MRA Grant Singapore: Eligibility, Funding, and How to Apply

Expanding into a new overseas market costs money long before it brings in revenue. Market research, legal advice, and overseas marketing all need funding upfront.

Many Singapore SMEs delay the move because that upfront bill feels too heavy. Meanwhile, competitors reach the market first and win the early customers.

The MRA grant in Singapore exists to remove that barrier. Enterprise Singapore covers up to 70% of eligible costs for local SMEs expanding into a new overseas market.

Applications close on 29 September 2026, so the window is short.

This guide explains how the scheme works, who qualifies, and how to apply before the deadline. TechTIQ Solutions works with Singapore companies on the digital side of overseas expansion, so we see how this funding fits into a real project budget.

Key Takeaways

• Claim up to 70% of eligible costs under the market readiness assistance (MRA) grant, capped at S$100,000 per company per new market (Enterprise Singapore, 2026)
• Check the cap for your pillar before scoping: S$20,000 for overseas market promotion, S$50,000 for overseas business development, and S$30,000 for overseas market set-up
• Submit on the Business Grants Portal before 29 September 2026, since the EDGE Grant replaces the scheme from 30 September 2026
• Apply before the project starts, because retrospective applications are not permitted once you have paid a vendor or signed a contract
• Budget 8 to 12 weeks for processing, then an audit by a pre-qualified auditor before your MRA grant claim

What Is the MRA Grant?

The market readiness assistance (MRA) grant is a government scheme that helps Singapore companies expand into new overseas markets. It defrays the cost of overseas market promotion, business development, and setup.

The market readiness assistance (MRA) is managed by Enterprise Singapore, the government agency for enterprise development.

Local SMEs can receive up to 70% of eligible costs. Support is capped at S$100,000 per company per new market (Enterprise Singapore, 2026).

Each application covers one activity in one overseas market. Companies apply online through the Business Grants Portal using a Corppass account.

The funding is paid as a reimbursement. You pay your vendor first, complete an audit, then claim the supported share.

Two dates now determine whether your project still fits this scheme.

What Changed for the Singapore MRA Grant in 2026

Enterprise Singapore confirmed in 2026 that the scheme closes on 29 September 2026.

Source: Enterprise Singapore, Market Readiness Assistance Grant, 2026

The higher 70% support rate applies from 1 April 2026 (Budget 2026). Your Letter of Offer states the exact rate awarded to your project.

The practical takeaway is simple. Scope your project now and submit it before the September deadline.

What Are the Three MRA Grant Pillars?

The scheme groups supportable activities into three pillars, each with its own cap.

Source: Enterprise Singapore, Market Readiness Assistance Grant, 2026

Each application covers one activity in one overseas market. A company running three activities submits three separate applications.

Overseas Market Promotion

This pillar helps you build visibility with buyers who have never heard of your brand.

Overseas Marketing and PR Activities support campaigns that introduce your products or services to a new market. The scope is broad. It runs from physical formats such as retail promotions and pop-up events through to digital work such as building a social media following or earning coverage in local press and blogs.

Overseas Physical and Virtual Trade Fairs support your participation in trade events, whether you attend in person or join online.

Watch one exclusion here. Trade fairs already supported under the LEAD programme do not qualify for MRA funding, so check the LEAD event list before you commit to a show.

Overseas Business Development

This pillar carries the largest cap. It funds the work of converting market interest into signed business.

Identification of Potential Overseas Partners supports the search for the right local partner. That includes distributors, agents, franchisees, licensees, joint venture partners, and logistics partners who can move your goods across borders.

In-market Business Development lets you hire an external team in the target market to run business development on your behalf.

Overseas Marketing Presence works differently. Instead of hiring a vendor, you send one of your own employees to the market to develop business there.

That difference changes your paperwork. Overseas Marketing Presence needs no vendor quotation. You submit the employment or appointment letter for the staff member you are deploying, plus an office rental quotation if you need one.

Overseas Market Set-Up

This pillar covers the legal and administrative groundwork of entering a market.

Market Entry supports the professional fees behind that groundwork. Typical uses include registering intellectual property in the new market, incorporating a local entity, arranging import and export licenses, and taking out trade credit insurance.

Companies routinely underestimate this stage. Incorporation rules, licensing steps, and IP procedures vary widely across Southeast Asia.

Many companies run this pillar alongside business development, filing one MRA grant application for each activity.

