Singapore is the most attractive business and trade hub in Southeast Asia. As a gateway to Southeast Asia for businesses, both large multinational corporations and rapidly growing startups alike view Singapore as an ideal place to do business and choose to establish their headquarters here.
Besides Singapore’s pro-business environment, its immigration policies also attract experienced entrepreneurs and professionals from all over the world. Many foreigners work in Singapore, so what are the types of work passes available? What kind of visa can one apply for based on their job category in Singapore? Are there eligibility restrictions for applying for various visas? Can a visitor on a tourist visa work?
This article will detail the types of visas available for various groups, including foreign professionals and entrepreneurs in Singapore.
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Table of Contents
What are the types of work passes in Singapore?
There are many types of visas in Singapore, such as short-term visas including tourist visas, family visit visas, and business visas; while long-term visas include long-term visit passes, student passes, and employment passes. There is also a multiple-entry visa designed to provide convenience for business executives from visa-required countries. Different purposes and durations correspond to different types of Singapore visas.
Singapore work passes can be divided into five categories:
1. Professionals
| Pass Type | Applicable For |
| Employment Pass
(EP) |
For foreign professionals, managers, and executives. Applicants must have a fixed monthly salary of at least S$5,000. |
| Entrepreneur Pass
(EntrePass) |
For foreign entrepreneurs who are starting and operating a venture-backed or innovative tech business in Singapore. |
| Personalised Employment Pass
(PEP) |
For high-earning existing Employment Pass holders or overseas professionals. The PEP offers greater flexibility than an EP. |
| Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass | Has a minimum monthly salary requirement of S$30,000. Top talents in business, arts and culture, sports, science and technology, and academia and research may also qualify even if they do not meet the salary criterion. |
2. Skilled and Semi-Skilled Workers
| Pass Type | Applicable For |
| S Pass | Skilled workers. Applicants must have a fixed monthly salary of at least S$3,000. |
| Work Permit for migrant worker | Semi-skilled migrant workers in the construction, manufacturing, marine shipyard, process, or services sectors.
No salary or educational requirements. Age requirement: 18-50 years old. Subject to quota. |
| Work Permit for migrant domestic worker | Migrant domestic workers (MDW) working in Singapore. |
| Work Permit for confinement nanny | Malaysian nannies working in Singapore for more than 16 weeks from the birth of the employer’s child. |
| Work Permit for performing artiste | Foreign performers working in public entertainment outlets such as bars, hotels, and nightclubs. |
3. Student Work and Internship Visas
| Pass Type | Applicable For |
| Training Employment Pass | Foreign professionals undergoing training. Applicants must have a fixed monthly salary of at least S$3,000. |
| Work Holiday Pass (under Work Holiday Programme) | Students aged 18 to 25 who want to work and holiday in Singapore for 6 months. |
| Work Holiday Pass (under Work and Holiday Visa Programme) | Australian students aged 18 to 30 who want to work and holiday in Singapore for 1 year. |
| Training Work Permit | Semi-skilled foreign students or trainees undergoing practical training in Singapore for up to 6 months. |
4. Dependant Visas
| Pass Type | Applicable For |
| Dependant’s Pass (DP) | Spouses and children of eligible Employment Pass (EP) or S Pass (SP) holders. |
| Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP) | Parents, common-law spouses, step-children, or disabled children of eligible Employment Pass (EP) or S Pass (SP) holders. |
| Pre-approved Letter of Consent (PLOC) | Legally married spouses or children of a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident (PR) who hold an LTVP/LTVP+ issued by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
The holder is pre-approved to work in Singapore. They can only apply for a PLOC when they apply for or renew their LTVP/LTVP+. |
5. Exemptions to Work While on a Visit Pass
| Pass Type | Applicable For |
| Miscellaneous Work Pass | Foreign speakers, religious workers, and journalists on short-term assignments in Singapore for up to 60 days. |
| Work Pass Exempt Activities | Performing eligible short-term activities without a work pass. Applicants must notify the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) of their activities. |
| Work pass exemption for foreign students | Foreign students studying full-time at a school or institution in Singapore. |
| Work passes for holders of Long Term Visit Passes issued by ICA | Foreigners married to a Singaporean or Permanent Resident, or parents accompanying a child studying in Singapore. |
Common Types of Work Visas in Singapore
Work Permit Scheme for Foreign Professionals and Entrepreneurs
Visas for Professionals can be divided into three sub-categories: Employment Pass (EP), Entrepreneur Pass (EntrePass), and Personalised Employment Pass (PEP):
Employment Pass
The Employment Pass (EP) is Singapore’s main work permit, designed by the Singapore government to attract highly educated foreign professionals. The minimum educational requirement is a bachelor’s degree, and the company does not need to use its “quota” or pay a “levy”. The EP is also the most common type of visa obtained by recent bachelor’s and master’s graduates aged 25 and under from Singapore’s public universities. Once issued, the holder has no entry and exit restrictions during their stay, and the pass can be renewed upon expiry as long as the holder is still employed.
