Singapore Expats

Hello, I am trying to puzzle out how ethnicity is determined in Singapore, particularly for immigrants who may not yet have it listed on any official documents. Does the immigration office allow applicants to simply declare an ethnicity, or is it assigned based on some criteria? At what stage of the process does this occur? (Issuance of a residency ID card?) I am aware of the general CMIO framework, including the new regulations on "double-barreled" ethnicities, but am wondering whether (for example) an immigrant might succeed in getting "Armenian" listed as the ethnicity--and if so, what evidence of Armenian-ness would be required.

Thank you very much. By the way, I am not an immigrant to Singapore myself--I've never even visited--but am just trying to establish how ethnicity (esp. Armenian ethnicity) is handled across the shrinking number of countries that do recognize it.

Race and dialect are self-declared, but might require proof if they suspect anything.

Armenians are a long established ethnic group in Singapore:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenians_in_Singapore

However, either Caucasian (yes, Singapore still uses this term) or Armenian would likely be accepted for someone from Armenia who appears to be white person (or ang moh, in local lingo).

That said, unless you are Chinese, Indian or Malay, you will always be “Other race” when it comes to how your ethnicity is considered in Singapore.

Thank you, Malcontent! I suppose I should be speaking of "race" rather than "ethnicity." So, would "Armenian" be listed on the ID card, or "Other"? And when would this information usually be collected--when one applies for residence, or permanent residence, or what?

("Caucasian" is ambiguous, since it can also mean "white / European.")

If you're filling out an application for COC from the police - the list of races to chose from is astonishingly long and includes things like "Cape Coloured".

Yervant wrote: ↑

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 6:12 pm

Thank you, Malcontent! I suppose I should be speaking of "race" rather than "ethnicity." So, would "Armenian" be listed on the ID card, or "Other"? And when would this information usually be collected--when one applies for residence, or permanent residence, or what?

("Caucasian" is ambiguous, since it can also mean "white / European.")

ID cards in Singapore list race, not ethnicity. Permanent resident applications ask for race, not ethnicity.

If you are asking whether ‘race’ in Singapore has a strict definitions and is technically correct, the answer is almost certainly no.

My son was born in Singapore and has “Caucasian” listed as his race because by default they put the father’s race.

My daughter (perhaps somewhat controversially) has her race as “Eurasian” — which is technically correct the way Singapore defines it… but she isn’t part of the historical Eurasian community in Singapore (with its unique food and traditions), which is how some purists think Eurasians ought to be defined in Singapore. That would be like saying historical Armenians in Singapore are the only ones that can claim Armenian race on their ID cards, or mainland Chinese can’t be Singaporean Chinese due to differences in culture & traditions.

I don’t know any Armenian Singaporeans, but I have to believe Armenian would be the race on their ID cards… but I could be wrong. If anyone knows the better, please chime in.

I think it's pretty flexible, especially for "others" category. My official race on my IC is Canadian.

PNGMK wrote: ↑

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 7:11 pm

If you're filling out an application for COC from the police - the list of races to chose from is astonishingly long and includes things like "Cape Coloured".

I'll bite. What is Cape Coloured?

I'd almost be willing to bet on it being a South African mixed-race.

My first thought was South Africa as well, the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, etc… they are big on the whole cape thing.

But as for colored, that has historically referred to any non-whites in the anglosphere, so I had to google it… seems to be only mixed race.

Thank you all for your comments!

I love Jalanjalan's comment. With all respect to the great race of Canadians, did you put this down as a joke (like giving one's religion as "Jedi" or "Pastafarian"), or was the racial assignment made by some official, perhaps automatically?

Yes, "Cape Coloureds" (with a u) are a South African ethnic group with mixed black / white ancestry (inter alia). In line with Malcontent's comments about Singapore's "Eurasians," Coloureds are understood as a specific multigenerational population, not just any child of black and white parents. They typically speak Afrikaans and, as the name suggests, are concentrated around Cape Town, where they form a plurality. There is some sentiment to the effect that they are discriminated against by black Africans, and even some support for Cape independence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Coloureds

I imagine they are a little more particular about what religion you claim… to avoid potential religious conflicts and legal disputes - for example, Jehovah's Witnesses are banned because they object to military service which is non-negotiable for SC/PR males unless there is a genuine mental or physical disability (and even then, they might find something for you… depending on your abilities).

Yervant wrote: ↑

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 10:47 am

Thank you all for your comments!

I love Jalanjalan's comment. With all respect to the great race of Canadians, did you put this down as a joke (like giving one's religion as "Jedi" or "Pastafarian"), or was the racial assignment made by some official, perhaps automatically?

No joke. One doesn't try to be funny with SG immigration.
Canada doesn't record race on birth records (at least didn't way back when I entered the world) but they do record ethnicity, and while there is no documentary evidence (it doesn't appear on official birth certs), I asked my parents what they declared my ethnicity to be and they said "Canadian".
That's often the case when families have lived there for several generations.