Every month, founders from India, the United Kingdom, the United States, and across the Asia-Pacific contact Singapore employment agencies asking the same question: “Can I move to Singapore to run my startup?” In most cases, the answer is yes — but the vehicle is not the standard Employment Pass. It is the EntrePass, and it works very differently from any other Singapore work pass.
The EntrePass is designed specifically for serial entrepreneurs, high-calibre innovators, and experienced investors who want to found and operate a venture-backed or IP-driven business in Singapore. It does not use the COMPASS scoring framework that governs Employment Pass applications. MOM assesses each EntrePass application holistically, evaluating the business’s innovation credentials, the founder’s track record, and the venture’s potential to create local employment. This guide explains who qualifies, how to structure your application, what MOM is really looking for, and how to avoid the most common rejection reasons.
EntrePass Singapore 2026: Core Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for the EntrePass, per MOM’s eligibility guidance, you must meet three foundational criteria.
First, you must have registered or intend to incorporate a Singapore private limited company. If the company is already incorporated, it must have been registered no more than six months before your EntrePass application. You must hold at least 30% of the company’s shareholding.
Second, you must relocate to Singapore to run the company. The EntrePass is not a hands-off investor visa — MOM expects you to be physically present, operationally involved, and genuinely managing the business from Singapore.
Third, the company must be innovative and have the ability to create local employment. The word “innovative” carries a specific meaning in MOM’s assessment framework, and meeting it is the central challenge of every EntrePass application.
The Three Pathways to Proving Innovation
This is where EntrePass applications succeed or fail. MOM has defined three recognised pathways that establish a company’s innovative credentials. You must satisfy at least one of them clearly and documentably.
Pathway 1: Venture Capital or Angel Funding
Your company has raised at least SGD 100,000 in funding from a recognised venture capital firm or angel investor. The critical word here is “recognised”: the VC or angel investor must be accredited by Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) or another recognised source. Funding from a non-accredited investor — even a large amount — does not satisfy this criterion.
Before applying, check EnterpriseSG’s current list of accredited investors. If your existing investors are not on the list, consider whether you can bring in a co-investor who is accredited, or whether an alternative pathway is a better fit. A rejected EntrePass application where the funding source was not accredited is a straightforward and avoidable outcome.
Pathway 2: Intellectual Property
Your company holds intellectual property — whether a granted patent, a filed patent application, or other IP that is material to the company’s value proposition — and that IP is important to how the business competes. Software copyright alone is generally not sufficient; MOM is looking for IP that is genuinely core to the product or technology, not incidental to it.
If you hold a patent from another jurisdiction, it is worth noting that MOM evaluates patents on their commercial relevance to the Singapore business, not solely their jurisdictional status. A granted US patent that directly protects your core product is a strong credential. A filed patent application in a jurisdiction with no clear path to commercialisation in Singapore carries less weight.
Pathway 3: Research Collaboration with an IHL or A*STAR
Your company has a research collaboration with an approved Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) such as NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD, SIT, or SUSS — or with one of A*STAR’s research institutes. The collaboration must be formal and documented, typically through a joint research agreement or a formal industry partnership programme.
This pathway is well-suited to deep-tech founders whose innovation is tied to academic research, or to scientists and researchers spinning out ventures from IHL work. It is less suitable for software or consumer businesses without a genuine research-and-development component.
What MOM Is Really Assessing: Beyond the Three Pathways
Satisfying one of the three pathways is necessary but not sufficient. MOM conducts a holistic assessment of each application, and the following factors materially influence the outcome.
The Founder’s Track Record
MOM evaluates whether you have a credible entrepreneurial history. A founder with one previous successful exit, even a small one, is in a stronger position than a first-time founder with no commercial track record. Relevant credentials include previous ventures (exited or operating), senior executive roles at recognised companies, industry awards, published research, or advisory roles at recognised organisations. If your track record is thin, your innovation evidence needs to be correspondingly stronger.
Local Employment Creation
MOM places significant weight on the company’s potential to hire Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents. During your EntrePass validity period, you are expected to create local jobs and demonstrate that the business is growing in Singapore — not merely using Singapore as a registration address for a remotely operated business. A clear hiring plan with specific roles, timelines, and salary budgets supports your application and your renewal.
