The EntrePass is Singapore’s work pass for foreign entrepreneurs who want to start and operate a business here. Unlike the Employment Pass — which requires an employer to sponsor the applicant — the EntrePass allows you to self-sponsor: you incorporate (or plan to incorporate) the Singapore company, you own the business, and you work as its founder-operator. For the right profile of founder, the EntrePass is the single most direct route to building a Singapore-based venture with full operational control.
This walkthrough covers the complete EntrePass 2026 journey: the eligibility criteria MOM applies, the application sequence, the renewal milestones that determine whether your EntrePass continues, and the practical decisions founders face at each stage. It assumes you are starting from outside Singapore and planning a new venture, rather than converting an existing work pass.
Who Is the EntrePass 2026 For?
Per the Ministry of Manpower, the EntrePass is intended for “serial entrepreneurs, high-calibre innovators or experienced investors” who want to operate a business in Singapore that is venture-backed or owns innovative technologies. The pass is not a general business immigration route — it specifically targets founders with verifiable funding, intellectual property, or institutional backing.
The EntrePass is distinct from the Employment Pass. An EP requires a Singapore employer to pay you a qualifying salary; the EntrePass allows you to enter Singapore, incorporate your own company, and draw a salary from it. There is no stipulated minimum salary. There is also no foreign worker levy or quota requirement — the EntrePass holder’s headcount does not affect the company’s S Pass or Work Permit quota calculations.
EntrePass Eligibility: Meeting at Least One of Four Criteria
To be eligible for an EntrePass, your business must meet at least one of the following criteria set out by MOM. These are assessed at the point of application and must be substantiated with documentation.
Criterion 1: Venture Funding
Your company has raised at least SGD 100,000 in funding from an approved venture capital firm, business angel, or institutional investor. The investor must be a recognised entity — not a personal loan from a family member or an unregistered individual. The funding round must be documented with a term sheet or shareholders’ agreement. MOM evaluates whether the investor is credible and whether the funding is committed (not merely conditional).
Criterion 2: Incubator or Accelerator Support
Your company is supported by a Singapore government-recognised incubator or accelerator, or by an internationally renowned incubator. In practice, this means programmes such as Y Combinator, Techstars, SOSV, Antler (Singapore), the NUS Enterprise incubators, NTUitive, Block71, or Plug and Play Singapore. A Letter of Support from the incubator is required; a programme application without a firm acceptance letter does not satisfy this criterion.
Criterion 3: Track Record of Founding and Selling a Technology Business
You have founded and successfully exited (fully or partially sold) a technology business. MOM looks for documented evidence: sale agreements, announcement records, registry filings confirming the change of ownership, and press or regulatory records that corroborate the exit. The target company must have been a technology-sector business — not a service business that incidentally uses technology. This criterion is the hardest to satisfy cleanly without professional documentation support.
Criterion 4: Intellectual Property Ownership
Your company holds intellectual property registered with an approved national IP institution (such as the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), the UK Intellectual Property Office, the USPTO, or equivalent). The IP must provide “significant competitive advantage which cannot be easily replicated” to the business. MOM assesses this qualitatively: a patent on a genuine proprietary technology is a strong basis; a trademark on a brand name alone is typically not sufficient.
What MOM and Enterprise Singapore Actually Look For
The formal eligibility criteria get your application past the threshold test. What determines whether MOM approves the pass is the quality of the business plan and the plausibility of the value proposition for Singapore. Enterprise Singapore advises MOM on the business merits of EntrePass applications — particularly for technology and innovation-driven ventures.
A strong business plan for EntrePass purposes should cover: the problem the business solves and the addressable market in Southeast Asia; why Singapore is the right base (not just a convenient residency route); the founding team’s relevant expertise; a three-year financial projection with specific Singapore employment milestones; and the technology or IP that creates defensible differentiation. Vague market opportunity statements and generic financial projections are the most common weaknesses in rejected applications.
Before deciding whether the EntrePass is right for your situation, read our guide on the right sequencing of work passes and incorporation for Singapore founders.
