Building plans must be submitted to the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) before building works start, and the submission must be made by a Qualified Person (QP) appointed by the developer or owner. BCA states that the QP must be an architect registered with the Board of Architects or a Professional Engineer registered with the Professional Engineers Board, holding a valid practising certificate. Structural plans, the permit to start structural works and completion records follow as separate steps. Since 1 October 2026, new projects of every size are submitted through CORENET X.

This guide sets out what each stage requires, which documents the QP prepares, how fees and processing times work, and where submissions most often stall.

TL;DR

• Only a registered architect or Professional Engineer acting as QP can lodge building plans. The QP must first obtain URA written permission and check the regulatory requirements.
• “BCA submission” is a chain of approvals: building plan, structural plan where applicable, permit to start structural works, then completion certificates and record plans.
• Mandatory CORENET X submission applies to all new projects from 1 October 2026, regardless of gross floor area.
• BCA’s 7-, 10-, 14- and 20-working-day standards apply only to complete, compliant applications. They are not project schedules.
• Plan fees depend on statistical gross floor area (SGFA) and building classification, so the fee model should be validated before lodging.

Table of Contents

• What counts as a BCA submission
• Who may submit: the Qualified Person
• Documents for building plan approval
• Documents for structural plan approval
• CORENET X: what changed in 2025 and 2026
• Plan fees: how BCA computes them
• Processing times and what they depend on
• Permit to start structural works
• Completion: C-forms and record plans
• Works that do not need BCA plan approval
• Design for Safety is a separate obligation
• Common reasons submissions are delayed
• Our perspective
• How AEC Technical Advisory supports the submission
• FAQ
• Sources

What counts as a BCA submission

Owners often speak of one “BCA submission”. In practice, four controls sit in sequence, and an approval at one stage does not authorise the next.

BCA’s permit page makes the point directly: once the structural plan is approved, a permit is still required before structural works can start. Our own overview of BCA submission for building works walks through the same chain from the owner’s side.

Who may submit: the Qualified Person

The QP is the single most consequential appointment in the process. Under the BCA building plan procedure, the QP must:

1. Hold registration as an architect (Board of Architects) or a Professional Engineer (Professional Engineers Board) with a valid practising certificate.
2. Obtain written permission from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for the proposed development before plans go to BCA.
3. Check the project against the Building Control Regulations, the Approved Document, accessibility requirements and the technical requirements for household or storey shelters.

For structural plans the rule is narrower. BCA’s structural plan page states that only a QP who is a registered Professional Engineer in civil or structural engineering may apply. A project therefore normally has an architectural QP for the building plans and a structural QP for the structural plans, with their responsibilities defined at appointment.

The QP is more than a courier. The QP certifies design responsibility, selects the submission route, coordinates clearances from other agencies and answers technical queries. Appointing one late, after the design has hardened, is the most common source of avoidable rework.

Documents for building plan approval

The exact list depends on project type and the current BCA checklist. The elements below are those a QP should expect to assemble:

• URA written permission or the equivalent planning clearance.
• Architectural plans prepared and signed by the QP, including site plan, floor plans, elevations and sections.
• Computation of the plan fee based on the applicable category.
• Evidence of compliance with accessibility and shelter requirements where they apply.
• Technical clearances from other agencies, such as fire safety, that the nature of the development requires.

Other authorities review in parallel and are not replaced by BCA approval. Fire safety plans go to SCDF, drainage and water matters to PUB, and so on. Our guide on who submits plans to SCDF explains how that interface works, and the developer’s checklist for building plans lists the sequence in practical terms.

Documents for structural plan approval

The structural package is more prescriptive. Per BCA’s structural plan guidance, a typical application includes:

• Form BCA-BE-STAPPV01.
• Detailed structural plans endorsed by the QP.
• Reference building plans, signed.
• Signed structural design calculations.
• Valid URA planning permission or equivalent clearance.
• The plan-fee computation.
• Structural buildability-score calculations where required.

Geotechnical input, including the site investigation and the design of earth-retaining works, feeds directly into these calculations. A weak ground model surfaces as a query from BCA, not as a drafting error. Our notes on geotechnical investigation for Singapore developers and on BCA structural plan submissions cover that dependency.

