Singapore Employment Pass

The Employment Pass is a Singapore work visa scheme for foreign professionals who are working for a Singapore employer as well as for foreigners who are company owners. Company owners can apply for the Employment Pass as employees of their Singapore incorporated company.

Two sets of foreigners can apply for the Singapore Employment Pass:

1. Foreign professionals who wish to work in a Singapore company; and
2. Foreign company owners or directors who wish to relocate to Singapore as an employee of their own Singapore corporation.

Furthermore, Employment Pass applicants must have a good educational background (a University degree from a reputed institution), credible professional experience and must draw a minimum monthly salary of S$2,800 (as of 1 July 2011) or S$3,000 (w.e.f 1 January 2012).

The following individuals are eligible to apply for the Singapore Employment Pass work permit scheme:

• Company owners or directors.
• Foreign professional staff such as executives or managers who will be working for a Singapore employer.
• All applicants must:
  • Possess good education qualifications such as a graduate degree from a reputed University.
  • Possess good professional experience.
  • Earn a minimum monthly salary of S$2,800 (as of 1 July 2011) or S$3,000 (w.e.f 1 January 2012).

The Singapore Immigration authorities will take into account the following criteria for the approval of Singapore Employment Pass:

• Applicant's education: At least a graduate degree from a reputed University is required.
• Applicant's experience: Good professional experience plays a vital role in the approval of the Employment Pass.
• Applicant's salary: A minimum monthly salary of at least S$2,800 (as of 1 July 2011) or S$3,000 (as of 1 January 2012).

Depending on the applicant's education, professional experience and salary the Immigration Department will issue one of the following three types of Employment Pass (as of 1 July 2011):

• P1 Pass: For a base salary above S$8,000 a month.
• P2 Pass: For a base salary between S$4,000 and S$8,000 a month.
• Q1 Pass: For a base salary between S$2,800 and S$4,000 a month.

With effect from 1 January 2012, the salary threshold will be as follows:

• P1 Pass: For a base salary above S$8,000 a month.
• P2 Pass: For a base salary between S$4,500 and S$8,000 a month.
• Q1 Pass: For a base salary between S$3,000 and S$4,500 a month.

The validity period for the Singapore Employment Pass is now limited to one year.  Note that the Employment Pass can be renewed on expiry of the validity period.

The following documents are required for filing the Singapore Employment Pass application:

• A duly completed Employment Pass application form.
  • The application form must be endorsed by the sponsoring Singapore corporation (usually the applicant's employing company).
  • The Singapore corporation's stamp or seal must be affixed on the application form.
  • The form must be signed by both the applicant and the authorized signatory of the sponsoring Singapore corporation.
• A copy of the applicant's educational certificates and past employment testimonials.
• Applicant’s passport-size photograph taken within the past three months.
• A copy of the personal particulars page of the applicant's travel document/passport.
• A copy of the Business Profile/Instant Information/Registration papers of the sponsoring Singapore corporation.
• A copy of the applicant's resume.
• Detailed description of the duties to be performed by the applicant.
• Detailed description of activities and/or products of the employing Singapore corporation.

Note: All documents must be in English or certified English translated copies.

No. Singapore Employment Pass approval is not guaranteed by the authorities. Your chances of approval are high if you:

• Are highly-educated (the minimum requirement is a graduate degree from a reputed University);
• Are earning a fairly high salary (the minimum requirement is S$2,800 per month (w.e.f 1 July 2011) or S$3,000 (as of 1 January 2012); and
• Possess relevant professional experience.

No. Singapore Employment Pass approval cannot be guaranteed by any firm. Every application is reviewed by the authorities and approved (or rejected) on a case-by-case basis, depending upon the merits of the application. Applicants with a sound educational background (at least a university degree from a reputed institution), a good monthly salary (at least S$3,000 a month w.e.f 1 January 2012) and good professional experience have higher chances of approval.

• Once  you have compiled the necessary documents that are required for processing a Singapore Employment Pass application you can proceed to submit your application to the Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM). MOM is the government body that processes Employment Pass applications.
• There are two modes of submission - online submission or manual submission (i.e. by posting the relevant documents to the MOM).
• Online submission is quicker than manual submissions. However, note that you cannot attach supporting documents while submitting your application online. Hence, if your are required to submit additional documents to support your application, it is better to file the application manually.
• For online submissions you will need to obtain an authorization code from the MOM. Upon filing a request, the authorization code will be sent to you in around 2 weeks time.
• Once you have submitted your application (either manually or online) the authorities will review the same and sent you an approval or rejection notification within 4 weeks (for online applications) or 6 weeks (for manual applications) as the case may be.
• If your application is approved, you will receive an ‘In-Principle Approval’ (IPA) letter that is valid for a 6-month period during which you can enter Singapore on an one-time entry visa and collect the Employment Pass. Alternatively, you can authorize someone to collect the Employment Pass on your behalf.
• Normally, the ‘In-Principle Approval’ (IPA) letter will state the documents you need to bring along with you in order to collect the Employment Pass. Usually, you will be required to undergo certain medical tests. The details of the tests will be mentioned in the letter. You can conduct the tests either in your country of residence or in Singapore. The medical test reports, your passport and other documents as mentioned in the approval letter will be required in order to issue the Employment Pass.

It normally takes around 4 weeks to process Employment Pass applications that are filed online. For applications that are manually submitted, it usually takes up to 6 weeks to process the application.

No. It is not necessary for you to be physically present in Singapore in order to apply for the Singapore Employment Pass. You are free to submit your application to the Singapore authorities either online or manually via postal mail. Alternatively, you can hire a professional services firm,such as ours, to file the Employment Pass application on your behalf.

• The Employment Pass can be renewed, provided you are continuing your employment with your sponsoring company.
• The Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will send your employing company an Employment Pass Renewal Form two months prior to the expiration of your Employment Pass.
• You are required to submit the completed form one month before the date of expiry of your Employment Pass.
• Each renewal will be considered based on its own merits.
• If the renewal form is incomplete or not submitted on time, it will not be processed. The employing company may have to submit a new application instead.

No. The Singapore Employment Pass is non-transferable. Once the Employment Pass is issued to you it is attached to your employing company. Should you wish to change jobs, you will need to apply for a new Employment Pass with the new employer acting as your sponsoring company. Note that you are required to cancel your existing Employment Pass only after your new Employment Pass is approved. There is no guarantee of approval of the new pass. Each application will be processed based on its own merits.

If you have been issued with an Employment pass of type P1 (issued for a monthly base salary >S$8,000 ), P2 ( issued for a monthly base salary of S$4,500-S$8,000) or Q1 (issued for a monthly base salary of S$3,000-S$4,500) your spouse is eligible to work in Singapore provided he/she is a Dependant Pass holder and his/her prospective employer has obtained a 'Letter of Consent' from the Singapore Ministry of Manpower.

• Employment pass holders who has worked in Singapore for 183 days or more in a tax year will be taxed at the progressive resident rates from 0% to 20% for income above S$320,000. For details, refer to Singapore Taxation.
• Employment Pass holders are not required to make monthly contributions to the Central Provident Fund scheme (i.e. a mandatory retirement savings fund).
• On leaving Singapore permanently, all tax dues must be cleared. The procedure is as follows:
  • The day you notify your employer of your intention to cease employment, he/she will notify the tax department and withhold all payment due to you.
  • The payment will be released once the tax department issues a tax clearance certificate confirming that you have no tax dues in Singapore or on expiry of 1 month after notifying the tax department, whichever is earlier.
  • Normally, the certificate will be issued within 21 days of notifying the tax department.

Although Employment Pass holders are eligible to apply for Singapore Permanent Residence after 6 months of continuous employment is Singapore, it is usually advisable to apply after 1-2 years of employment. This way you will have at least one year’s personal tax assessment from the Singapore tax department at the time of Singapore Permanent Residence application. Your chances of approval are much higher when you apply after 1-2 years.