The Business Model and Market Opportunity
MOM assesses whether the business is commercially viable, not just innovative. A groundbreaking technology with no articulated market, revenue model, or go-to-market plan is a riskier application than a more modest innovation with a clear path to revenue and local employment. Your business plan should demonstrate that you understand the Singapore and regional market, have a realistic financial projection, and know how you intend to scale.
EntrePass vs Employment Pass: Key Differences
The EntrePass is often confused with the standard Employment Pass, but the two are structurally different. An EP is granted to an employee sponsored by an employer. The EntrePass is for founders who are themselves the employer. There is no COMPASS scoring, no employer-sponsor relationship, and no qualifying salary criterion equivalent to the EP’s SGD 5,600 monthly floor.
However, the EntrePass comes with renewal conditions that the EP does not. At renewal, MOM assesses whether the business has genuinely grown — typically measured by local employment created, revenue generated, and investment raised. A business that has not hired any local staff or generated meaningful revenue since the EntrePass was granted will struggle at renewal, even if the original application was strong. For a full comparison of the EP and its variants against the EntrePass and other pass options, see our guide on which Singapore visa fits your career stage.
If your innovation credentials are strong enough and your monthly earnings exceed SGD 30,000, you may also want to assess whether the ONE Pass is a better vehicle. The ONE Pass allows you to run your own company without the innovation-pathway requirements of the EntrePass. Our article on who actually qualifies for the ONE Pass in 2026 covers that assessment in detail.
The EntrePass Application Process
Applications are submitted through the EP Online portal on the myMOM Portal. The process is as follows.
First, incorporate your Singapore private limited company through ACRA’s BizFile+ portal, or engage a corporate secretarial firm to do so. You must hold at least 30% of the shares. If the company is already incorporated, confirm it was registered within the past six months.
Second, assemble your application documents. MOM requires a comprehensive business plan (typically 10 to 20 pages covering the market opportunity, product or service, competitive advantage, financials, team, and hiring plan), your curriculum vitae, evidence of your innovation credentials (VC term sheet or funding receipt with accredited investor details, patent certificates, or IHL collaboration agreement), and the relevant supporting documents for your track record.
Third, submit through EP Online. MOM typically takes 8 to 10 weeks to process EntrePass applications — considerably longer than a standard EP. Factor this into your timeline if you are planning to relocate.
Fourth, if approved, you will receive an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter. You then complete the formalities to collect your pass card. The initial EntrePass is typically granted for one to two years and is renewable subject to MOM’s assessment of business progress.
Common Reasons EntrePass Applications Are Rejected
The EntrePass has a lower approval rate than the standard Employment Pass, and the rejection reasons are often avoidable. The most common include: funding that comes from a non-accredited investor; a business plan that is generic, market-agnostic, or lacks a Singapore-specific angle; a founder track record that is not substantiated by documentation; a technology or product that MOM does not consider genuinely innovative (for example, an e-commerce platform without a differentiating proprietary component); and an unclear local hiring plan. Addressing all of these before submission substantially improves your odds. For broader context on how MOM approaches appeal and reconsideration decisions for pass applications, see our guide on why work pass appeals fail in Singapore.
Incorporating in Singapore Before You Apply
The EntrePass requires a Singapore-incorporated private limited company. If you are applying from overseas, you can typically incorporate the company remotely using a corporate secretarial service before you arrive. Singapore’s ACRA registration process for a private limited company can be completed in one to two business days for most applicants. The company needs at least one director who is ordinarily resident in Singapore — if you are not yet in Singapore, you will typically need a nominee director until your EntrePass is approved and you are resident. For incorporation, corporate secretarial support, and nominee director arrangements, Raffles Corporate Services provides end-to-end support. Once your company is incorporated and your EntrePass approved, you will also want to understand your EP hiring obligations as your team grows — the Complete Singapore Employment Pass Guide 2026 is the starting point for founders who need to hire foreign professionals through the standard pass route.
Little Big Employment Agency (Licence No. 19C9790) advises founders on EntrePass eligibility, application structuring, and pass strategy for growing Singapore ventures. If you are planning to found or relocate a business to Singapore, contact our team for an initial assessment of your eligibility and the strongest pathway for your profile.
— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency