Statute Details
- Title: Singapore Tourism (Waiver of Fees for Licences for Tourist Guides) Regulations 2009
- Act Code: STBA1963-S38-2009
- Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Singapore Tourism Board Act (Chapter 305B)
- Enacting Authority: Singapore Tourism Board
- Ministerial Approval: Approval of the Minister for Trade and Industry
- Key Provision: Regulation 2 (Waiver of fees)
- Citation: These Regulations may be cited as the Singapore Tourism (Waiver of Fees for Licences for Tourist Guides) Regulations 2009
- Legislative Instrument Number: S 38/2009
- Date Made: 12 February 2009
- Commencement: Not expressly stated in the extract; operational effect is tied to the waiver period specified in Regulation 2
- Status: Current version as at 27 March 2026 (per provided extract)
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 remove (waive) certain licence fees payable for tourist guides during a defined period. In plain terms, it creates a “fee-free window” for licences granted by the Singapore Tourism Board (the “Board”) to tourist guides, so that no fee is payable for those licences issued within the specified dates.
The Regulations operate by overriding a fee rule contained in another set of regulations: the Singapore Tourism (Licensing and Control of Tourist Guides) Regulations (Rg 1). The waiver is expressly framed as “notwithstanding” that earlier regulation, meaning that for the relevant licences and dates, the fee requirement is displaced.
Although the Regulations are narrow in scope, they are practically significant for the tourist guide licensing regime. For practitioners advising tourist guides, guide companies, or compliance teams, the Regulations provide a clear legal basis to confirm when licence fees are not payable and when the general fee rule resumes.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1. Citation (Regulation 1)
Regulation 1 provides the short title: the Regulations may be cited as the Singapore Tourism (Waiver of Fees for Licences for Tourist Guides) Regulations 2009. While this is standard drafting, it is useful for legal referencing, correspondence, and submissions to the Board.
2. Waiver of fees (Regulation 2)
Regulation 2 is the operative provision. It states that, notwithstanding regulation 5(2) of the Singapore Tourism (Licensing and Control of Tourist Guides) Regulations (Rg 1), no fee shall be payable for any licence granted by the Board under regulation 4(2) of those Regulations during the period between 15 February 2009 and 31 December 2010 (both dates inclusive).
This provision contains several important legal elements that a practitioner should parse carefully:
- “Notwithstanding regulation 5(2)”: The waiver overrides the general fee rule in the licensing and control regulations. This is a classic legal technique to ensure there is no conflict or ambiguity about which rule applies during the waiver period.
- “No fee shall be payable”: The effect is absolute for the specified licences and period—there is no partial waiver, no discretion, and no requirement to apply for the waiver (at least on the face of the text). The legal consequence is that the fee is not payable.
- “Any licence granted by the Board under regulation 4(2)”: The waiver is linked to a particular licensing category or process described in the earlier regulations. Practitioners should therefore cross-reference regulation 4(2) of the Singapore Tourism (Licensing and Control of Tourist Guides) Regulations to confirm the exact type of licence covered.
- “During the period between 15th February 2009 and 31st December 2010 (both dates inclusive)”: The waiver is time-bound. The inclusion of both dates means licences granted on 15 February 2009 and licences granted on 31 December 2010 are covered. Licences granted outside that window are not covered by the waiver.
3. Relationship to the licensing and control framework
Even though the extract does not reproduce the earlier regulations, Regulation 2 makes it clear that the tourist guide licensing system already contains a fee provision (regulation 5(2)) and a licensing grant provision (regulation 4(2)). The 2009 Waiver Regulations do not replace the licensing regime; they only modify the fee outcome for a limited time.
4. Making and formalities
The Regulations were made on 12 February 2009 by the Chairman of the Singapore Tourism Board, with the required ministerial approval. The instrument also notes that it is to be presented to Parliament under section 26(4) of the Singapore Tourism Board Act. For legal practitioners, this provides assurance that the subsidiary legislation was enacted within the statutory process and with the appropriate approvals.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Regulations are extremely concise. Based on the extract, the structure is essentially:
- Regulation 1 (Citation): sets out the short title.
- Regulation 2 (Waiver of fees): the sole substantive provision, specifying the override and the time-limited waiver.
There are no additional parts, schedules, or procedural provisions in the extract. The legal effect is therefore straightforward: it is a time-limited fee waiver tied to licences granted under a specified provision of the main tourist guide licensing regulations.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Regulations apply to the Singapore Tourism Board as the licensing authority. The operative language—“no fee shall be payable for any licence granted by the Board”—directs the Board’s fee collection obligations for licences issued within the waiver period.
In practical terms, the beneficiaries are tourist guide licence applicants and licence holders whose licences are granted by the Board under the relevant licensing provision (regulation 4(2) of the Singapore Tourism (Licensing and Control of Tourist Guides) Regulations). However, the legal right is framed as a consequence of the Board’s licensing action during the specified dates, rather than as an application-based entitlement described in the waiver Regulations themselves.
Accordingly, practitioners should advise clients by focusing on two factual/legal questions: (1) whether the licence in question is one “granted by the Board under regulation 4(2)” of the licensing and control regulations; and (2) whether the licence was granted within the inclusive period from 15 February 2009 to 31 December 2010.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Even though the Regulations are brief, they are important because they clarify the fee position for a specific category of tourist guide licences during a defined period. In licensing regimes, fee obligations can be a frequent source of disputes—particularly where applicants are charged fees that later turn out to be waived by law, or where the timing of licence grant matters.
From an enforcement and compliance perspective, the “notwithstanding” drafting ensures that the Board cannot collect the fee that would otherwise be payable under regulation 5(2) of the licensing and control regulations for covered licences. This reduces administrative uncertainty and provides a clear legal basis for fee waivers.
For practitioners, the Regulations also highlight a broader drafting pattern common in Singapore subsidiary legislation: temporary policy measures are often implemented through narrow “waiver” regulations that override specific fee provisions. This means that legal advice should not rely solely on the general licensing regulations; it must also consider any later (or earlier) waiver instruments that modify the fee outcome for particular periods.
Finally, because the waiver period ended on 31 December 2010, the Regulations are likely most relevant for historical licensing matters, audits, refunds, or disputes concerning fees charged during the waiver window. Lawyers advising on such matters should treat the dates as legally significant and confirm the licence grant date (not merely the application date) when assessing whether the waiver applies.
Related Legislation
- Singapore Tourism (Licensing and Control of Tourist Guides) Regulations (Rg 1) — particularly:
- Regulation 4(2) (licence granted by the Board)
- Regulation 5(2) (fee payable rule overridden by the waiver)
- Singapore Tourism Board Act (Chapter 305B) — the authorising Act, including sections 8 and 26 (as referenced in the enacting formula)
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.