Both systems run today. CORENET 2.0 is the existing e-submission system; CORENET X is the redesigned gateway process, mandatory for new projects with GFA of 5,000m² and above from 1 October 2026. No CORENET 2.0 retirement date has been announced.
That last sentence is worth stating plainly, because a great deal of published commentary implies otherwise. No retirement or decommissioning date for CORENET 2.0 appears in any BCA or URA circular reviewed, from 2023 through July 2026, or on the CORENET X information site. The most specific the official position gets is the phrase "for now", used repeatedly in the 23 July 2026 circular.
Where each system stands
CORENET 2.0 is the live e-submission system at corenet2-ess.gov.sg. The 23 July 2026 circular expressly contemplates continued use of it: projects under 5,000m² "may continue to be made through CORENET 2 for now", and ongoing projects at 5,000m² and above "may continue to be made through CORENET 2 until further details are announced".
CORENET X is the redesigned Regulatory Approval process for Building Works, submitted through portal.corenet.gov.sg. One hard rule applies where the mandate bites: submissions that come under the criteria for mandatory CORENET X submissions "will not be accepted through CORENET 2.0". Full detail of the scope test is on the CORENET X page.
Which system your project belongs on
| Project | System |
|---|---|
| New project, GFA ≥ 30,000m² | CORENET X. Mandatory since 1 October 2025 |
| New project, GFA ≥ 5,000m² | CORENET X from 1 October 2026 |
| Project ≥ 5,000m² that commenced submissions in CORENET 2 by 30 September 2026 | May continue in CORENET 2 "for now" |
| Ongoing project, GFA ≥ 5,000m² | CORENET 2 "until further details are announced". No date published |
| Any project, GFA < 5,000m² | CORENET 2 remains available. CORENET X is voluntary |
A qualifier attaches to the mandate: it applies to new buildings or works to existing buildings "that have not been formally submitted as a Development Application to Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) or a Development Control application to any regulatory agency". The full paragraph, including the three categories of works it covers, is quoted on the CORENET X page. Source for the tiers above: circular APPBCA-2026-12 / URA/PB/2026/08-DCG, 23 July 2026.
What actually differs
From BCA's own published comparison of the two systems:
| Dimension | CORENET 2.0 | CORENET X |
|---|---|---|
| Software | "Use of ES Pro for preparation of submission" | "Fully web-based without any need to download any application" |
| Who can use it | QPs are the primary users; only QPs can add Assistants | Expanded to Developers, Licensed Builders, Specialist Builders, Accredited Checkers, Resident Engineers, Licensed Plumbers, Fire Safety Engineers and Transport Consultants. "All project members can add Assistants & control their access to the projects" |
| Appointment of members | "The appointment process is done outside the system and usually involves the use of wet-ink signature" | "The appointment of project members will be fully digital under CORENET X" |
| Submission model | QPs submit independently using application forms; other members are unaware of submissions | The system auto-populates forms from what members provide, and "All members can view submissions made under the project" |
| Payments | "Application fees for each agency is to be made separately under each agency's stipulated system" | "Payment is part of the application process" and "Payment has to be made before the application can be submitted to Agencies" |
| Digital signing | "Responses from the authorities are digitally signed and encrypted" | Responses are digitally signed "without encryption", for broader accessibility |
Payment arrangements have their own circular, DC26-03 of 2 March 2026, "Updates to CORENET X Payment Methods". Check that circular for the current position rather than relying on older briefing decks. Fee levels are not covered in the sources reviewed for this page.
The process change underneath the portal change
Treating this as a portal swap is the most common mistake. CORENET 2.0 reflects a process in which "Individual consultants of different disciplines (i.e. Architects, Structural Engineers, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers) carry out building plan submissions separately and concurrently to multiple agencies for over 20 approval touchpoints throughout the building project. This current fragmented regulatory process often results in industry practitioners having to make iterative submissions to multiple regulatory agencies."
CORENET X replaces that with three sequential gateways, Design, Construction and Completion, plus an optional Piling Gateway, and a joint agency review answered with one consolidated response. Agencies commit to responding "collectively within 20 working days", and BCA's guidance is that submissions "should not iterate with more than 2 Written Directions at each gateway". There is also a single-stage Direct Submission Process for less complex works such as single unit landed residential properties, bus stops and linkways.
