Firms in Singapore will be able to obtain an advertising license more quickly

The new measures announced by the Ministry of National Development (MND) will soon enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups in Singapore to display outdoor advertisements more quickly and seamlessly.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) will introduce a sped-up process for outdoor advertising, called “express licence approval,” in the second half of 2026. It will allow eligible firms to receive approval almost immediately after submitting their application. The new process is expected to benefit around 2,000 applications a year, approximately 60% of all advertising license applications.

Outdoor advertisements typically include signs for shopfronts, commercial buildings and business premises in residential and industrial areas. According to Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat, with express approval, applicants could save up to seven days in waiting time compared to the current system.

Additionally, BCA will streamline applications for recurring temporary events, such as festivals and exhibitions, which often use outdoor advertising. The upgraded system will automatically enter the application details from previous submissions, reducing the need for businesses to provide similar information repeatedly.

“For recurring events such as festivals and exhibitions, these details actually may not change much event to event,” Chee said, adding: “We can, and we need to do better than this.”

Similar to the individual advertising sped-up process, this system will allow event organizers to save up to 10 days in application and waiting time. 

According to Chee, the measures were necessary because industry feedback showed that the outdoor advertising licensing process was time-consuming and added unnecessary compliance burdens.