Trust & licensing · Singapore
Licensed Electrician Singapore
In Singapore, electrical work is not something anyone with a screwdriver is allowed to do. The law requires an EMA Licensed Electrical Worker, and the good news is you can check ours, and anyone else’s, on a public register in about two minutes.
- EMA-licensed electrical workers
- Verifiable on the ELISE register
- Right licence class for the load
Licensing is the law, not a marketing badge
Plenty of trades treat "licensed" as a bit of reassuring copy. In electrical work it is a legal requirement with teeth: installation work must be done by an LEW, and work done outside that can void your insurance, surface as a defect on resale, and, the reason the law exists at all, injure or kill. So when we say licensed, we mean a specific, checkable thing, not a claim. Ask us, or any electrician, for the licence and verify it yourself.
The three licence classes
Singapore’s licences scale with the load, and the right one depends on the size of the job:
Licensed Electrician, installations up to 45kVA at up to 1,000V. This covers most HDB flats, condos and small premises, which is why an HDB job typically needs a Licensed Electrician.
Licensed Electrical Technician, up to 150kVA of design and 500kVA of operation. The step up for larger commercial and light-industrial loads.
Licensed Electrical Engineer, no upper limit. For the largest installations. Matching the class to the load is how a commercial job stays compliant.
Verify before you hire
Every LEW carries a licence card showing a photo, name, IC number and licence number, and EMA publishes a free register, ELISE, where you can confirm any of it by name or licence number. This is the honest answer to the popular myth of an "approved list": there is no secret directory, just a public register anyone can search. Our step-by-step licence check shows exactly how, and our how to choose an electrician guide puts it in context.
Want a licensed electrician you can verify?
Get help nowNeed licensed work done?
Describe the job and your area. Every visit is by an EMA-licensed electrical worker, verify the licence yourself before anyone starts.
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If you see smoke or fire, call SCDF at 995 before anything else.
Licensed electrician FAQs
Does an electrician need a licence in Singapore?
Yes. Under Singapore law, electrical installation work must be carried out by an EMA Licensed Electrical Worker (LEW). Licensing is not a marketing badge, it is a legal requirement, and unlicensed electrical work can void insurance and create real safety and resale problems. Any electrician you engage should be able to show a licence you can verify.
How do I check if an electrician is licensed in Singapore?
Search EMA’s public ELISE register at elise.ema.gov.sg by name or licence number, and sight the physical licence card, which shows a photo, name, IC number and licence number. It takes about two minutes. Our step-by-step guide shows exactly what you will see and how to read it.
What is the difference between an EMA licensed electrician and an LEW?
They are effectively the same thing described two ways. LEW stands for Licensed Electrical Worker, the umbrella term for individuals EMA licenses to do electrical work. "Licensed Electrician" is the entry class of LEW, alongside Licensed Electrical Technician and Licensed Electrical Engineer for larger loads. So every Licensed Electrician is an LEW; not every LEW is a Licensed Electrician.
What are the electrician licence classes in Singapore?
There are three, distinguished by the load they may handle. A Licensed Electrician covers installations up to 45kVA at up to 1,000V, this covers most homes and small premises. A Licensed Electrical Technician covers up to 150kVA of design and 500kVA of operation. A Licensed Electrical Engineer has no upper limit. The right class depends on the size of the installation.
Why does using a licensed electrician matter?
Beyond legality, it protects three things people only think about too late: insurance (unlicensed work can void a claim after a fire or fault), resale (buyers and their surveyors flag non-compliant electrical work), and safety (the licence exists precisely because bad wiring kills). A verifiable licence is the cheapest insurance you will buy on any electrical job.