Singapore to permanently waive Lasting Power of Attorney application fees for citizens

The Singapore government will permanently waive application fees for the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) Form 1 for all citizens starting 1 April 2026. This initiative aims to encourage more individuals to protect their interests through early end-of-life planning.

Minister of State for Social and Family Development (MSF) Goh Pei Ming announced the decision in Parliament on 5 March 2026.

The move transitions a previous temporary fee waiver into a long-term policy to support the ageing population in managing future mental incapacity.

The LPA is a legal document allowing a person, known as a donor, to appoint one or more trusted individuals to act on their behalf. These representatives, called donees, manage personal welfare and financial matters if the donor loses mental capacity.

404,000 Singaporeans had registered LPA as of 20 Feb

According to data shared by Goh, approximately 404,000 Singapore citizens had registered an LPA as of 20 February 2026.

This figure represents roughly one in seven citizens.

Participation is higher among seniors, with one in four citizens over 65 having registered.

The MSF previously set a target in 2023 to have 240,000 citizens aged 50 and above complete their LPAs by the end of 2025. Goh noted a healthy uptake following recent awareness campaigns.

Despite the progress, MOS Goh emphasised that many Singaporeans have yet to complete the process.

The permanent waiver of the S$70 fee for Form 1 is intended to remove financial barriers for the standard application used by most residents.

LPA Form 1 grants general powers to donees and accounts for 98 per cent of all applications made by citizens.

For those requiring customised legal powers, an LPA Form 2 must be drafted by a qualified lawyer, which remains subject to different requirements.

While the government application fee will be zero for citizens, permanent residents and foreigners must still pay S$90 and S$230 respectively.

All applicants must also factor in a separate mandatory certification fee paid to a professional Certificate Issuer.

Certificate Issuers include accredited doctors, lawyers, and registered psychiatrists.

According to MSF data from June 2025, the 10 most visited doctors charged between S$24 and S$60, while fees for lawyers and psychiatrists ranged significantly higher based on complexity.

During the parliamentary session, Yio Chu Kang SMC MP Yip Hon Weng raised concerns regarding the difficulty some seniors face in understanding the legal and medical terminology involved.

He questioned whether the ministry would provide more multilingual resources to simplify the application journey.

Goh confirmed that MSF is working to simplify the messaging surrounding the process.

This includes translating complex terms into different languages to ensure the application remains accessible to all segments of the community.

Goh urged Singaporeans to make their LPA while they remain fit and healthy.

He noted that having a registered LPA provides families with peace of mind and legal authority during difficult periods of medical transition.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) continues to manage the online portal where applications are processed.

This digital infrastructure, combined with more visible legacy planning campaigns, has been credited with the steady increase in applications over recent years.