Quick answer: The EntrePass is for eligible foreign entrepreneurs operating a Singapore private limited company that is venture-backed or owns innovative technologies. It is not a general pass for every new small business.

Who can apply?

The EntrePass is open to all nationalities. The candidate must have started, or intend to start, a private limited company registered with ACRA and must hold at least 30% of that company.

The business must be venture-backed or possess innovative technologies. If the company is more than 12 months old on the application date, MOM assesses it against the renewal criteria rather than treating it as an early-stage application.

Qualifying entrepreneur, innovator or investor tracks

The candidate must satisfy at least one current MOM track:

  • Funding: the candidate has raised at least S$100,000 in a single funding round for a past or current business from qualifying investors.
  • Incubator or accelerator support: the proposed or existing business is supported by a government-recognised or internationally renowned incubator or accelerator.
  • Past technology exit: the candidate founded and sold a venture-backed business or one possessing innovative technologies.
  • Intellectual property: the business or proposed business holds qualifying registered IP that gives the business a significant competitive advantage and is not easily replicated.
  • Singapore research collaboration: the business has a relevant, ongoing collaboration with an eligible Singapore institute of higher learning or research institution, with the candidate involved.

Evidence matters. MOM may request investment agreements, shareholder records, incorporation documents, sale agreements, IP registrations, research-collaboration agreements, an English-language business plan and proof of the candidate’s experience.

Businesses that do not qualify

MOM expressly excludes several ordinary or regulated business types, including:

  • coffee shops, hawker centres and food courts;
  • bars, nightclubs and karaoke lounges;
  • foot-reflexology and massage businesses;
  • acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine and herbal-dispensing businesses;
  • employment agencies; and
  • geomancy businesses.

Registering one of these activities under a differently worded company description does not make it eligible. The actual proposed operations and evidence will be assessed.

Pass duration, fees and application

  • There is no stipulated minimum salary.
  • There is no foreign-worker quota or levy for the EntrePass itself.
  • The candidate applies directly online.
  • The application fee is S$105.
  • Most applications take up to six weeks, with longer processing where additional information is needed.
  • Issuance costs S$225, plus S$30 for a Multiple Journey Visa if applicable.
  • A new pass and first renewal may be granted for up to one year.
  • Subsequent renewals may be granted for up to two years.

An EntrePass approval does not guarantee ACRA registration, a regulated-business licence, bank account, tax incentive or any other government approval. These must be addressed separately.

Renewal is based on business progress

Renewal is not automatic. The holder must generally continue to own at least 30%, maintain the required Startup SG profile, operate an active venture-backed or innovative company, submit financial statements and meet the applicable Annual Total Business Spending and Local Workforce criteria.

The published framework becomes progressively more demanding. For example, no TBS or LWF threshold is stated for the first renewal; later cycles begin at S$100,000 annual TBS and one local-workforce unit and rise over time. The detailed table and definitions should be checked before each renewal because excluded spending and workforce-counting rules matter.

Family members

An EntrePass holder may bring a spouse and children if the business meets either:

  • S$100,000 Annual Total Business Spending and one Local Workforce unit; or
  • one of MOM’s specified high-achievement alternatives, such as founding and selling two qualifying companies, raising more than S$2 million, or holding two qualifying deep-technology IPs.

Parents generally require S$200,000 Annual Total Business Spending and two Local Workforce units. A legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21 use a Dependant’s Pass; other eligible family members use a Long-Term Visit Pass.

Setting up the Singapore business

Singapore offers a stable legal system, international connectivity, access to regional markets and a developed corporate, banking and professional-services ecosystem. A properly structured Singapore company can provide a credible operating base, but the immigration route must match the founder and the real business.

EntrePass applicants should coordinate:

  • shareholding and shareholder agreements;
  • company constitution, director appointments and corporate governance;
  • ownership and licensing of technology and IP;
  • investment documentation and regulatory permissions;
  • employment agreements and local hiring; and
  • tax, accounting and renewal evidence.

For incorporation and ongoing corporate support, see Raffles Corporate Services and Singapore Secretary Services. Corporate services and immigration approval remain separate decisions.

Official MOM sources

Accurate as at and last reviewed: 15 July 2026.