Moving to Sydney or Melbourne from Singapore

A move from Singapore to Australia is often a regional transfer: a working day that is only two or three hours apart, a school year that also follows the calendar, and a new city to learn before you choose where to settle. Westprecinct offers managed serviced residences in Sydney and Melbourne, exquisitely furnished and presented to The Westprecinct Standard. You arrange it before you fly, move in when you land, and keep the feeling of home while you find the right suburb.

Arranged from Singapore. Choose your residence by email, phone or video call. Singapore is two hours behind Sydney and Melbourne for much of the year, and three hours behind during Australian daylight saving, so our working days overlap.

Try the neighbourhood first. A few months in Balmain or Barangaroo, or in Toorak or Brighton, shows you the commute, the schools and the weekends before you sign for anything long-term.

Live well while your shipment travels. Furniture, a full kitchen, premium linen and a proper place to work are ready on arrival, so the wait for your belongings does not decide how you live.

Made for regional transfers. If your employer is moving you from an Asia-Pacific office, we work with you or your mobility team directly: one point of contact, and itemised invoices if your employer is covering the stay.

Time to settle properly. If the home search or the school start takes longer than planned, your stay can continue by arrangement, subject to availability and the guest terms.

Visas. The Department of Home Affairs sets visa rules. Singapore passport holders aged 18 to 30 can apply for a Work and Holiday visa, which also has education and English requirements. For employer-sponsored and family visas, speak to a registered migration agent. If you live in Singapore on another passport, your visa options follow that passport.

Health care. Australia has no reciprocal health care agreement with Singapore. Unless you are a permanent resident or have applied for permanent residency, you are generally not eligible for Medicare. Home Affairs strongly recommends private health insurance for anyone not covered, and some visas require it.

Driving. A Singapore car licence is recognised in NSW, so a current licence, or one that expired within the last five years, can be transferred without a knowledge or driving test. Australian citizens and permanent residents can drive on it in NSW for three months before transferring. In Victoria, you can drive on a current overseas licence for your first six months of living there, then convert it with VicRoads. A licence issued in another country follows that country’s rules.

Pets. Singapore is a Group 2 country, so cats and dogs need no rabies vaccination or rabies blood test, but they do need an import permit. A government veterinarian first verifies your pet’s identity, and your pet becomes eligible to travel 180 days later, so allow at least six months. Pets fly directly into Melbourne and spend at least 10 days in quarantine at Mickleham. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry sets the rules.

School year. Singapore’s local school year runs from early January to November, and Australia’s from late January or early February to mid-December, so a move over the year-end break usually lines up. In 2027, Victorian government school students start on Thursday 28 January, and NSW students in the Eastern division on Wednesday 3 February. International schools in both countries may follow different calendars.

We do not advise on visas, tax or health cover. We look after where you live while you settle.

In Sydney, our residences sit in harbourside and inner-west neighbourhoods: Barangaroo, a walk from CBD offices; Balmain and Rozelle, with village streets and a ferry into the city; and Drummoyne, Cabarita and Breakfast Point, quiet waterfront living popular with families. In Melbourne, they sit in Toorak, Armadale and Malvern, leafy and close to well-regarded schools, and in Brighton, by the bay.

Sydney stays are from around three months, and Melbourne stays are 30 days and beyond. Higher rates may apply for under 6 months. Your stay can continue by arrangement, subject to availability and the guest terms. Through The W Circle, Westprecinct’s recognition programme, paid stays from now count towards standing from 1 January 2027, carried across Sydney and Melbourne.

Send us your flight date, the city and the suburb or school you would like to be near, the household (including any pets) and how long you expect to stay. We come back to you with suitable residences and a clear proposal, by phone, email or video call at a time that suits Singapore.

Over 20 years of looking after residents who are new to the city. A residence with the feeling of home, ready when you land.