8am–2pm Saturdays.
• Free business advisory: SME Centres offer appointments and walk-ins, 9am–5.30pm Monday to Friday.

The authoritative references are Enterprise Singapore's official MRA Grant page and its official MRA FAQ. Where anything on this site differs from those, treat Enterprise Singapore as correct and tell us so we can fix it.

EDGE is a new Enterprise Singapore grant announced at Budget 2026 and expected from 2H 2026. It streamlines the Market Readiness Assistance (MRA), Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) and Enterprise Development Grant (EDG) into a single scheme.

What Enterprise Singapore has confirmed so far: EDGE will support all Singapore businesses, including non-SMEs, up to S$100,000 per year. Alongside it, eligibility extends to local non-SMEs at up to 50% support and the "new market" criterion is removed so that support also covers deepening a presence in existing overseas markets. Support percentages and detailed EDGE criteria have not yet been published.

Should you wait? The MRA, PSG and EDG remain open for applications until EDGE launches, so a project you are scoping now can still proceed under the MRA at up to 70%. If you are an SME with a defined new-market project and a firm timeline, applying now is generally the sensible choice. If you are a non-SME, or your target market is one you already sell into, EDGE is the route that will open up to you.

No. MRAGrant.sg is operated by Firefish, a Singapore branding and consulting firm. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an official channel of Enterprise Singapore.

We publish this guide because the official documentation is spread across a grant page, an FAQ page and a supportable-activities schedule and most applicants only discover the rules that matter after they have already broken one. Everything here is sourced from those official documents and was last verified on 28 July 2026. Grant terms change — always confirm against Enterprise Singapore before committing money.