Who Is Eligible for the Market Readiness Assistance Grant Singapore?

Eligibility rests on two things: your company profile and how new the target market is to you.

Company Eligibility Criteria

Enterprise Singapore applies four tests to every applicant.

• Registered and operating in Singapore: The applying entity must be a Singapore-registered business with real operations here.
• At least 30% local equity: Singaporeans or Singapore PRs must hold a minimum of 30% of the company, directly or indirectly. Enterprise Singapore traces this to the ultimate individual owners.
• New to the target market: Your sales in that market must stay under S$100,000 in each of the three preceding years.
• Size limit: Your group annual sales turnover must not exceed S$100 million, or your group employment size must not exceed 200 employees. Meeting either one is enough.

The size test looks at your whole corporate group. That group covers your company, any holding company owning more than half of it, and any subsidiary you own more than half of.

Employers who qualify for the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit may access further subsidies through that scheme.

Two structures cause problems at submission. Group applications naming two or more companies on one form are not accepted, and a third party cannot apply or manage the grant for you.

That last rule matters if you were planning to hand the process to a consultant. Your own company must hold and run the application.

What Counts as a New Overseas Market

This is where applications fail most often, because the test is numerical.

A market counts as new when your annual sales there stayed at or below S$100,000 in every one of the last three years.

Cross that line in any single year, and the market no longer qualifies. One strong year three years ago is enough to disqualify you today.

Two points follow from this.

Check your figures before you scope anything. Your financial statements for the past three years form part of the application, so the numbers will be visible to Enterprise Singapore either way.

A market you have touched lightly can still qualify. Small exploratory sales below the threshold do not automatically rule you out.

Companies in a corporate group face an extra layer. Group financial statements, ACRA BizFile records for holding companies and subsidiaries, and the group structure all go in with the application.

Which Overseas Markets Do Singapore SMEs Target Most?

Southeast Asia draws the most interest, helped by short flights, familiar business practices, and existing trade agreements.

Top Markets in Southeast Asia

Five markets come up repeatedly in MRA grant conversations with Singapore SMEs.

Here is how the numbers look for a company entering Indonesia.

Say you engage a vendor for in-market business development at a quoted cost of S$60,000. At the 70% support rate, the calculated support comes to S$42,000, which sits under the S$50,000 cap for that pillar.

Your company receives S$42,000 and covers S$18,000.

Cash flow runs differently. You pay the vendor the full amount first, finish the project, complete the audit, then claim.

Push the same project to S$90,000 and the math changes. Support would reach S$63,000, so the pillar cap holds it at S$50,000.

How to Choose Your First Market

Run these five checks before you scope anything.

1. Sales history: Confirm your annual sales in that market stayed at or below S$100,000 in each of the past three years.
2. Demand evidence: Look for existing inquiries, web traffic, or partner interest coming from the market already.
3. Regulatory load: Check whether your sector faces foreign ownership limits, licensing steps, or local partner requirements.
4. Vendor availability. Confirm you can find a credible vendor with a track record in that market, since quotations and credentials form part of the MRA application.
5. Twelve-month fit. Make sure the work you plan can realistically finish within the project period the scheme allows.

Start with one market. Each application covers a single activity in a single market, so a focused first project is easier to scope and easier to audit.

How Do You Apply for the MRA Grant Singapore?

The process runs from scoping through to disbursement, with approval always coming before any spending.

Step 1: Define the Target Market and Project Scope

Start by confirming the market qualifies. Your annual sales there must have stayed at or below S$100,000 in each of the past three years.

Then pick one activity. Each application covers a single activity in a single market, so decide whether you are running a promotion campaign, a business development project, or a market entry project.

Timing carries two hard rules.

Your project must finish within 12 months. And you should submit no earlier than six months before the project start date, since Enterprise Singapore wants applications tied to plans that are close to firm.

One rule overrides everything else in this step. Do not start the project, pay the vendor, or sign a contract before you apply. Retrospective applications are rejected.

Step 2: Collect Quotations and Select Your Vendor

Most activities need a vendor. Overseas Marketing Presence is the exception, since you deploy your own employee instead.

Ask your vendor for a proposal or quotation that spells out the scope of services, the deliverables you will receive, and a cost breakdown by scope.

Check the name on the quotation carefully. It must match your registered company name exactly as it appears on your ACRA Bizfile, including “Pte Ltd” where applicable. An abbreviated name gets rejected.

