Singapore requires all massage parlours to get licenses from Dec. 1
Why it matters: Open-concept operators get until Nov. 30, 2027 to comply as police tighten rules after vice-related breaches.
Singapore will require all massage establishments, including open-concept parlours previously exempt from licensing, to hold police licenses starting Dec. 1. The new regime creates a Category 3 license for open-concept operators, who must pass a fit-and-proper assessment and secure land-use approval from the Housing & Development Board or Urban Redevelopment Authority. Existing open-concept operators can keep running during a one-year grace period but must obtain a license and employee approvals by Nov. 30, 2027 or shut down. All licensed massage shops will also have to display a police-issued poster with license details on their storefronts, part of a broader crackdown after authorities cited rising vice-related activity and breaches of exemption conditions.