How I Got My Singapore Driving License as a Foreigner (Part 1): Before the First Lesson

Introduction

I never got a driving license in the Philippines. I had been putting off learning how to drive for quite some time, until I finally found the courage and motivation to do it. I set a goal for myself: learn how to drive before I turn 30.

It made sense to learn in Singapore because this is where I'm based. Getting a license in the Philippines would have been almost impossible, since I would have had to stay there for a long period, which wasn't an option for me. So I started from zero as a foreigner on an Employment Pass.

I wrote this series for Singapore-based foreigners who don't have a license yet, just like I didn't.

It took me 6 months and 14 days, 25 practical lessons and 2 attempts at the Traffic Police (TP) test, but I made it. I started on 1 October 2023, passed on 15 April 2024 and collected my physical license on 24 April 2024.

I kept notes along the way, so I'm turning them into a 4-part series in case it helps you:

1. Before the first lesson (this post)
2. Modules 1 and 2 of the practical lessons
3. Module 3 and the compulsory extras
4. The TP tests and getting the license

Everything here is based on my own experience at ComfortDelGro Driving Centre (CDC) in Ubi, learning a manual car (Class 3).

Since this was almost 2 to 3 years ago, some of the information may be outdated. Fees, rules and booking processes can change, so please get the latest info from CDC, your instructor or the Singapore Police Force when in doubt. All fees are in Singapore dollars (S$).

Alright, here we go ~

The big picture

Before you can sit behind the wheel for a real lesson, you need to clear a few things:

1. Register an account with the driving centre
2. Pass the eyesight test
3. Attend the induction programme
4. Pass the Basic Theory Test (BTT)
5. Get your Provisional Driving License (PDL)

I registered on 1 October 2023 and passed the Basic Theory Test on 8 November 2023. After that, I got my PDL straight away and had my first practical lesson on 20 November 2023.

Step 1: Register with CDC (1 October 2023)

I registered an account at CDC Ubi for Class 3 (manual car) and topped up my account with S$500 so I could pay for the next steps.

A quick note about how it works: most things are paid from a prepaid balance, so you'll be topping up as you go. I topped up many times over the whole journey, which I'll cover in Part 4.

Step 2: Eyesight test (10 October 2023)

I booked the eyesight test online for 10 October at 10am and showed up at the centre. Here is how it went:

• Get a queue number and give your mobile number at the counter
• Read letters off a chart and identify colors
• Pay the test fee, then the counter explains the next steps
• Take a digital photo for your license

I also changed to the One Team package on the same visit. It's slightly more expensive, but I knew practical lesson slots were hard to get, so I wanted the better chance of booking them. I also chose to learn on a manual car instead of an auto car, so I would have the option to drive overseas. More on One Team when we get to lesson booking below.

Step 3: Induction programme (11 October 2023)

I booked the induction programme online. It's held over Zoom. The details are on the CDC web portal. Mine ran from 8:40pm to 9:30pm on 11 October.

These are the notes I took from the trainer:

• Always bring your training booklet, your ID and your passport to lessons. Don't wear slippers. Bring an umbrella in case of rain
• After Module 1, book the Learner's Driver Competency Screening (LDCS) and the Vehicular Pre-Operative Check (VPC)
• It's encouraged to book the LDCS after Module 2 or the right turn subject
• After 5 practical lessons, book the simulator training, which is compulsory before the TP practical test
• The car number is on the front and back of the car. Blue is a manual car, red is an auto car
• Only use the horn if there is danger, or if danger may happen
• Hold the steering wheel at 10 and 2 o'clock (or 9 and 3), with your arms bent at about 120 degrees

Don't worry if you can't remember all of these yet. You'll hear them again during your lessons.

Step 4: Basic Theory Test (November 2023)

There are optional eLearning and eTrial modules online, but I skipped both of them and went straight to the Basic Theory Test.

Internal evaluation (4 November 2023)

CDC lets you take a practice run called the BTT Internal Evaluation before the real test, so I booked it first. Even though it's only a mock test, you have to go down to the driving centre to take it. It can't be taken online, which was quite troublesome. Here is what I noted:

• Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early for the instructions
• Bring your ID and remember your CDC learner ID and password
• It's taken on a touchscreen tablet, for 50 minutes, with 1 proctor
• Write down the questions you were unsure about or got wrong, so you can study them before the actual test

I scored 50/50.

The actual BTT (8 November 2023)

• Arrive 15 minutes early, as the instructions are given clearly before the test
• Bring your ID or work pass. Your password is your birthday in DDMM format
• It's a 50-minute test on a touchscreen monitor, with 2 Traffic Police officers as proctors
• The result shows immediately on the screen after the test. Green means you passed, red means you failed

I scored 47/50.

To prepare, I used a BTT mobile app as well as the Singapore Police Force's official Practise Driving and Riding Theory Test page.

Step 5: Get your PDL (8 November 2023)

After I passed the BTT, I could apply for my Provisional Driving License right away. There were instructions pasted in front and outside the room on how to do it.

About 5 minutes after passing, the page showed that I was eligible to apply for an ePDL, since I had already passed the eyesight test and the BTT. I paid the S$25 fee and it displayed a page with my PDL expiry.

Make sure you print it or save the PDF on your phone. Your instructors will ask for it before every lesson.

Booking your practical lessons

This part tripped me up the most, so here are the lessons I learned:

• You can only book 10 lessons per month
• I paid for the One Team package. It gives you the same car (usually the newer model) for your lessons and the TP test. It also gives you a dedicated team of up to 6 instructors. My instructor told me he was the only one in my team, so I had him for most of my lessons, since I mostly booked weekdays at around the same time. He wasn't available on weekends. He said weekend lessons are usually taken by part-time instructors
• When I was learning, One Team slots were released on certain dates. For me it was the 13th of each month at 10pm. Booking was slow at that hour because everyone was on at the same time. The website and app acted up from the traffic. I recommend using the website, because the mobile app kept crashing for me
• As of writing, CDC's session opening dates page says there is no session opening date for any class or team anymore. It also says to check online regularly for slot availability. That's why I built alerts for new lesson slots so you don't have to keep refreshing the page (more on that below)
• Once you tap a slot and it's reserved, immediately choose your next date
• Plan which days and times you want before the release, so all you need to do is book them. For me it was Wednesday and Friday or Saturday, from 8:30am to 10:10am
• I took 2 to 3 lessons per week. I was assigned the same car most of the time. Sometimes it went for servicing and I got an older model, but that only happened twice

Getting lesson slots with SG Alerts

Here is where I'll shamelessly plug something I built. Slots at the driving centre can be hard to get. Refreshing the page all day is no fun, so I made a free Telegram alerts service called SG Alerts. It has alerts for ComfortDelGro Driving Centre that you may find useful at this stage:

• CDC Practical Lesson Slots for new manual car (Class 3) and auto car (Class 3A) lesson slots
• CDC Appointment Slots for new eyesight test and counter services dates

Open the topic page and pick the channel you need. Join it on Telegram to get a notification when new slots show up.

What it cost in this part

All amounts are in Singapore dollars (S$) and include GST, taken from my own spreadsheet.

The PDL fee is paid separately, so it's not part of my main CDC spreadsheet total. I'll show the complete breakdown, including lessons and tests, in Part 4.

What's next

By this point, I had my PDL and was ready to book my first lesson. In Part 2, I'll share what I learned in my first 12 lessons, from learning the clutch and gears to lane changes, junctions and U-turns.

Thanks for reading!