You also need the vendor’s credentials, testimonials, and record of completed projects. This requirement is waived for consultants on Enterprise Singapore’s FTA and Trade Compliance list.

Enterprise Singapore may ask why you chose that vendor or request an alternative quotation for comparison.

Step 3: Submit on the Business Grants Portal

Applications go through the Business Grants Portal. Sign in with your Corppass account, or register for one first if your company has never transacted this way.

Prepare your financial statements for the past three years. These can be audited statements or management accounts, and both the profit and loss statement and balance sheet need a signature from an authorized person with their name and designation shown.

Companies less than a year old can submit unaudited statements or management accounts endorsed by a director or shareholder.

If your company sits inside a corporate group, add the group’s financial statements for three years, ACRA Bizfile records for holding companies and subsidiaries, the group structure, and the full SGX shareholder report if your parent is listed.

Processing takes roughly 8 to 12 weeks per complete application. Track progress under “My Grants” in the portal, and watch for clarification requests that arrive through the same channel.

Step 4: Accept the Letter of Offer

A successful MRA grant application results in a Letter of Offer.

The letter sets out your conditions of support, the grant amount awarded, the qualifying period for the project, and the deliverables you must produce.

Accept it within the stated timeline. Your project can begin once you do.

Read the deliverables closely at this point. They become the standard your completed project is measured against later.

Step 5: Run the Project and Keep Documents

Deliver what the Letter of Offer specifies. Proof of completion rests on those deliverables.

Plans change, and the portal handles that. Submit a change request if your project dates shift, your claim deadline needs moving, or your costs or vendor change. Approval is not automatic, and skipping this step causes delays at the claim stage.

Every claim goes through an audit. Engage an auditor from Enterprise Singapore’s Pre-Qualified Panel once your project is complete and the deliverables are met.

Audit fees start at S$200 depending on scope. Support covers up to 50% of that cost, capped at S$500, and it draws from the same pillar cap as your project.

Keep your paperwork as you go. The auditor needs your invoices and proof of payment, which can be a company bank or credit card statement, a bank advice slip, or transaction records showing both account names and numbers.

Overseas Marketing Presence projects need more. Add the employment letter and payslip or CPF records for the deployed staff member, plus evidence of their time in the market such as passport entry and exit stamps or a lease agreement.

Step 6: Submit the Claim and Receive Reimbursement

Submit your claim on the portal once the audit is done, and before the claim deadline in your Letter of Offer.

Three documents go in: the audit report, the Statement of Claim endorsed by your auditor, and the deliverables named in the Letter of Offer.

Enterprise Singapore assesses whether those deliverables were achieved, which determines if the project counts as satisfactorily completed.

Set up your disbursement method early. PayNow Corporate pays out within about 14 working days of claim approval, while GIRO can take up to eight weeks. Without one of these set up, no payment can be made.

Common MRA Grant Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Four mistakes account for most rejected applications and delayed MRA Grant claims.

Starting the Project Before Approval

This is the only mistake on this list that cannot be fixed.

The pressure usually comes from the vendor. They want a signed contract before they block out their team, and the timeline feels tight, so you sign.

That signature ends your claim. There is no appeal and no partial support.

Tell your vendor early that you need a signed contract only after your Letter of Offer. Most vendors who work with Singapore SMEs already understand this.

Submitting a Vague Project Scope or Incomplete Quotations

Weak quotations slow everything down. Your proposal needs a detailed scope of services, clear deliverables, and costs broken down by each part of the scope.

A single total with one line of text is not enough. Enterprise Singapore will ask for more, and each round of questions adds weeks to a process that already takes 8 to 12 weeks.

Send your vendor the document requirements before they draft the quotation. Fixing it after submission costs far more time than getting it right once.

Applying for a Market Where You Already Have Sales

Companies misread this test in one direction. They check last year, see a low number, and stop there.

The window is three years, so a strong year back in 2023 can disqualify a market that has been quiet since.

The figures are also harder to find than people expect. Most accounting systems report by customer or product, not by market, so nobody has the number ready.

Pull your market-level sales before you scope anything. Your financial statements go in with the application, so Enterprise Singapore sees those figures either way.

Missing Documents at the Claim Stage

Approval is not the finish line. Claims stall at the audit, months after the application went through.

Proof of payment causes the most trouble. Companies pay their vendor in whatever way is convenient at the time, then find out at the audit that the record does not show what the auditor needs.