The applicant’s fixed monthly salary must exceed S$5,000. (The minimum qualifying salary varies with your experience, and you can check the requirement using the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) Self-Assessment Tool.) Depending on the applicant’s role in the company, the Employment Pass is divided into a Self-Employed Employment Pass and a regular Employment Pass. The difference is: if the applicant owns shares in the company and applies as a shareholder, it is a Self-Employed Employment Pass; if the applicant applies as an employee, it is a regular Employment Pass.
- Validity: An EP is initially issued for a maximum of 2 years and can be renewed for up to 3 years (at the discretion of the authorities). It can be renewed as long as the applicant remains employed by the company.
- Eligibility: Business owners and professionals with higher education and relevant experience.
- Quota: No quota restrictions.
- Permanent Residency Eligibility: Employment Pass holders are eligible to apply for Singapore Permanent Residency (PR) when the time is right.
Entrepreneur Pass (EntrePass)
The Entrepreneur Pass, also known as the EntrePass, is a work pass reviewed jointly by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Enterprise Singapore (formerly Spring Singapore), targeted at foreign entrepreneurs. Its main purpose is to attract overseas investors and entrepreneurs to start businesses in Singapore. There are no minimum salary or Foreign Worker Levy requirements, but applicants must submit a comprehensive business proposal. This visa is suitable for innovative individuals/entrepreneurs with technology patents, sufficient time and energy to personally operate a company in Singapore, and the ability to secure investment.
- Validity: The EntrePass is initially issued for 1 year and can be renewed as long as the business remains operational.
- Eligibility: Business owners who have started a new company or whose company is newly incorporated (within six months). The company must meet the EntrePass criteria.
- Quota: No quota restrictions.
- Permanent Residency Eligibility: EntrePass holders are eligible to apply for Singapore Permanent Residency (PR) when the time is right.
Personalised Employment Pass
The Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) is mainly issued to foreign mid-to-senior level managers who are independent of any single employer. Compared to other passes, PEP holders have more flexibility in their work and can stay in Singapore for up to 6 months while unemployed to look for new job opportunities. The PEP is similar to the EP, being a special category within it, and is available to high-earning Employment Pass (EP) holders or overseas foreign professionals who meet the eligibility criteria.
The biggest advantage of having a PEP is that you can change jobs without having to reapply for a new employment pass, as long as you are not unemployed for more than 6 months. The main disadvantage is that you cannot start your own company as a PEP holder; the pass is intended for you to be employed by a third-party employer. The eligibility requirements for a PEP are very strict.
- Validity: The PEP is valid for 3 years and is non-renewable.
- Eligibility: High-earning professionals who wish to work for an employer in Singapore. PEP holders cannot start their own business in Singapore.
- Quota: No quota restrictions.
- Permanent Residency Eligibility: PEP holders are eligible to apply for Singapore Permanent Residency (PR) when the time is right.
Skilled technical workers can apply for the S Pass.
S Pass
The S Pass (SP) is for foreign mid-level skilled employees with a fixed monthly salary of at least S$3,000. S Pass applications are assessed based on the employer’s quota eligibility and the applicant’s qualifications. The application must be submitted by the employer or a designated employment agent on behalf of the applicant. If the pass holder changes jobs, the new employer must apply for a new full-time work visa for them.
The main difficulties in applying for this visa are the quota and levy. Under the current quota, the maximum number of S Pass holders a company can hire is 10% of its total workforce in the services sector, 20% in the manufacturing sector, and 18% in other sectors.
- Validity: The S Pass is initially issued for 1-2 years (determined by the immigration authorities) and can be renewed as long as the applicant continues to be employed by the employer.
- Eligibility: Mid-level skilled employees. Applicants are required to have a degree or diploma. Applicants with technical certificates may also be considered.
- Quota: Subject to quota restrictions.
- Permanent Residency Eligibility: S Pass holders are eligible to apply for Singapore Permanent Residency (PR) when the time is right.
Miscellaneous Work Pass
The Miscellaneous Work Pass is issued to foreigners engaged in short-term work in Singapore. More specifically, you will be issued a Miscellaneous Work Pass if you meet one of the following conditions:
- Participate in, organize, or conduct any seminar, conference, workshop, gathering, or discussion related to religious, racial, community, or political purposes;
- Foreign religious workers giving any direct or indirect religion-related talks;
- Foreign journalists, reporters, or accompanying crew not sponsored by a Singapore government agency.
- Validity: Short-term.
- Quota: None. Each applicant is assessed on their own merits.
- Permanent Residency Eligibility: Miscellaneous Work Pass holders are not eligible to apply for Singapore Permanent Residency (PR).
Dependent Pass
The Singapore Dependent’s Pass (DP) is a family immigration visa issued to the spouses and unmarried children (under 21) of Employment Pass (EP)/S Pass (SP)/EntrePass holders with a minimum fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000. Since May 2021, DP holders need to apply for a relevant work visa to work legally in Singapore.
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