In this guide · 7 sections
Short answer
Operating chargers for the public or shared users (condos, offices, malls) needs an LTA EVCO licence: S$1,500 to apply plus S$15,000 for 3 years. Your app must offer a guest option with no sign-up, accept card, NETS or PayNow, take no deposits and support 90% uptime.
Who needs an EVCO licence
LTA's EVCO licensing page says all EV Charging Operators must obtain a licence to provide EV charging services to the public or to operate public EV charging stations. LTA's licensing guidelines (as of 21 November 2025) give the detail.
| Situation | Licence needed? | Note from LTA's guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| Chargers at malls, petrol stations, public carparks | Yes | 'Publicly accessible' profile |
| Shared chargers in a condo or office for residents or staff | Yes | 'Private' profile; shared among many users |
| Hiring out chargers, battery swapping, renting portable chargers | Yes | All count as EV charging services |
| Landed homeowner charging own household's vehicles | No | At a 'restricted access' location |
| Fleet owner charging its own fleet | No | Unless a third party operates the chargers for them |
Charger owners can also engage a licensed EVCO to operate chargers for them instead of getting a licence themselves. Operators who run chargers on behalf of landed homeowners or fleet owners do need a licence.
EVCO licence fees, documents and timing
LTA's guidelines set out the application process on OneMotoring, using Corppass.
- Application feeNon-refundableS$1,500
- Licence feePaid within 7 days of approval; fixed regardless of scopeS$15,000
- Third-party liability insuranceAt least S$2 million per incident, unlimited incidentsQuoted by insurer
- Charger registrationLTA says fees stay unchanged until 31 March 2027Per charger
LTA fees for one 3-year licenceS$16,500 + insurance and registrations
From LTA's EVCO licensing guidelines and OneMotoring charger registration page, October 2026.
Documents LTA asks for include a business proposal on its template, the latest audited financial statements, the insurance details, cybersecurity certifications (such as CSA STAR or ISO 27001, 27017 and 27018), a Singapore-based point of contact, and a sample static data submission for at least three charge points. LTA says it aims to decide within a month after all documents are in good order.
Licence conditions that shape your customer app
Annex C of LTA's guidelines lists conditions that depend on the charger type and user profile. For publicly accessible chargers, several translate directly into app and payment design.
| Condition | What LTA requires | What it means for your app |
|---|---|---|
| Common payment methods | At least one of Visa/Mastercard, NETS or PayNow | Card or PayNow checkout; an app download is allowed |
| No deposits or stored credits | No deposit that can't be used as payment | Pre-authorise and release; refund booking balances promptly |
| No compulsory membership | A guest option with no account, fee or personal details | QR-to-pay guest flow without sign-up or email |
| Service hotline | Number clearly displayed near the chargers | Hotline on signage and in the app |
| Service uptime | At least 90% across charging points | Monitoring and fault alerts in your back end |
| Data sharing | Dynamic data every 5 minutes via OCPI; monthly static data | Your charger management system must support OCPI |
| Open back-end standards | Open protocols such as OCPP between charger and system | Avoid closed, single-vendor charger links |
LTA's dynamic data fields include the price charged (with GST) and whether it is per kWh or per minute, so keep your tariffs in one system that feeds both the app and LTA. If you sell monthly plans or memberships, which LTA allows alongside the guest option, our guide to subscription billing with Stripe covers the recurring side.
Uptime, downtime and incident reporting
Reliability is a licence condition, not just good service. LTA's guidelines define the uptime formula per charging point per month, and a 'downtime event' as 5% of your chargers being non-operational for more than 20 minutes for reasons within your control.
Monitor every charge point
Your charger management system should alert you when a connector goes offline or faults, so you can act before uptime drops below 90%.
Follow your downtime SOP
LTA requires the downtime and incident SOPs you submitted to be implemented.
Notify LTA within 1 hour
For incidents and downtime events, LTA asks for an email and a message to its operations hotline within an hour.
Send the incident report
Parts A and B of LTA's EVCO incident reporting template within 24 hours, and Part C within 48 hours.
Keep records
LTA requires static records to be kept for 3 years and dynamic records for 1 year, even after the licence ends.
Customer app and website checklist
Most small operators use a charger management platform from their hardware or software vendor, often with a white-label app. Whatever you use, check it against the licence conditions before you sign.
Before you choose a charging platform
Your website should list locations, prices, how to pay as a guest, idle fees if any, and the hotline. It is also where condo MCSTs and building owners look when choosing an operator. Our website cost guide shows typical budgets.
Do it yourself or get help?
The licence application, insurance, cybersecurity certification and OCPI integration are specialist work, usually done with your charger and platform vendors. Software around the edges is where a smaller build helps: a booking or fleet portal for building tenants, payment links for monthly plans, or reports that combine uptime and revenue from several sites.
Our Online Payment Setup (S$290) sets up Stripe or HitPay in your name with PayNow, cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, payment links and receipts, for memberships or invoicing building owners. For a portal or back-office system that connects your charging data to Xero, WhatsApp or your website, a Custom Business App (from S$4,900) starts with a written scope and fixed quote. It is browser-based and doesn't replace an LTA-compliant charger management system.
Frequently asked questions
Usually yes. LTA's guidelines say operators of chargers serving condominium residents, office employees and other commercial building users need an EVCO licence, under the 'private' user profile. Alternatively, the charger owner can engage an EVCO already licensed by LTA to operate the chargers. Landed homeowners charging their own household's vehicles don't need one.
LTA's licensing guidelines list a non-refundable application fee of S$1,500 and a licence fee of S$15,000, paid within 7 days of approval, for a licence valid for 3 years. The licence fee is fixed regardless of scope. You also need third-party liability insurance of at least S$2 million per incident, and each charger must be registered.
Not as the only option. LTA's licence conditions say operators may offer memberships but must provide a guest option that doesn't require registering an account, paying a membership fee or giving personal details such as name, phone number or email. Payment must be possible by Visa or Mastercard, NETS or PayNow, and deposits are not allowed.
LTA's EVCO licence conditions require a minimum service uptime of 90% across charging points at all times, calculated per charging point over each calendar month. A downtime event, where 5% of chargers are down for more than 20 minutes for reasons within the operator's control, must be reported to LTA within one hour.
LTA says the Electric Vehicles Charging Act 2022 commenced on 8 December 2023. Existing charging operators had a 12-month transition until 7 December 2024; from 8 December 2024, operating without an EVCO licence may lead to a fine of up to S$30,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 6 months.