1. URA will  implement full electronic payment of processing fees for the following with effect from 5 Apr 2016:
   (a)  Development Application (DA) Processing Fees
   (b)  Civil Penalty Fees (for retention of development works carried out without planning approval)
   (c)  Master Plan (MP) Amendment Fees (for rezoning cases)
   (d)  Waiver Fees (for requests to deviate from planning conditions or requirements)

Transition

2. Currently, DAs submitted electronically are put on hold until the cheques for the processing fees are properly banked in. About half of the DAs are still paid by cheques, and unnecessarily delays the processing of the DAs.
3. As all DAs are already submitted electronically today, moving to full electronic payment of processing fees is a logical step to fully realise the benefits of the electronic submission process.  However, we recognise that the industry may need to make the necessary adjustments and arrangements for full electronic payments.  As such, full electronic payment of processing fees for DAs will be implemented in 6 months’ time ie, from 5 Apr 2016 onwards.  After this date, DAs submitted without electronic payment will not be accepted by the system.
4. The above arrangement has the support of the Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore (REDAS), Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA), Singapore Institute of Planners (SIP) and Association of Consulting Engineers Singapore (ACES). 

Electronic Payment Modes

5. Processing fees can be paid electronically via the following modes:
   (a)   Credit Cards (VISA/Mastercard)
   (b)   American Express Card (Amex) OR
   (c)   eNETS Debit (Internet-based payment which requires internet banking account)
6. The payment limit for credit cards and Amex will remain at $5,000¹. For processing fees more than $5,000, payments can be effected via eNETS Debit, telegraphic transfers or internet banking² using MAS Electronic Payment Systems (MEPS), GIRO or Fast and Secure Transfers (FAST).

Procedures

7. Upon the submission of a DA through CORENET, applicants will be given a EDA Ref ID (e.g. ES20150901R0123) from:
   (a)   a system-generated acknowledgement slip issued by URA to the applicant through email 
   (b)   a system-generated SMS issued by URA (applicable if the applicant provides a hand phone number)
   (c)   CORENET website – “check/view submission status” option
8. Applicants should immediately go to the URA payment e-Service to complete the electronic payment by quoting the EDA Ref ID within 24 hours. 
   (a)   For payments made with credit cards, Amex or eNETS Debit, a system-generated receipt will be issued upon successful payment. 
   (b)   For payments made via telegraphic transfers or internet banking³, a separate system-generated receipt will be issued within 3 working days after URA confirms receipt of the fund transfer.

Acceptance of DAs for processing

9. DAs will only be accepted when the electronic payment is completed within 24 hours from the time the URA acknowledgement slip is issued when the DA is successfully submitted.
10. If electronic payment is not completed within the 24 hours timeline, the system will auto-generate a notification to inform the applicant that the submission is not accepted for processing and the earlier submission will automatically be deleted from the system.
11. Similarly, for payments via telegraphic transfer or internet banking, the submission will be returned if URA is unable to confirm receipt of the fund transfer. If the applicant still wishes to submit the DA, he may try again, following the same procedure.
12. Applicants are strongly advised to get all the necessary information ready for the electronic payments before they start to submit their applications through CORENET.  The workflow is attached in Appendix 1.
13. I would appreciate it if you could convey the contents of this circular to the relevant members of your organisation.  If you or your members have any queries concerning this circular, please call our Development Control Group (DCG) Enquiry Line at Tel: 6223 4811 or e-mail us at ura_dcd@ura.gov.sg. For your information, past circulars and guidelines are available at our website http://www.ura.gov.sg.

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¹ Individual limit may vary. Please check with your bank or card issuing bank if in doubt.

² Specific procedures, bank charges and transfer limits vary across banks. Please check with your bank if in doubt.

³ When doing telegraphic transfers or internet banking, transfer the requisite payment amount to URA’s DBS Bank Account Number 0010669109 (Bank Code: 7171 and Branch Code: 001) and quote the bank transaction  number at the URA payment e-Service.