Singapore Employment Pass

Apply for Singapore Employment Pass in Singapore

Singapore Employment Pass Application Services is one of the many services under 3E’s One-Stop Solution to help complete our client’s quest in setting up a business and relocating to Singapore. We can explain to you about the Singapore employment pass scheme, tracking on the employment pass status, apply for employment pass and employment pass renewal for your employees. Singapore EP application services is the preferred choice for most foreigners who want to set up a company in Singapore and work and live in Singapore for more than 6 months.

Package Fee for Singapore Employment Pass Application

* The fee quoted above are excluding out-of-pocket expenses or reimbursement fees such as translation fee, issuance processing fee, any other fees payable to MOM and etc.
** An additional fee of $200 (W/GST $219) will apply if you need our assistance to collect the pass on your behalf at 3E’s office. (Please take note that the pass must be sent by courier to a Singapore address).
*** This fee is for our existing clients or clients who engage the EP renewal service as a package with our other services

Our Services cover by 3E’s Singapore Employment Agency

• Assistance in completing the Singapore employment self assessment tools with MOM
• Pre-application information and advice on Work Pass
• Filing of Work Pass application
• Tracking Work Pass application status while under processing
• Liaise with Direct MOM officer in charge when necessary by 3E’s Singapore employment agency
• Responding to MOM’s request for additional information as necessary
• Arranging for issuance of Work Pass upon in-principle approval
• Filing of maximum of 2 appeals within 3 months from the date of rejection as per MOM’s guildline in case of rejection of Work Pass application

Singapore Company Incorporation and Relocation to Singapore

If you wish to incorporate a company and relocate to Singapore to manage your company operations, you will need to accomplish two main tasks:

1. Incorporate a Singapore company.
2. Obtain a work pass visa through employment agency in Singapore.

There are two Singapore employment work pass options for you to choose from.
To learn more which work pass option is best suited for you, see Comparison of EntrePass versus Employment Pass

If you are a foreign entrepreneur, professional, managing director or shareholder who possesses an acceptable diploma/degree, professional qualifications or specialist skills, you may consider applying for an EP. Oftentimes, relevant work experience also plays a significant role in determining your eligibility.

Each Employment Pass apply by employment agency in Singapore can be valid for 1 or 2 years, and is renewable as long as the pass holder remains employed in the company. The validity period for first-time employment pass application applicants is up to two years.

For corporations you will need to secure Employment Passes for your staff such as managing directors and management staff if you are intending to relocate them to Singapore. With an Employment Pass, the pass holder can travel in and out of Singapore with minimum hassle during immigration. In addition, Employment Pass holders who work more than 2 years are also eligible to apply for Permanent Residence (PR) in Singapore. On another note, if you or your foreign employees are in Singapore on a short-term basis (between 2 weeks to 6 months), it would be more useful to apply for the Short-Term Pass.

If you are a foreigner, you can still realize your dream of becoming your own boss. We at 3E Accounting Pte Ltd provide you with all the support and assistance you require to incorporate your Singapore company, explaining to you about the Singapore employment pass scheme, tracking of the employment pass status, and submission of the Singapore EP application. You can set up a company or run a company without having to relocate to Singapore or being physically located here!

Singapore Company Setup Requirements

• Minimum: one shareholder plus one resident director plus one company secretary
• Minimum paid-up capital of S$1
• A local registered office address

Employment Pass Eligibility and Requirements

The Ministry of Manpower determines your eligibility based on the employment pass scheme factors listed below. To be considered for an Employment Pass, you must have S$5,000 (from 01 September 2022, the qualifying salary for EP for the Financial Services Sector will be raised to S$5,500) The minimum qualifying salary will be increases progressively with age and relevant working experience and the candidate will be required to possess one or more of the following:

• Acceptable educational qualifications, e.g.a diploma or degree
• Professional qualifications
• Specialist skills
• Related work experience

Note: There will be an upcoming change to the EP eligibility criteria from 1 September 2023. In addition to meeting the qualifying salary, EP candidates must also pass a points-based Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS).

Pass for Family Members

Below are the procedures for Employment Pass Application: –

1) To provide 3E Accounting for the following required documents must be submitted to Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM)

• the clear passport copy and Singapore work pass/ student pass/ any other pass copy (if any)
• 2 highest education certificates
• working testimonial (if any) and a resume/ CV
• completed application form with details of applicant

* For married candidate, please provide item 1, 2 & 3 of your spouse.
2) The processing time is 3 weeks usually.
3) If the application does not approve in the first assessment, MOM will require additional information (e.g., business plan, testimonial, Employment letter / contract and etc.) and we will track employment pass status and submit appeal on your behalf at no additional cost. The appeal process will take  1-4 months usually.

4) Upon approval, you will have 6 months’ time travel to Singapore and complete the Employment Pass issuance before the In-Principle Approval is expired.

In summary, the application could be completed in 3 weeks to 3 months’ time.
You are not required to stay in Singapore while applying for the work pass and tracking of employment pass status.

Note: The application for the Singapore Employment Pass can only be submitted after the incorporation of a company.

Dependent’s Pass Application

Please provide:
1) Spouse – Marriage Certificate, & Passport, education certificates and last drawn salary details (payslip)
2) Child – Birth certificate, Passport, Verification of Vaccination Requirements (VR) for foreign-born children who is aged 12 years old and below & applying for new DP. (for entry to Singapore)
. For more details, please refer to the HPB website at https://www.nir.hpb.gov.sg/nirp/eservices/foreignchildrenfaq.

If your child is going to study in Singapore, you can approach the school directly for the enrollment and the school will apply student pass for your child and no Dependent pass is required for.

Any non-English document will require an official English transaction.

Job Advertisement Requirement

As required by local government, firms submitting new Employment Pass (EP) applications will have to advertise on MyCareersFuture.sg for 14 calendar days calendar days before it submits an EP application. This is to ensure that local workforce interested in the job are able to have access to the job information before the firm makes the hiring decision.

The ads must comply with the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices and be open for at least 14 consecutive days.

You will be exempted from the above advertisement requirement for Singapore EP application if:

a) Your company has fewer than 10 employees;
b) The job position is paying a fixed monthly salary of S$20,000 and above (salary threshold for this exemption will be raised to $22,500 with effective from 1 Sep 2023);
c) The role is to be filled by a local transferee, (i.e., an existing employee from your company in Singapore transferring to another related branch, subsidiary, or affiliate in Singapore.)
d) The job is to be filled by an intra-corporate transferee (ICTs) as defined by the World Trade Organisation’s General Agreement on Trade in Services; OR
e) The job is necessary for short-term contingencies (i.e., period of employment in Singapore for not more than one month).

Frequently Asked Questions