Singapore is often called the easiest city in Asia for family expat life: safe, green, incredibly organised. The flip side: a high cost of living and school admissions that need planning. Here is the essential picture.
Currency
Singapore dollar (S$)
Languages
English (plus Mandarin, Malay, Tamil)
Time vs Paris
6 to 7h ahead
Emergencies
995 (ambulance and fire)
FIAFE network
The Accueil for French-speaking families
In each city, a volunteer-run association from the FIAFE network welcomes, informs and helps French-speaking families settling in.
Accueil Singapour
Since 1975
The Association Française de Singapour, Accueil Singapour, has been helping French-speaking families discover the city since 1975: welcome breakfasts, neighbourhood discovery walks, sports activities and meetups for newcomers.
Where to meet them
Meetings by appointment (offices on Peck Seah Street, Tanjong Pagar).
Neighbourhood discovery walks and cultural outings
Sports activities and networking events
Practical guide and members newsletter
Other support networks
Two large national networks also support the French abroad, each with its local chapter.
UFE
UFE Singapour
The Singapore chapter of the Union des Français de l'Étranger: a mutual-aid and social network, present at the French community's big gatherings (Chinese New Year at the Embassy, practical meetups).
The local Français du monde - ADFE section informs and supports French residents in Singapore with their paperwork and relays their concerns to the consular authorities.
The local French chamber of commerce (CCI France International network) is a real asset for work: networking, job offers and help to restart a career or start a business locally.
CCI France International
French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (FCCS)
The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore connects over 650 companies, a great network for a spouse looking for a job (job board), professional contacts and networking events to settle in quickly.
To follow local life in French: news, what's on, good addresses and, often, a directory of French-speaking professionals.
lepetitjournal.com Singapour
MediaIn French
The Singapore edition of the online daily for French expatriates: local news, settling in, housing, health, education, a calendar of French-speaking events and a weekday newsletter.
Expat directory of useful addresses (embassy, French-speaking schools and preschools, health insurance brokers, services, leisure); businesses list themselves, and it does not list doctors.
The settling-in guide written by the welcome association for French speakers (FIAFE network): first steps in Singapore, arrival tips and useful addresses, as a PDF for members or in print.
The site's Singapour utile page sums up housing, health, banks, shopping, transport and French schools; the partners' address book is for members.
The French-language quarterly newsletter of the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore: economic news from Singapore and French companies there, useful for a spouse looking for work.
Before you even land in Singapore, Facebook groups are the best shortcut: ask your questions, find a flat, a nanny, a second-hand stroller, and often your first friends.
Public In English
Singapore Expats Group
129,300 members · ≈ 22 posts/week
Official Group for SingaporeExpats.com
Exchange tips, share your experience in Singapore, organize events, meetups, gatherings and make some new friends!
The Original and Best "Expats In Singapore" group.
We created this group for anyone who wants to share upcoming activities and events, drink sessions, house parties, music, concerts, gigs, travel, health, lifestyle, training, charity stuff, help needed, etc etc etc.
Questions and personal posts are OK but NO ADVERTISING GOODS & SERVICES, PLEASE DON'T BE A SPAMMER! If you are going to post, please also take a few minutes to read some other people's posts.
As a general guideline to posting:
YES to:
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-Events, parties, get-togethers.
-New and interesting things (within reason, and posts will be approved at our discretion).
-Emergencies (missing people etc).
NO to:
-Ads for goods & services such as: cleaning, moving, make-up, jewellery, travel agencies, property, catering, and almost everything else.
If people want these, they can search for them easily with Google. These things do not make for interesting content for our group.
-Ads for other FB groups.
If you are running a business, that's great but please DON'T list all your products for sale here! It's a community, not classified ads. Offenders will be banned.
Thanks!
This group is moderated by the team at ALL ABOUT CITY - Your Handy Singapore Guide and ExpatSG, Singapore’s biggest Expat community.
All posts have to be related to the group title, if you spot spammers, please report them to the admins. and we will ban them from 130 groups.
Follow the link for a list with 100+ groups/pages to find the correct group(s) for your post. �https://allabout.city/singapore/groups/
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Singafrog est un groupe d'entraide, discussions, apéros-rencontres, échanges de bons plans, voyages, travail, enfants, etc. entre francophones...
I live in Singapore, I belong to the expat community, I wish to network and share my Singaporian experience, I wish to have access to profils that lives in my city, I wish to participate in events with other expatriate, i wish to learn from others experience and share secret spots...
This FB Group is created for Expats residing in Singapore. Share your experience in Singapore, including any deals and places of interests which are worth recommending =)
This group is moderated by the team at ALL ABOUT CITY - Your Handy Singapore Guide and ExpatSG, Singapore’s biggest Expat community.
All posts have to be related to the group title, if you spot spammers, please report them to the admins. and we will ban them from 130 groups.
Follow the link for a list with 100+ groups/pages to find the correct group(s) for your post. �https://allabout.city/singapore/groups/
Join Singapore’s 1st WhatsApp Broadcast about events & happenings in Singapore.
http://wa.me/6583123858
VISIT OUR WEBSITES (advertising-free | no data collection)
ALL ABOUT CITY
www.allabout.city/singapore
ExpatSG
www.expat.guide
ALL ABOUT SPORTS & FITNESS
www.allabout.fitness/singapore
ALL ABOUT MARINA BAY
www.marinabay.events
ALL ABOUT SENTOSA
www.sentosa.events
ALL ABOUT CHRISTMAS
www.allabout.christmas
All About City & ExpatSG
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Welcome to Singapore Expat Women - Singapore’s largest community for expat women.
