When buying an HDB resale flat, you must ensure your household is within the EIP quota for the block and neighbourhood, and if applicable, the SPR quota as well.

How the EIP and SPR quota work

The EIP quota applies for the purchase of an HDB flat. In addition, non-Malaysian SPR households must meet the SPR quota.

You may be eligible to buy a flat if:

You and the flat seller are of the same ethnic group and household citizenship; or
After your flat purchase, the number of households of your ethnic group remains within the block and neighbourhood limits. In addition, for non-Malaysian SPR households, the number of SPR households remains within the SPR quota.

Check your eligibility

Check the EIP/ SPR quota to find out if you are eligible to buy an HDB resale flat in a particular block or neighbourhood. The prevailing EIP and SPR quotas for the month are also displayed on the resale flat listings on the HDB Flat Portal. The quotas are updated on the 1st of each month.

Please check to ensure compliance with the EIP/ SPR quota at each of the following milestones:

Flat sellers grant the Option to Purchase (OTP);
You exercise the OTP; and
You and the flat sellers submit the respective portion of the resale application.

* A resale application is completed only when HDB receives both the buyers’ and sellers’ portions of the resale application and the necessary supporting documents.

About the EIP

The EIP is put in place to preserve Singapore’s multi-cultural identity and promote racial integration and harmony. It ensures that there is a balanced mix of the various ethnic communities in HDB towns. The EIP limits are set at block and neighbourhood levels based on the ethnic make-up of Singapore.

For the purchase of an HDB flat, a household with members of different ethnic groups may choose to classify their household ethnicity under the ethnicity of any buyer(s) or spouse according to the race shown on their NRIC.

Once an ethnicity is chosen for the household, it will remain the same when the flat owners subsequently sell their flat on the open market.

About the SPR quota

The SPR quota ensures that SPR families can better integrate into the local community. Malaysians are excluded from this quota because of their close cultural and historical similarities with Singaporeans. Non-Malaysian SPR households applying to buy an HDB resale flat need to be within the SPR quota for the block (8%) and neighbourhood (5%).

Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) and Singapore Permanent Resident Quota