File formats differ with the route rather than with the system. Where the BIM test is met, a new erection or major A&A with new GFA of 5,000m² or more, CORENET X requires an openBIM IFC+SG model. Direct Submission Process projects merge 2D structural plans into "a single pdf or lightweight dwf file".
Moving a project from CORENET 2.0
- Confirm you are in scope. GFA of 5,000m² and above, not already formally submitted as a Development Application to URA or a Development Control application to another agency, and falling into one of the three categories in paragraph 7 of the July 2026 circular.
- Check the transitional carve-out. Projects at 5,000m² and above that "have commenced submissions in CORENET 2 by 30 September 2026 may continue in CORENET 2 for now".
- Secure time-sensitive approvals first. BCA and URA advise that teams "plan for and secure plan approvals from all Authorities prior to the transition to CORENET X to minimise disruption to their projects", and that ongoing projects "should minimally secure time-sensitive approvals that may potentially impact the project timeline prior to the transition".
- Register for assisted onboarding. Project teams "are required to register their projects" at go.gov.sg/cx-onboarding "before creating them in CORENET X".
- Set up Corppass access for every project member. Singpass for Business is required to use the portal.
- Rehearse in the training environment at training.corenet.gov.sg, which mirrors the live portal interface without an actual project.
- Move to IFC+SG if the new-GFA test is met. BCA's Productivity Solutions Grant supports SMEs with the purchase of BIM software.
- Read the current Code of Practice. Edition 3.1 was released in December 2025 and "The next edition of the COP will be released before October 2026". It is at go.gov.sg/cxcop.
What carries over
Migration does not mean re-doing approvals. BCA's published transition provisions for onboarding ongoing projects state that "Agencies' approvals and relevant permits issued under CORENET 2.0 will remain valid"; that "Works that have commenced on site based on approvals obtained under CORENET 2.0 can continue"; that "Project teams will only need to apply for outstanding approvals under the respective Gateways"; and that "IFC+SG format will not be mandatory for these projects".
One caveat: those provisions were written for a 1 October 2027 mandatory onboarding of ongoing projects which the July 2026 circular has since replaced with "until further details are announced". The terms are BCA's published transition terms; the timing they were attached to is now open.
What changes day to day for a QP
- Coordination moves upstream. Design is coordinated across disciplines before submission rather than reconciled after it.
- One consolidated response replaces separate agency dialogues, within 20 working days and normally no more than 2 Written Directions per gateway.
- Appointments and payments happen inside the system. No wet-ink appointment; payment before submission.
- The project becomes visible to all members. Developers can "track the status of technical agency clearances needed for Temporary Occupation Permits or Certificates of Statutory Completion on the new project dashboard function".
BCA also lists supporting changes: application forms "auto-populated based on the type of building works" with common project information "only be collected once"; concurrent Design and Piling Gateway submissions with Piling Gateway approval contingent on Design Gateway clearance; concurrent demolition and new erection applications; and acceptance of submissions "based on proof of payment, instead of requiring payments to be verified first", saving "up to 3 working days in administrative lead time".
Where existing buildings fit
The mandate is not limited to new build. It covers "new buildings or works to existing buildings" and expressly names "Major addition and alteration works with an affected or replaced GFA of 5,000m² or more". So a refurbishment programme sitting comfortably on CORENET 2.0 today can find itself in scope, and where the separate IFC+SG test is also met it needs a model of a building that may never have had one.
How much of the existing building has to be modelled is narrower than commonly claimed. BCA's CORENET X FAQ: "Only existing development that affect the regulatory compliance of the new extension in the A&A project will need to be modelled (e.g. interfacing building elements and structure)." Conservation is the one case where the Code of Practice names a document of the existing building outright, either a "Measured survey drawing (for unrestored building)" or a "BIM model of existing building", with two qualifiers: conservation projects are in the exploratory phase and do not need to be submitted in IFC+SG, and URA separately requires Measured Survey Drawings carrying a registered Surveyor's endorsement, a statutory role Volumet does not hold.
BCA specifies the deliverable and never the capture method: the Code of Practice contains no reference to point clouds, laser scanning, Scan-to-BIM, reality capture or photogrammetry, and publishes no LOD grade or accuracy tolerance. A measured scan is one route to a compliant model of an existing building, not a required one. If that is the position your project is in, our Scan-to-BIM service covers capture through to the modelled deliverable, and you can send us the project details for a scope and quote.