Whether you’ve just landed, have called Singapore home for years, or...
Compiled from Facebook's public search, links checked in July 2026. Group sizes change all the time.
AEFE network
Accredited French schools
Schools accredited by the French Ministry of Education follow the French curriculum: your child can continue their schooling seamlessly, abroad and back in France.
Source: official AEFE directory, verified June 2026. aefe.gouv.fr
Tutoring and private lessons
To support your children's schooling across two systems, two solutions designed for expat families.
Axiom Academic
Private lessons and tutoring for expat families: French curriculum, IB and British curriculum, at home or online, with teachers who know the schools in your city.
The Lycée Français de Singapour, AEFE-accredited, covers nursery to the French baccalaureate on one large campus. Around it, a rich international offering, but waiting lists are common.
Good to know
Plan ahead: for the French school and international schools alike, admissions are often settled a year in advance.
Local public schools are excellent but rarely accessible to foreign children.
Budget matters: school fees are one of the first items to negotiate in an expat package.
School buses are the norm, booked through dedicated operators.
French-speaking community
The French community in Singapore is large, close-knit and very organised. You settle in fast, sometimes faster than you expected.
Good to know
Accueil Singapour (FIAFE network) runs welcome coffees, activities and tours all year round.
River Valley, Holland Village and the East Coast are home to many French-speaking families.
Facebook and WhatsApp groups of French mums respond fast on practical questions.
The Alliance française offers a media library and cultural activities for children.
A place has closed, something has changed?
The arrival reflex
The apps to download when you land
Drop your bags, download these and you're set: the apps everyone in Singapore uses to get around, get things delivered and organise daily life.
Getting around
Grab
Singapore's everything app: rides, taxis, GrabFood delivery and payments; Uber sold its local business to Grab back in 2018.
Grab's built-in food delivery: with foodpanda, one of the two leaders since Deliveroo left, with strong hawker-stall coverage and no extra app to download.
What mums ask when they arrive in Singapore, in short, sourced answers.
French school or international school: where do we start?
The International French School (formerly the Lycée français), in Ang Mo Kio, runs from nursery to the baccalaureate; a few small bilingual schools complement it at preschool and primary level. Local public schools are rarely accessible to foreign children, and all international schools charge fees, often with waiting lists: apply as soon as the move is confirmed. Fees are detailed here: /en/cities/singapore/school-fees/.
Do my partner and children need a visa?
Yes, a long-term pass: the Dependant's Pass, for the legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21 of an Employment Pass or S Pass holder who meets the minimum salary set by MOM. The employer applies. Other situations (unmarried partners, parents) generally fall under the Long-Term Visit Pass.
Yes, but not on the Dependant's Pass alone: your future employer must apply for an Employment Pass, an S Pass or a DP-Work Permit for you. The latter has no minimum salary and lasts as long as your Dependant's Pass.
Yes, it is the first thing to sort out: non-residents receive no subsidies at public hospitals and polyclinics, and the French State does not pay for care abroad. Choose a policy covering hospitalisation, paediatrics, maternity if needed and repatriation. Details on our health page: /en/cities/singapore/health/.
Source ↗Where do we go at night with a sick child?
For a life-threatening emergency, call 995. Otherwise, the children's emergency departments of KK Women's and Children's Hospital (Bukit Timah Road) and the National University Hospital (Kent Ridge) are open day and night, as are the urgent care centres of the big private hospitals. For simple advice, the NurseFirst nurse line answers on 6262 6262.
The French embassy publishes a list of French-speaking health professionals (GPs, psychologists, osteopaths), updated in June 2026. For a French-speaking paediatrician or dentist, word of mouth through Accueil Singapour and parents' groups is still the best route. We reproduce the list on /en/cities/singapore/health/.
Source ↗Which vaccines are compulsory for my children?
Measles and diphtheria, compulsory by law for children living in Singapore. Foreign children aged 12 and below must provide proof to the national registry before applying for a study pass. Other vaccines in the schedule (BCG, chickenpox, flu…) are recommended: show the French record to the paediatrician.
Source ↗Which neighbourhood should we live in with children?
Serangoon and Serangoon Gardens, near the IFS, remain the natural choice for French families; East Coast, Bukit Timah, Holland Village and Novena are also popular. Rents rise near the centre and MRT stations. The neighbourhood comparison and rental rules are on /en/cities/singapore/settling-in/.
Source ↗Can we rent a place for a few weeks when we arrive?
Not in an ordinary private flat: renting for less than three consecutive months is illegal there. For the first weeks, plan on a serviced apartment or a hotel while you find a one or two-year lease with a diplomatic clause.
Source ↗Nanny, nursery or helper: how do families manage?
Many families employ a live-in domestic helper, with a work permit the employer applies for with MOM. Being an employer brings obligations: medical and accident insurance at your cost, lodging, weekly rest. Bilingual nurseries and preschools are the other option, to book early.
Rarely: the MRT and buses cover the whole island, accept open pushchairs and are free for young children with a Child Concession Card. Taxis and ride-hailing are affordable, while a car is very expensive because of the COE. To drive long-term, you must convert your French licence after the Basic Theory Test.
Source ↗How do we meet other French-speaking families?
Accueil Singapour runs welcome coffees, parents' coffee mornings and a family picnic at East Coast on the first Sunday of each month. The Alliance française offers classes, camps and shows for children in French. For weekend ideas, see /en/cities/singapore/family-outings/.
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