Project changes cause the second wave. Dates slip, scope shifts, and the team handles it commercially with the vendor without telling the portal.

The claim then stalls because what you spent no longer matches what the Letter of Offer approved.

Both problems come from the same habit of treating the project as normal commercial work. Keep the paperwork as you go, and put any change through the portal while the project is still running.

Pre-Submission Checklist

Work through these before you submit your MRA grant application in Singapore.

1. Confirm your annual sales in the target market stayed at or below S$100,000 in each of the past three years.
2. Verify at least 30% local equity held by Singaporeans or Singapore PRs, traced to individual owners.
3. Check that your group turnover is under S$100 million, or your group headcount is under 200.
4. Select one activity in one market for this application.
5. Confirm the project can finish within 12 months, and that it starts within six months of your submission date.
6. Obtain a quotation showing scope, deliverables, and a cost breakdown, addressed to your exact ACRA-registered name.
7. Collect your vendor’s credentials and completed project record.
8. Prepare three years of financial statements, signed by an authorized person, plus group documents if applicable.
9. Confirm nothing has been signed, paid, or started on this project.
10. Register your Corppass account and submit before 29 September 2026.

How TechTIQ Solutions Supports Your Overseas Expansion

A new market brings a second budget line that the grant does not touch.

Buyers in that market will check your website before they reply to your first email. If they cannot read it, or cannot pay in their own currency, the partner work you funded through the grant stalls at the last step.

TechTIQ Solutions is a software development company in Singapore founded in 2017. We have delivered more than 800 projects, and we hold ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications.

We build two things Singapore companies need most when they enter a new market.

The first is a site that speaks the local language. Our web design and development team builds multi-language websites with content shaped for how buyers in that market search and decide.

The second is a store that accepts local orders. Our e-commerce development work covers local payment methods, cross-border shipping rules, and tax settings that change from country to country.

One point on scope. Software and website development are not on Enterprise Singapore’s list of supportable activities, so this work sits outside your MRA grant claim. Your own company also has to hold and run the application, since third parties cannot manage the grant for you.

Plan both budgets together. Talk to us while your market entry plan is still taking shape.

Frequently Asked Questions about Singapore MRA Grant

Can I still apply for the enterprise Singapore MRA Grant in September 2026?

Yes, until 29 September 2026. Enterprise Singapore confirmed in 2026 that this is the final date for submissions on the Business Grants Portal. From 30 September 2026, apply through the EDGE Grant instead. Applications already submitted before the cutoff continue to be processed as normal.

Does the MRA enterprise Singapore Grant cover markets outside Southeast Asia?

Yes. The scheme applies to any overseas market that is new to your company, with no regional restriction. Eligibility depends on your sales history in that market, where annual sales must have stayed at or below S$100,000 in each of the preceding three years. Markets in North America, Europe, and the Middle East all qualify on the same basis.

How much is the MRA Grant per company each financial year?

Support is capped per new market, not per financial year. Local SMEs receive up to 70% of eligible costs, capped at S$100,000 per company per new market (Enterprise Singapore, 2026). Within that figure, overseas market promotion is capped at S$20,000, overseas business development at S$50,000, and overseas market set-up at S$30,000.

Can I apply for the MRA Grant after I have already paid the vendor?

No. Enterprise Singapore does not accept retrospective applications. A project is treated as started once work has begun, payment has been made, or a contract has been signed with the vendor. Submit your application and accept your Letter of Offer before any of these happen, or the costs become unclaimable.

Can a foreign-owned company registered in Singapore apply?

Only if local equity reaches 30%. Singaporeans or Singapore PRs must hold at least 30% of the company, directly or indirectly, measured by ultimate individual ownership. The business must also be registered and operating in Singapore. Companies below that threshold do not meet the eligibility criteria.

Does the MRA Grant cover GST and internal manpower costs?

Supportable costs are defined per activity in Enterprise Singapore’s official list, so check that list for your specific project. One exception is worth knowing. Overseas Marketing Presence supports deploying your own employee overseas for business development, which is the one activity built around internal staff rather than a vendor.

Do I need a pre-approved consultant or vendor for the MRA Grant?

No pre-approved list applies to most activities. You select your own vendor and submit their quotation, credentials, and completed project record. Enterprise Singapore may question your choice or request an alternative quotation. Consultants on the official FTA and Trade Compliance list are exempt from the credentials requirement, and audit work must use the Pre-Qualified Panel.