The 14-day rule
Singapore's Stamp Duties Act sets the deadline for Buyer's Stamp Duty payment based on where the document was executed:
- Signed in Singapore — within 14 days from the date of execution.
- Signed overseas — within 30 days from the date the document is first received in Singapore.
For a typical Singapore residential purchase, the document is signed in Singapore at the lawyer's office on the day the OTP is exercised. The 14-day clock starts the next day.
Penalty schedule for late stamping
| How late | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Up to 3 months late | $10 or amount of unpaid duty, whichever is greater |
| More than 3 months late | 4× the unpaid duty (or $25, whichever is greater) |
The penalty is in addition to the original duty, not a substitute for it.
How to pay — IRAS e-Stamping
All Singapore property stamp duties are paid via the IRAS e-Stamping portal. The flow:
- Log in with Singpass (individuals) or Corppass (lawyers / agencies).
- Select the document type — e.g. "Acceptance to Option to Purchase" or "Sale & Purchase Agreement".
- Enter the property details, parties, and consideration.
- The portal computes BSD (and ABSD if applicable) automatically.
- Pay by GIRO, eNETS, credit card, or via the lawyer's client account.
- Print the stamp certificate — it's affixed to the original document.
For property purchases, the conveyancing lawyer handles all of this as part of the completion process. The buyer is presented with the stamp certificate at completion.
Consequences of unstamped documents
Section 52 of the Stamp Duties Act bars unstamped or insufficiently stamped documents from being admitted as evidence in any court or proceedings. For a buyer this matters in two practical scenarios:
- Enforcing the OTP — if the seller defaults and you sue for specific performance, an unstamped OTP cannot be exhibited as evidence until duty plus penalty is paid.
- Subsequent dealings — when you later sell or refinance, the bank or buyer's lawyer will require a properly stamped OTP / S&P chain as part of due diligence.
Insufficient stamping can be cured later — pay the duty plus penalty and the document is "regularised." But the penalty grows over time, so curing late is more expensive than stamping on time.