EntrePass — founder eligibility and renewal — Eligibility and requirements checklist

EntrePass is the Ministry of Manpower work pass for foreign entrepreneurs who want to start and operate a venture-backed or innovative company in Singapore. Founder eligibility turns on the business, not a fixed salary, and renewal depends on hitting progressive local-hiring and spending benchmarks as the company grows.

Little Big Employment Agency (EA Licence 19C9790) works with a panel of corporate and employment law firms; this article is general information, not legal advice.

What EntrePass is, and how it differs from an Employment Pass

EntrePass is issued under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act 1990 and is designed for foreign nationals who wish to be hands-on founders of a Singapore-registered company. Unlike the Employment Pass, which is tied to a qualifying salary paid by an employer, EntrePass is assessed on the strength and innovativeness of the business itself. That makes it the natural route for a founder who will own and run the company rather than draw a conventional executive salary. The company must be, or be intended to be, registered with ACRA as a private limited company that is venture-backed or holds innovative capabilities.

Who EntrePass is for

EntrePass suits founders of technology, deep-tech and other innovative start-ups who can show funding, intellectual property, or recognition from a government-supported incubator or accelerator. It is not intended for conventional trading, food and beverage, or professional-services businesses such as law and accountancy firms, which MoM generally directs to other pass types. Founders who simply want to be employed by their own company at a market salary are often better served by an Employment Pass — our comparison of EntrePass versus Employment Pass for a foreign founder sets out the trade-off in detail.

Founder eligibility checklist

• A company registered, or to be registered, with ACRA as a private limited company, no more than six months old at application.
• The applicant holds at least 30% of the shares.
• The business meets at least one innovation criterion: funding from a recognised investor, an incubator or accelerator relationship, intellectual property, or research collaboration with an institute of higher learning.
• A credible business plan and evidence of the founder’s track record.
• The business is not on MoM’s list of ineligible activities.

Because the pass is granted before the company has scaled, the first EntrePass is usually issued for one to two years. Founders bringing capital into Singapore should also plan the corporate and tax setup in parallel; the group relief for Singapore companies guide is useful once the venture has more than one entity, and incorporation itself is covered in the branch-to-subsidiary conversion resource where an overseas business is involved.

Renewal and the progressive benchmarks

Renewal is where EntrePass becomes demanding. To renew, the founder must show the business is making progress against local-employment and spending benchmarks that increase over time. Broadly, the company is expected to have created a growing number of local jobs — for example, a threshold of local employees who each earn at least the prevailing qualifying salary — and to have incurred a minimum level of total business spending. The exact figures rise at each renewal, so a founder should track headcount, local hires and expenditure from day one, because renewal is refused if the milestones are not met.

Cost, timeline and dependants

There is no salary floor to fund, but the venture must be genuinely capitalised. MoM processing typically takes around eight weeks for an EntrePass, longer than an Employment Pass because of the business assessment. The pass costs a nominal issuance fee, and a levy does not apply as it does for lower-tier passes. A successful EntrePass holder who meets higher spending and hiring thresholds can sponsor dependants for Dependant’s Passes; at the first level dependants may not yet be permitted, which surprises founders relocating families.

Common mistakes and gotchas

The most common rejection reason is a business that reads as conventional rather than innovative — a trading or services company dressed up in start-up language. The second is applying too late, after the company is more than six months old. The third is neglecting the renewal benchmarks: founders who do not hire locally or record sufficient spending find renewal refused even though the business is trading. Finally, the 30% shareholding condition must be maintained; diluting below it in a funding round can jeopardise the pass.

Numerical specifics at a glance

Minimum shareholding 30%; company age at application no more than six months; first pass typically one to two years; processing around eight weeks; renewal tied to progressive local-hire and total-business-spending benchmarks that rise each cycle; dependants permitted only once higher thresholds are met.

Building a venture that renews

Because renewal is benchmark-driven, the smart founder treats the first EntrePass term as a runway to hit measurable milestones. That means documenting every local hire and the salary paid, keeping clean accounts that evidence total business spending, and preserving the innovation credentials — patents, investor term sheets, incubator letters — that supported the original grant. Where growth is slower than planned, some founders transition to an Employment Pass once the company can pay a qualifying salary, which is often easier to renew than an EntrePass that has missed its targets.

How Little Big Employment Agency supports EntrePass founders

A founder’s time is better spent building the business than decoding MoM criteria. Little Big Employment Agency (EA Licence 19C9790) helps assess whether a venture fits the EntrePass innovation tests, assembles the business plan and supporting evidence, and manages the renewal timeline so the hiring and spending benchmarks are tracked from the start rather than reconstructed at the last minute. Where an Employment Pass is the better route, we say so early.

FAQs

Is there a minimum salary for EntrePass? No. EntrePass is assessed on the business’s innovation and viability, not a qualifying salary, unlike the Employment Pass.

How much of the company must the founder own? At least 30% of the shares, maintained through the pass term.

How long does the first EntrePass last? Usually one to two years, with renewal tied to progressive benchmarks.

Can EntrePass holders bring their families? Only after meeting higher spending and local-hiring thresholds; entry-level holders may not immediately qualify.

What businesses are ineligible? Conventional trading, most food and beverage outlets, and certain professional services such as legal and accounting practices.

Refer to the Ministry of Manpower for the EntrePass criteria and the Economic Development Board on start-up support.

Need help with this? Call, SMS or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133, or email [email protected]. Little Big Employment Agency (EA Licence 19C9790) works with a panel of corporate and employment law firms; this article is general information, not legal advice.