The Singapore Employment Pass is tied to a named employer in a named role. Unlike the Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) or the ONE Pass, which travel with the individual, a standard EP is employer-specific: when you change jobs, you do not transfer the pass — you cancel it and apply for a new one under the new employer. Understanding exactly how this process works, what the timing implications are, and what both the departing and incoming employer must do is essential for HR teams managing foreign-national employees in Singapore.

This guide covers the full process for changing employers on an Employment Pass in Singapore in 2026: the cancellation and grace period mechanics, the new application sequence, what happens to Dependant’s Passes during the transition, and the specific compliance steps that both the outgoing and incoming employer must complete.

The Core Principle: EPs Are Not Portable

An Employment Pass is issued to an individual for a specific employer, a specific occupation, and a specific salary. A new employer cannot “inherit” or “adopt” an existing EP. The Ministry of Manpower does not provide an EP transfer mechanism. What happens in practice is a two-step sequence: the current EP is cancelled (or expires), and a new EP application is submitted under the new employer before the employee starts work with that employer.

This has several practical implications that catch both HR teams and EP holders off guard:

  • The new employer must submit and receive approval for a new EP before the employee starts work. Starting work without a valid EP — even for one day — is a breach of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.
  • MOM takes a fresh look at the candidate’s profile when assessing the new EP. A profile that passed COMPASS under the previous employer may score differently under the new employer if the firm’s nationality diversity profile or local PMET percentage is different.
  • The salary for the new EP must meet the qualifying threshold applicable at the date of the new application — not the date of the original EP. If thresholds have risen between the original EP approval and the job change, the new EP must reflect the higher threshold.

Step 1: The Outgoing Employer’s Obligations

When an EP holder resigns or is made redundant, the outgoing employer has specific obligations under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act:

Cancel the EP Within One Week

The employer must cancel the Employment Pass within one week of the employee’s last day of employment, via the MOM myMOM Portal. Failure to cancel promptly is a compliance violation. The cancellation triggers the start of the grace period for the EP holder to remain in Singapore while seeking new employment or arranging departure.

File Form IR21 for Tax Clearance

The employer must file Form IR21 with IRAS at least one month before the employee’s last day of work, or as soon as the employer becomes aware of the departure — whichever is earlier. The employer must withhold all final payments — salary, bonus, encashed leave — until IRAS issues a tax clearance directive or a “no clearance required” notification. For a full explanation of the IR21 obligation, see IR21 Tax Clearance: When and How to File for Departing Foreign Employees (2026).

Notify MOM of Any Change During Notice Period

If the employee’s role, salary, or working arrangements change materially during their notice period (for example, if they are placed on garden leave with no active duties), the employer should notify MOM as appropriate via the myMOM Portal. Significant salary changes during a notice period that affect the EP’s qualifying criteria may need to be reflected in updated EP records.

Step 2: The Grace Period — What the EP Holder Can Do

When an EP is cancelled, MOM grants the EP holder a 30-day Short-Term Visit Pass (STVP) automatically. This STVP allows the former EP holder to remain legally in Singapore for 30 days after the cancellation date. During this period, the person may:

  • Remain in Singapore to complete the transition and finalise their new employment arrangements
  • Allow the incoming employer to submit and receive approval for a new EP before the STVP expires
  • Depart Singapore if no new employment is secured within the 30-day window

The 30-day window is workable but tight, particularly if the new employer needs to satisfy FCF (Fair Consideration Framework) advertising requirements before submitting the EP application. Under the FCF, employers must advertise the role on MyCareersFuture for at least 14 days and genuinely consider Singaporean applicants before submitting an EP application. If the FCF advertising period runs concurrently with the notice period (i.e., the new employer starts advertising while the candidate is still serving notice), the 14-day FCF period and the 30-day STVP period can dovetail successfully. If not, the EP holder may need to exit Singapore and re-enter on a new pass after EP approval — an inconvenience that can be planned around.

MOM does not grant extensions to the 30-day STVP as a matter of course. EP holders who are in the Singapore job market and need more time should explore whether a Long-Term Visit Pass or another pass type can bridge the gap, or plan to exit and re-enter Singapore after the new EP is approved.

Step 3: The Incoming Employer’s New EP Application

The incoming employer submits a fresh EP application through the MOM EP Online system. This is assessed as a new application — not a renewal. Key considerations:

COMPASS Scoring on the New Application

COMPASS scores the candidate against the new employer’s profile, not the previous employer’s. A candidate who scored strongly under a large, diverse multinational may score differently under a smaller firm with a more homogeneous PMET workforce. The incoming employer should run a COMPASS pre-assessment (using the SAT tool) before submitting the application, and should plan around any C3 (nationality diversity) or C4 (local PMET support) weaknesses in their own profile. For full details of how COMPASS works, see the COMPASS Framework Explained: Earning Your 40 Points for a Singapore EP (2026).

