Statute Details
- Title: Singapore Tourism (Waiver of Fees for Licences for Tourist Guides) Regulations 2009
- Act Code: STBA1963-S38-2009
- Legislative Type: Subsidiary legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Singapore Tourism Board Act (Chapter 305B)
- Enacting Formula (Key Powers): Sections 8 and 26 of the Singapore Tourism Board Act
- Approval Requirement: Made by the Singapore Tourism Board with the approval of the Minister for Trade and Industry
- Citation: Singapore Tourism (Waiver of Fees for Licences for Tourist Guides) Regulations 2009
- Key Provision: Regulation 2 (Waiver of fees)
- Commencement: Not expressly stated in the extract; the waiver applies during a defined period (15 February 2009 to 31 December 2010, inclusive)
- Made Date: 12 February 2009
- Regulatory Link: Refers to regulation 5(2) and regulation 4(2) of the Singapore Tourism (Licensing and Control of Tourist Guides) Regulations
- Current Version Status (as provided): Current version as at 27 Mar 2026
What Is This Legislation About?
The Singapore Tourism (Waiver of Fees for Licences for Tourist Guides) Regulations 2009 is a short, targeted piece of subsidiary legislation. Its central purpose is to temporarily waive licence fees payable for certain tourist guide licences issued by the Singapore Tourism Board (the “Board”). In plain terms, it creates a time-limited exemption from paying fees that would otherwise be required under the general licensing regime for tourist guides.
The Regulations operate as an exception to the existing fee framework in the Singapore Tourism (Licensing and Control of Tourist Guides) Regulations. Rather than changing the licensing requirements themselves (such as eligibility, application processes, or conditions of licensing), the 2009 Regulations focus narrowly on the cost side—specifically, the payment of fees for licences granted during a defined period.
For practitioners, the key is that the waiver is not open-ended. It is bounded by exact dates and applies only to licences granted by the Board under a specified provision of the tourist guide licensing regulations. This means the legal effect is predictable: licences granted within the waiver window are fee-free; licences outside the window are governed by the ordinary fee rules.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Regulation 1 (Citation) provides the short title of the Regulations. While this is standard legislative drafting, it matters for legal referencing, compliance documentation, and submissions to regulators or in licensing disputes.
Regulation 2 (Waiver of fees) is the operative provision. It begins with a “notwithstanding” clause, which is a classic legal technique used to override or disapply a specific rule in another instrument. Here, Regulation 2 states that, notwithstanding regulation 5(2) of the Singapore Tourism (Licensing and Control of Tourist Guides) Regulations, “no fee shall be payable” for certain licences.
The waiver applies to “any licence granted by the Board under regulation 4(2) of those Regulations.” This cross-reference is crucial. It means the fee waiver is tied to the category of licence created or authorised under regulation 4(2) of the tourist guide licensing regulations. A lawyer advising a tourist guide or an operator would therefore need to identify what regulation 4(2) covers—typically, the type of licence that the Board grants upon meeting licensing requirements—because the fee waiver only attaches to that specific licensing pathway.
Regulation 2 also specifies the time period during which the waiver applies: “during the period between 15th February 2009 and 31st December 2010 (both dates inclusive).” The inclusive wording is legally significant. It means that licences granted on 15 February 2009 and licences granted on 31 December 2010 are within the waiver period and therefore should be fee-free, assuming they fall within the relevant licensing category under regulation 4(2). Conversely, licences granted on 14 February 2009 or 1 January 2011 would not benefit from the waiver and would be subject to the ordinary fee rule in regulation 5(2).
Finally, the drafting indicates that the waiver is limited to fees “for any licence granted.” This is a subtle but important distinction. The waiver is triggered by the date the licence is granted (i.e., the Board’s grant/issuance), not necessarily the date of application, payment, or assessment. In practice, this can affect disputes where an application was submitted during the waiver period but the licence was granted after it ended, or where an application was processed earlier but the licence was issued later. A careful factual timeline is therefore essential.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Regulations are extremely concise and consist of two provisions:
(1) Regulation 1 (Citation)—sets out the short title.
(2) Regulation 2 (Waiver of fees)—contains the substantive legal rule, including the “notwithstanding” override, the cross-references to the tourist guide licensing regulations, and the date range for the fee waiver.
There are no additional parts, schedules, or detailed procedural rules in the extract. The structure reflects the legislative intent: to create a temporary financial relief measure without altering the broader licensing framework.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
In terms of direct legal effect, the Regulations apply to the Singapore Tourism Board as the licensing authority. The Board is required, by virtue of Regulation 2, to ensure that “no fee shall be payable” for the specified licences granted during the waiver period. This is an obligation on the regulator’s fee collection practices and licensing administration.
For affected individuals, the practical beneficiaries are tourist guides who receive licences from the Board under the relevant provision (regulation 4(2) of the Singapore Tourism (Licensing and Control of Tourist Guides) Regulations) during the waiver window (15 February 2009 to 31 December 2010 inclusive). However, the Regulations do not create a general entitlement for all tourist guides; the entitlement is conditional on (i) the licence being granted by the Board, (ii) the licence being of the type covered by regulation 4(2), and (iii) the grant occurring within the specified dates.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Although the Regulations are brief, they are important for compliance and dispute resolution because they modify the fee regime for a defined period. For lawyers advising tourist guides, licensing applicants, or compliance teams, the Regulations provide a clear legal basis to challenge or correct fee charges that were collected contrary to the waiver.
From an enforcement and administrative perspective, the “notwithstanding regulation 5(2)” language indicates that the Board cannot rely on the general fee rule to collect payment for the covered licences during the waiver period. This reduces ambiguity and supports consistent application across licensing cases. It also means that the Board’s internal processes—such as invoicing, fee assessment, and licence issuance workflows—must align with the waiver window and the specific licence category.
Practically, the Regulations can affect financial records, refunds, and contractual or business planning. For example, if a tourist guide was charged a licence fee for a licence granted within the waiver period, the guide may have grounds to seek correction (and potentially refund, depending on the administrative and legal mechanisms available at the time). Conversely, if a licence was granted outside the waiver period, the general fee rule would apply, and reliance on the waiver would likely fail.
Finally, the cross-references underscore a broader legal lesson: fee waivers in Singapore subsidiary legislation often operate by amending or disapplying specific provisions of an existing regulatory framework rather than rewriting the framework itself. Legal practitioners should therefore read the waiver Regulations together with the underlying licensing regulations to determine precisely which licences are covered and which fee rule is overridden.
Related Legislation
- Singapore Tourism (Licensing and Control of Tourist Guides) Regulations (referred to in Regulation 2 via regulation 5(2) and regulation 4(2))
- Singapore Tourism Board Act (Chapter 305B) — authorising Act (sections 8 and 26)
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Singapore Tourism (Waiver of Fees for Licences for Tourist Guides) Regulations 2009 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.