Registration Fee (RF)
The Registration Fee (RF) is the flat administrative charge LTA collects to register a vehicle in Singapore, separate from the much larger Additional Registration Fee.
What it means
The Registration Fee, usually shortened to RF, is a fixed charge the Land Transport Authority collects when a vehicle is first registered for use on Singapore roads. It is best thought of as the cost of the registration process itself: putting the car on LTA's records, assigning it a registration number, and issuing its log card. RF is a flat amount rather than a percentage of the car's value, which makes it one of the smaller items in the overall cost of putting a car on the road. People often confuse it with the Additional Registration Fee, or ARF, but the two are very different. ARF is a tax calculated as a percentage of the car's Open Market Value and is typically the single largest tax on a Singapore car. RF, by contrast, is a modest, fixed administrative fee. Both appear on a new car's bill, but they serve separate purposes.
Why it matters in Singapore
RF is part of the stack of charges that turn a car's base price into its on-the-road price, alongside excise duty, GST, ARF, and COE. On its own it is small, but it helps to know what each line on a registration bill is for. When a dealer or LTA breaks down the cost of a new car, RF is the piece that covers the act of registration, while the heavier numbers are the value-based taxes and the COE premium. Knowing the difference stops buyers from mixing up the trivial fee with the substantial one.
What it means for car owners
For an owner, RF is a one-time cost paid at registration and folded into the price of a new car, so it rarely needs separate attention. The practical takeaway is to read a registration breakdown carefully and not assume RF and ARF are the same thing. If you are deregistering or transferring a car later, the rebates and refunds you may receive are tied to ARF and PARF, not to RF, since RF simply pays for the administrative act of registering.