Salary Must Meet the Current Qualifying Threshold

If the candidate’s salary at the new employer is the same as or higher than the current MOM threshold, this is straightforward. If the candidate’s salary is below the threshold that now applies — for example, because MOM has raised thresholds since the original EP was issued — the new employer must offer a salary that meets the current threshold. As at 25 July 2026, the qualifying salary for a new EP application is SGD 5,600 per month for most sectors and SGD 6,200 per month for Financial Services. From 1 January 2027, these rise to SGD 6,000 and SGD 6,600 respectively.

FCF Compliance Before Application Submission

The new employer must advertise the role on MyCareersFuture for at least 14 calendar days and consider all Singaporean applications fairly before submitting the EP application. This requirement applies even if the employer has a specific candidate in mind. The FCF advertisement should be placed as soon as the hire decision is made — ideally during the candidate’s notice period with the previous employer, so the 14-day FCF period runs concurrently with the transition.

Processing Time

Standard EP applications are processed in 3 weeks. In practice, straightforward applications are often decided in 5–10 business days. Employers who need certainty before the STVP expiry should submit the EP application as early as possible — ideally before the current EP is cancelled — to allow processing time to overlap with the STVP window. MOM allows in-principle approval applications to be submitted before the start date.

Dependant’s Passes During an EP Job Change

Dependant’s Passes (DPs) and Long-Term Visit Passes (LTVPs) held by the EP holder’s family members are tied to the EP holder’s valid pass status. When the EP is cancelled:

  • The DP or LTVP also becomes invalid from the cancellation date.
  • Family members holding DPs or LTVPs receive the same 30-day STVP as the principal EP holder — they can remain in Singapore for 30 days pending the new EP’s approval.
  • Once the new EP is approved, the new employer (or the EP holder) must apply to reinstate the DPs and LTVPs under the new EP. This is a straightforward process via the MOM myMOM Portal, but it must be done — the DPs do not carry over automatically.

For families with children in local schools, the 30-day STVP window is typically sufficient to bridge the EP transition without disruption to school attendance, provided the new EP is processed promptly. For more on Dependant’s Pass mechanics and the earning eligibility conditions, see the Dependant’s Pass Singapore 2026: DP, LTVP and LOC Guide.

The PEP Alternative: When a Job Change Is the Wrong Time to Renew an EP

For EP holders who have been in Singapore for some time and whose salary and track record meet the PEP threshold, a job change can be a strategic moment to convert from an employer-tied EP to the employer-agnostic PEP. The PEP is valid for three years without employer sponsorship, allows the holder to switch employers without cancelling and reapplying for a new pass, and does not require COMPASS scoring.

To be eligible for the PEP as an existing EP holder, the candidate must currently earn at least SGD 22,500 per month in a salary paid by a Singapore employer. If that threshold is met, applying for the PEP during a notice period — before the EP is cancelled — provides a cleaner and more flexible outcome than the EP-cancel-reapply sequence. See the Singapore PEP 2026: Complete Guide for full details.

Similarly, EP holders who meet the ONE Pass criteria (SGD 30,000 per month or outstanding achievement track record) should consider whether the ONE Pass — which is employer-agnostic and valid for five years — is a more appropriate long-term pass structure than a sequence of employer-tied EPs. See EP vs PEP vs ONE Pass: Which Visa Fits Your Career Stage in Singapore (2026) for the comparison.

Checklist: Managing an EP Change of Employer

For the outgoing employer:

  1. Accept the resignation and confirm the last day of employment.
  2. File Form IR21 with IRAS at least one month before the last day, or immediately upon receiving notice — whichever is earlier.
  3. Withhold final payments until IRAS issues tax clearance or “no clearance required.”
  4. Cancel the EP within one week of the last day via myMOM Portal.
  5. Cancel any associated DPs and LTVPs at the same time, if requested by the employee.

For the incoming employer:

  1. Place the FCF job advertisement on MyCareersFuture as early as possible — ideally before the candidate serves notice — to run the 14-day FCF clock concurrently with the transition.
  2. Confirm the candidate’s salary meets the current MOM qualifying threshold.
  3. Run a COMPASS pre-assessment using the MOM SAT tool before submission.
  4. Submit the EP in-principle application before the STVP expires.
  5. Once the new EP is approved, assist the employee to reinstate DPs and LTVPs under the new EP.

For guidance on compliance with MOM’s EP framework, FCF requirements, and work pass cancellation obligations, see the Work Pass Cancellation and Repatriation: Singapore Employer Guide 2026 and the MOM Compliance Calendar 2026: Singapore HR Year Plan.

Conclusion

Changing employers on an Employment Pass in Singapore is a defined, manageable process — but one where the sequencing matters. Employers on both sides of the transaction have specific obligations, the timing of the FCF advertisement and the EP cancellation determines whether the 30-day STVP window is sufficient, and the new EP assessment is genuinely fresh: COMPASS, salary thresholds, and FCF compliance all apply anew.

For EP holders and HR teams navigating a change of employer, Singapore Employment Agency — Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd (MOM Licence 19C9790) — provides end-to-end EP advisory services including COMPASS pre-assessment, FCF compliance, and new EP application management. For broader corporate secretarial support, our related firm Raffles Corporate Services assists Singapore employers across the full HR compliance and company administration lifecycle.

— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency

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