Retaining walls and temporary works

Residential retaining walls and excavation support attract close scrutiny. After the September 2025 Toh Close wall collapse, MOM stated that existing requirements include checking the integrity of surrounding structures and providing adequate shoring, and that it was reviewing whether further measures were needed. The design basis for such works is covered in our guide to BCA regulations for residential retaining wall design.

CORENET X: what changed in 2025 and 2026

CORENET X reorganises regulatory submissions around three gateways: Design, Construction and Completion. According to the CORENET X submission workflow, the developer-appointed QP obtains the required technical clearances, the Submission Portal uses project information to determine the applicable route, and processing does not begin until the required fees are paid and verified.

The rollout was staged:

• From 1 October 2025, submission through CORENET X became mandatory for new projects with gross floor area of 30,000 m² or more, as set out in the BCA circular on CORENET X implementation.
• From 1 October 2026, it applies to all new projects regardless of size, per BCA’s building plan page.

BIM submission requirements continue to apply to projects with new GFA of at least 5,000 m², according to the same workflow guidance. The practical effect is that agencies review one coordinated project submission, not isolated drawings. Architectural, structural and M&E interfaces must be resolved before lodging, and someone must be named as responsible for each agency clearance and gateway deliverable. Teams that treat CORENET X as a software change tend to discover this at the first agency query.

Design changes during construction are also handled through the gateways. Depending on the extent of change, an amendment submission may be required at the relevant gateway.

Plan fees: how BCA computes them

For first plan submissions on or after 1 October 2025, BCA applies a streamlined fee structure that aggregates statistical gross floor area across the development regardless of building type, as explained in the circular on streamlined plan fees. BCA’s SGFA and plan fees page publishes examples, including:

These are examples, not a quotation. Fees also vary with plan-view area, number of storeys, amendments, demolition and building classification, so the current fee table must be applied to the actual scope. Fee problems usually come from misclassifying areas or submitting incomplete scope information, not from the rate itself. The QP’s team should validate the fee model before lodging, since processing waits for verified payment.

Processing times and what they depend on

BCA’s published service standards for structural plans are:

• 7 working days for complete applications without accredited-checker certification.
• 10 working days for a first submission with accredited-checker certification, and 14 working days for subsequent submissions.
• 20 working days for structural plan review under the CORENET X Construction Gateway.

These figures come from BCA’s structural plan page and apply to complete, regulation-compliant documents. Extensive evaluation, missing information or repeated written directions extend the period. Programme planning should treat them as the best case under BCA’s control, then add the time needed for URA permission, other agency clearances and responses to queries.

Permit to start structural works

Approval of the structural plan does not let the builder break ground on the structure. The permit application must be made jointly by the developer, the structural QP and the builder who will carry out the works. It can be filed together with the structural plan application or afterwards, and BCA states a 7-working-day standard for a complete application, using Form BCA-BE-Permit and the relevant appendices.

Because the builder is a party, the builder’s licensing and the site supervision arrangements need to be settled by this point. Two of our articles cover this stage: BCA General Builder 1 and 2 for permit applications and mapping a site supervision plan to evidence.

Changes after approval

The boundary is deliberately conservative. Material changes, meaning those that require redesign of key structural elements, need BCA approval before they are built. Immaterial changes may proceed, but they must be recorded and carried into the later record-plan submission. The structural QP decides which category applies, and that judgment should be documented when it is made, not reconstructed at completion.

Completion: C-forms and record plans

At completion, the structural QP for supervision submits the relevant C1 or C2 certification. The structural QP for design submits the C3 record-plan certificate and declares whether departures from approved plans were material or immaterial, according to BCA’s record structural plan guidance. These are due on completion of structural works or within 14 days of the QP ceasing to act in that role.

Completion records matter commercially as well as legally. Developers selling units depend on the temporary occupation permit milestone, and buyers increasingly ask what a TOP date means for a condo purchase. Gaps in structural record submissions are one of the items that can hold that milestone back.

Works that do not need BCA plan approval

Some minor building works are exempt. BCA’s guidance is explicit that exemption from BCA approval does not remove the owner’s duty to observe safety requirements or obtain clearances from other authorities such as URA. Interior renovation, additions, structural alterations and unauthorised existing works should not be assumed exempt. A QP should confirm eligibility for the specific scope. Our minor works exemption checklist and the article on what requires BCA submission approval set out the questions to ask.

Design for Safety is a separate obligation

Design for Safety (DfS) does not replace BCA approval and BCA approval does not discharge DfS. MOM places upstream responsibility on developers to identify and reduce foreseeable design risks. In a 2024 speech, MOM noted that DfS regulations were introduced in 2016 and encouraged developers to apply DfS beyond projects where it is legally mandated. The sensible approach is to run DfS reviews inside design coordination so that findings reach the drawings before submission. See our note on Design for Safety in engineering.

Common reasons submissions are delayed

1. Late QP appointment. Clearances and design decisions are made without the person who must certify them.
2. Missing URA permission. The QP must obtain it first, and BCA documents refer to it.
3. Fee misclassification. SGFA, sublevel area or building type entered incorrectly delays verification.
4. Uncoordinated disciplines. Under CORENET X, architectural, structural and M&E conflicts are more visible.
5. Incomplete structural calculations or buildability scores. The service standard clock assumes a complete application.
6. Treating plan approval as permission to build. The permit is a separate step.

Our article on common pitfalls in authority plan submissions expands on how these are avoided.

Our perspective

In our experience of authority submissions, the documents are rarely the hard part. The hard part is sequencing: URA permission, the structural design basis, the fee model, the builder’s details for the permit, and the other agencies’ clearances all have to line up before the lodging date, and CORENET X now exposes any gap among them.

We advise owners to settle three things before design development closes. First, who the architectural and structural QPs are and what each certifies. Second, who owns each agency clearance. Third, how changes during construction will be classified and recorded. A project that answers these early gets queries that are technical. A project that does not gets queries that are procedural, and those cost weeks.

We also caution against reading service standards as promises. A 7-day or 20-day figure describes BCA’s handling of a complete application. Programmes should carry a realistic allowance for queries.

— Aman

How AEC Technical Advisory supports the submission

We act on the engineering and architectural side of the process: structural and geotechnical design, PE endorsements, BCA, URA, SCDF, JTC, LTA, PUB and NEA submissions, and periodic structural and façade inspections. Developers, contractors, architects and building owners can see the full scope on our services page, or read about PE endorsement and authority submissions. Fees depend on project scope and are agreed per engagement.

FAQ

Can an owner submit plans to BCA directly?

No. Building plans must be submitted through a QP, who must be a registered architect or Professional Engineer with a valid practising certificate. For structural plans, the QP must be a registered civil or structural PE. The owner appoints the QP and remains the party on whose behalf the submission is made.

Is CORENET X compulsory for a small project?

From 1 October 2026, mandatory CORENET X submission applies to all new projects regardless of gross floor area. Before that, the mandate covered new projects of 30,000 m² or more from 1 October 2025. BIM submission requirements continue to apply to projects with new GFA of at least 5,000 m².

How long does BCA take to approve structural plans?

BCA’s standards are 7 working days for complete applications without accredited-checker certification, and 10 working days (first submission) or 14 working days (subsequent) with it. Review under the CORENET X Construction Gateway is stated as 20 working days. These apply only to complete, compliant submissions and can lengthen if BCA issues written directions.

Do I need a permit after structural plan approval?

Yes. A permit to start structural works is required before structural construction begins. The developer, structural QP and builder apply jointly, and BCA’s service standard for a complete application is 7 working days.

Sources

• BCA: Building plan submission
• BCA: Structural plan submission
• BCA: Permit for structural works
• BCA: Record structural plan (C-forms)
• BCA: Statistical gross floor area and plan fees
• BCA: Building works not requiring approval
• CORENET X: Submission workflows
• BCA circular: CORENET X mandatory submissions from 1 October 2025
• BCA circular: Streamlined plan fees
• MOM: 2024 speech at REDAS WSH Leadership Forum
• MOM: Written answer on the Toh Close wall collapse

Recommended

• How to Submit BCA Plans in Singapore
• Project Submission Requirements Singapore: 2026 Guide
• BCA ST Submission for Structural Plans in Singapore