The EntrePass Application Sequence
The application is submitted online via the Employment Pass Online (EPOL) system. The applicant submits the business plan, supporting documents for the qualifying criterion, personal documents (passport, CV, educational certificates), and any third-party letters of support. MOM processing currently takes approximately eight weeks. There is no interview in most cases, though MOM may request additional information.
Your Singapore company does not need to be incorporated before the EntrePass application — you may apply with a proposed business plan. However, if your qualifying criterion relies on funding or IP owned by the company, the company must exist at the time of application. On approval, MOM issues an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter. The company must be incorporated, and the pass must be collected, within six months of the IPA date.
EntrePass Validity and the Renewal Milestones
The first EntrePass is issued for one year. The first renewal is for two years. Subsequent renewals are for three years each. Each renewal is not automatic — MOM assesses whether the business has met the spending and employment milestones for the preceding period.
Renewal Milestone 1: Business Spending
For the first renewal (after Year 1), the business must have spent at least SGD 100,000 in total business expenditure in Singapore during the initial pass period. This covers salaries, rent, vendor payments, and operational costs. Personal drawings by the founder do not count toward this threshold.
Renewal Milestone 2: Local Employment
For subsequent renewals, the business must also demonstrate local employment — meaning it must have hired Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents at a qualifying salary level. The milestones increase with each renewal period. Founders who build a lean operation relying primarily on offshore freelancers or contractors risk failing the local employment test at the second renewal stage. Planning local headcount from year two is not just good practice; it is a renewal requirement.
EntrePass vs Employment Pass: Which Is Right for You?
Not every foreign founder should apply for the EntrePass. If you have a concrete job offer from a Singapore company — even your own company — and you meet the EP qualifying salary threshold, an Employment Pass is often a simpler first step. You can own shares in the company that employs you on an EP; you do not need an EntrePass purely to have a shareholding in a Singapore business.
The EntrePass becomes the right choice when: (a) you do not have an alternative employer sponsor available; (b) you want to incorporate and operate the business as its founding CEO from day one; (c) you have the funding, IP, incubator backing, or serial founder track record that satisfies the eligibility criteria; and (d) you are prepared for the renewal milestones that require demonstrable local business activity.
For senior founders who meet the SGD 30,000 monthly salary criterion, the ONE Pass offers a more flexible structure: five years, multi-employer rights, and no COMPASS assessment. The ONE Pass is particularly suited to founders who are operating multiple ventures simultaneously.
Family and Dependant Passes for EntrePass Holders
EntrePass holders who earn a fixed monthly salary of at least SGD 6,000 may sponsor a Dependant’s Pass for their spouse and children under 21. Holders earning less than SGD 6,000 may apply for Long-Term Visit Passes for family members instead. The spouse of an EntrePass holder who holds a Dependant’s Pass may apply for a Letter of Consent to take up employment in Singapore without being tied to an EP sponsor.
The PR Pathway from EntrePass
EntrePass holders are eligible to apply for Singapore Permanent Residence under the PTS Scheme after at least two years on the pass. The ICA holistic assessment applies in the same way as for EP holders: economic contribution, CPF history, IRAS tax trail, family profile, and integration evidence all weigh on the file. Our guide on the ICA holistic assessment for Singapore PR covers what ICA actually measures. EntrePass holders should be aware that income from a closely-held company may be structured differently from a straightforward employment salary — all income drawn from the Singapore company should be processed through payroll with proper CPF contributions to build the cleanest possible PR file.
Getting Started with Your EntrePass Application
Little Big Employment Agency (LBEA) is a MOM-licensed employment agency (Licence 19C9790) that handles EntrePass applications from initial eligibility assessment through business plan preparation and submission. We work alongside our partner firm Raffles Corporate Services for the Singapore company incorporation, registered office address, corporate secretarial, and accounting services that every EntrePass applicant needs in parallel with their pass application.
Contact us at Singapore Employment Agency to begin your EntrePass assessment.
— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency