Work Pass Services

For all other types of work passes (eg. EntrePass, Personalised Employment Pass and etc), please feel free to contact us for further information.

*There are also other types of LOC:

• Pre-approved LOC
• LOC for ICA-issued LTVP / LTVP+ holders

Please feel free to contact us for further information.

The standard processing time for EP/S-Pass application is ten (10) working days.

If the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) requests for more documents, the processing time may take an additional three to six (3-6) weeks.

Examples of documents that the MOM may request for; but not limited to, include the local corporate bank account records / statements, client contracts issued and business plans. Hence, please be prepared that the total processing time may take up to seven to eight (7-8) weeks.

The validity of an EP or S-Pass at first application is up to two (2) years, subsequent renewals may be valid for up to three (3) years.

Before you submit an EP or S-Pass application, you must advertise the job vacancy on MyCareersFuture.sg administered by Workforce Singapore (“WSG”). This includes EP or S-Pass applications for change of employers.

The advertisement must meet the following requirements:

• Be open to Singaporeans.
• Adhere with the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP).
• Run for at least 14 calendar days before you apply for the pass.
• If you have made any changes to the job advertisement, the job must be advertised for another 14 calendar days (from the date changes was made) before a pass application may be lodged.

Companies are exempted from the job posting requirements if any of the following is met:

• Your company has fewer than 10 employees.
• The fixed monthly salary for the vacancy is SGD 22,500 and above
• The role is short-term, i.e. not more than 1 month.
• The role is to be filled by a local transferee.

W.E.F. 1 Sep 2023, educational qualifications declared to MOM in EP applications will have to be supported with verification proof (awarding institution and/or academic certificate) from MOM-approved background-screening companies. This is to ensure that the qualifications declared are authentic and that the awarding institutions are accredited.

Education certificates certified by a notary public are not accepted as a form of verification proof.

An EP application can still be submitted without education qualifications being declared as long as it fulfils the minimum EP Qualifying Salary and the COMPASS framework.

A Fixed Monthly Salary consists of Basic Monthly Salary and Fixed Monthly Allowances.

Please note that Fixed Monthly Salary does not include:

• Variable allowances
• Overtime payment, bonus, commission, or annual wage supplements
• Benefit-in-kind payments
• Any form of reimbursements, including expenses incurred by an employee during his or her employment
• Productivity incentive payments
• Contributions paid to any pension or provident fund, including any contributions made on the employee's behalf
• Gratuity payable on discharge, retrenchment, or retirement of the foreign employee

Not updating MOM within the stipulated timeframe might get the pass holder penalised.

Yes, but only if you have obtained a Letter of Consent for Secondary Directorship (LOC-SD) from MOM.

Generally, a LOC-SD can be applied in the following scenarios:

• Parent or a subsidiary
• An investor with shares

If the secondary directorship position is in an unrelated company, the LOC-SD application will then be assessed by a sector government agency that regulates or promotes the development of the industry. The LOC may be granted if the agency supports the application.

An application can be unsuccessful for varied reasons. Some of the common reasons are as follow:

1. The company did not meet the quota required.
2. The company turnover did not seem to generate enough revenue to support operating expenses, including employees’ salaries.
3. The candidate did not meet the minimum fixed monthly salary requirements or fixed monthly salary is inflated.

Some of the above reasons might be due to the company’s lack of understanding and pre-assessment of the application process for such work passes. This is where our specialists will work closely with you to address the shortcomings of the application; if any.

Should MOM require the candidate to undergo a medical examination, it will be indicated in the In-Principal Approval (IPA) letter once the work pass application is approved.

The EP renewal process can be kick-started 6 months (180 days) before the pass expiry date.

However, considering the time required for processing, the application for renewal should not be submitted less than 2 months before the pass expiry date.

An EP can be renewed for a period up to three (3) years. If the EP is not renewed before it expires, a new EP application would have to be made.

EP or S-Pass holders earning a minimum fixed monthly salary of $6,000 can bring their legally-married spouse and unmarried children under 21 to Singapore on Dependant Pass (“DP”) or bring their common-law spouse on Long-term Visit Pass (“LTVP”).

EP or S-Pass holders earning a minimum fixed monthly salary of $12,000 can bring their parents on Long-term Visit Pass (“LTVP”).

This verification is required for foreign children born overseas who meet the following conditions:-

• Aged 12 years old and below.
• Applying for a new DP – this includes those whose DPs have expired or been cancelled for more than 30 days.

Legally-married spouses of ONE Pass holders can work or operate a business in Singapore with a Letter of Consent (LOC). Eligible DP holders of other passes who wish to operate a business can also apply for a Letter of Consent.

Other DP holders will need to apply for EP, S-Pass or Work Permit if they wish to work in Singapore. The prospective employer must apply on their behalf, and the relevant qualifying salaries, quotas and levies of the respective work passes will apply.