Most Singapore businesses still ask customers to type their NRIC, full name, registered address, employer, and CPF status onto a form — fields the government already holds, verified, behind a Singpass login. MyInfo is the service that delivers that data straight into your system, with consent, in a single tap. This guide covers what it is, what you can ask for, how the consent flow actually works, what it costs (often nothing), and when not to use it.
What MyInfo actually is
MyInfo is a consented data-retrieval service operated by GovTech Singapore. When a Singapore citizen, PR, or work-pass holder logs into your site with Singpass, MyInfo shows them a consent screen listing exactly which fields your business has asked for. If they approve, those fields are sent to your system in the response — already verified against source-agency records.
Three things make it different from a regular form:
- Source of truth. The data does not come from the user typing — it comes from ICA (identity), HDB (housing), CPF Board (savings/employment status), IRAS (tax), MOM (work pass), LTA (vehicles). If a field is wrong on Singpass, it is the government record that is wrong, not the user.
- Consent every time. Users see a consent screen on every pull listing each field individually. They can decline any field. No silent data flows.
- Always behind Singpass. MyInfo has no anonymous, password, or NRIC-typed access. The user authenticates first; only then can data be pulled.
What data you can actually pull
Around 40 fields are available. They split into seven categories. Below is the most-commonly-requested subset (the full list lives at docs.developer.singpass.gov.sg; we are also publishing a full reference list at our guides).
| Category | Common fields | Typical use case |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Name, NRIC, date of birth, nationality, sex, race | KYC, age verification, member sign-ups |
| Contact | Email, mobile phone, registered residential address | Account creation, delivery, statutory mailers |
| Employment | Employer, occupation, monthly income, employment status | Lending, insurance, rental, financial services |
| CPF | Account balances, contribution history | Loan eligibility, retirement products, financial advice |
| Housing | HDB ownership, type of dwelling, ownership type | Lending decisions, government grant eligibility |
| Vehicle | Vehicle ownership, plate, make/model | Insurance quotes, parking applications, F&B promotions |
| Marital & family | Marital status, number of children, sponsored persons | Family-oriented services, dependant insurance |
Crucial: you can’t just request every field because you want them. GovTech reviews your application and approves the field list against your stated use case. Requesting fields you cannot justify is a PDPA proportionality problem and grounds for application rejection.
How MyInfo works, end to end
- User clicks “Sign in with Singpass” on your site, app, or in-store kiosk.
- Singpass authenticates them — usually via the Singpass mobile app with biometric unlock (FaceID, fingerprint). Same flow they already use for IRAS, HDB, and bank apps.
- Consent screen appears showing exactly which fields your business has requested and the purpose statement you registered with GovTech. The user approves field-by-field or all at once.
- Data returns to your system in the API response — a signed payload your backend verifies against MyInfo’s public keys. The payload is structured JSON; you map it into your existing customer record.
Time from tap to data in your system: usually 8 to 15 seconds. The user never types a thing.
MyInfo vs MyInfo Business — the constant confusion
These are different services. MyInfo returns data about an individual. MyInfo Business returns data about a Singapore-registered entity (UEN, ACRA filings, directors, paid-up capital).
| MyInfo | MyInfo Business | |
|---|---|---|
| What it returns | Personal data about a person | Entity data about a company |
| Who consents | The individual via Singpass | An authorised representative via Singpass + Corppass |
| Source agencies | ICA, HDB, CPF, IRAS, MOM, LTA | ACRA |
| Typical use case | B2C onboarding, KYC, age verification | B2B onboarding, corporate KYC, vendor verification |
If you are onboarding consumers, you want MyInfo. If you are onboarding companies, you want MyInfo Business. Many B2B onboarding flows use both: MyInfo Business for the company, MyInfo for the authorised representative.
Who can use MyInfo
- Singapore-registered entity with a valid UEN. Foreign-incorporated businesses need to set up a local operating entity first.
- A use case GovTech accepts. Common-sense ones — KYC for regulated services, age verification at retail, customer onboarding for utilities or telcos, government licence applications — pass review easily. Vague “marketing personalisation” reasons do not.
- PDPA infrastructure in place: a Data Protection Officer, a retention policy, a privacy notice that explains what you do with each MyInfo field.
What it actually costs
What you do still pay for, if you build it yourself:
- Integration build — FAPI 2.0 compliance, JWKS key management, PAR-on-PKCE flow, redirect URI strictness. The MyInfo v5 spec is unforgiving and a typical first-pass integration takes two to six engineer-weeks (here are the eight pitfalls that break it silently).
- GovTech application — the application itself is free, but writing the data-justification, privacy impact, and retention policy properly is the slowest step for most SMEs.
- Ongoing maintenance — RSA key rotations, MyInfo version migrations (v3 → v4 → v5), incident response when GovTech changes their JWKS.
We cover all three of these costs free as part of Singpass-as-a-Service — you only pay GovTech if you exceed the free transaction tier or need MyInfo Plus fields.
When MyInfo is the wrong choice
This is the part most service providers skip. MyInfo isn’t always the right answer:
- Marketing newsletters or low-friction sign-ups. The consent screen adds 8 to 15 seconds to a flow. Worth it for KYC, overkill for a newsletter. Email + double opt-in stays better.
- Anonymous browsing or shopping. If your business doesn’t need verified identity, requesting it raises a PDPA proportionality flag and lowers conversion.
- Verifying companies. Use MyInfo Business for ACRA-sourced data instead. MyInfo (personal) is the wrong API.
- Non-Singapore customers. MyInfo only covers Singapore citizens, PRs, and most work-pass holders. Tourists, short-term visitors, and overseas customers have no Singpass.
Three common misconceptions
The bottom line
MyInfo turns a 30-field onboarding form into a one-tap consent screen, with verified data your business can actually rely on. For the typical Singapore SME, GovTech’s free tier covers all the usage you’ll ever need. The only real cost is the engineering time to set it up — and even that comes for free as part of Singpass-as-a-Service.
Want a specific quote on your use case? Message us on WhatsApp at +65 8040 7913 — we’ll tell you which fields you actually need, which ones GovTech is likely to approve, and the cleanest way to wire it into your stack.