Types of workers’ dormitories
You can convert your premises to the following types of workers’ dormitories:
- Ancillary Workers’ Dormitories (AWD):
To house workers employed by the owner or lessee of the factory, or sub-contractors’ workers (whether workers are working on site at the factory or off-site) or workers who work on site at the factory. - Single employer-operated Secondary Workers’ Dormitories (SWD):
To house employer’s own workers or sub-contractors’ workers (whether workers are working on site at the factory or off-site). The employer should not be the owner or lessee of the factory.
These converted dormitories are also known as Factory Converted Dormitories (FCD).
Restrictions and guidelines
FCDs are not allowed in:
- High-rise factories
- Terrace workshops and terrace factories without stand-alone compounds
- Areas that are within Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) Specified List
- Areas that are affected by Health and Safety buffer
FCDs should also comply with the following guidelines:
- Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) Requirements for Various Types of Housing on the maximum permissible occupancy and other relevant regulations and guidelines
- URA’s Revised Guidelines for Temporary Workers’ Dormitories within Industrial or Warehouse Developments on areas where FCDs are not allowed, usage quantum restrictions and other relevant regulations and guidelines
- Fitting-out and Renovation Guidelines when converting your premises into a dormitory
Apply to convert or renew Factory Converted Dormitories
Step 1: Email your JTC Customer Engagement Officer
Fill out this form and email your Customer Engagement Officer to submit a request to:
- Convert your premises into a new FCD
- Renew an existing FCD. Please do so at least 3 months before the Temporary Permission (TP) expiry date.
If you need to find out who your JTC Customer Engagement Office is, contact us.
We will inform you of the outcome of your request through email.
Step 2: Submit Documents
If your request is supported, log in to Construction and Real Estate Network (CORENET) to submit:
- Relevant documents and drawings
- Approvals from relevant agencies
If all documents are in order, we will issue a landowner’s consent to you through CORENET within 10 working days of our receipt of your documents.
Step 3: Obtain Temporary Permission (TP) from URA
Upon receiving the landowner’s consent, proceed with the following:
- For new FCDs, log in to CORENET to submit a new application to URA to convert to dormitories
- For renewal of existing FCDs, log in to Go Business Licensing Portal and select change of use
Upon approval from URA, you will be issued a TP. The TP will state the duration during which your premises can be used as an FCD. You must submit a copy of your TP to us along with the original submission in CORENET within 7 working days of obtaining the TP from URA.