EntrePass

Four routes, and what separates them

The Employment Pass is the default route into Singapore for a professional with an employer. The four passes on this page exist because some people do not fit that shape: they are starting the company rather than joining one, or they earn enough that MOM is willing to detach the pass from a single employer.

The single most useful distinction is whether the pass lets you run a business. The EntrePass and the ONE Pass do. The Personalised Employment Pass expressly does not, and that catches out more people than any other rule in this area.

Table 1. The four routes at a glance

Pass	Who it is for	Salary basis	Duration	Run a business
EntrePass	Founders of a venture-backed or technology-owning company	No stipulated minimum salary	Up to 1 year, then up to 1 year, then up to 2 years	Yes, that is its purpose
Personalised Employment Pass	High-earning professionals wanting employer flexibility	S$22,500 fixed monthly, S$270,000 a year	Up to 3 years, issued once	No
Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass	Top talent across business, arts, sport, academia and technology	S$30,000 fixed monthly, or outstanding achievement	Up to 5 years, renewable for 5	Yes, and several at once
Tech.Pass	Established global technology talent	S$22,500 last drawn fixed monthly	2 years, renewable for 2	Yes, but closing to applications

EntrePass eligibility in full

MOM describes the EntrePass as intended for serial entrepreneurs, high-calibre innovators and experienced investors who want to operate a business in Singapore that is venture-backed or owns innovative technologies. It is open to all nationalities. There is no minimum salary, and there is no quota or levy.

Two conditions must both be met. First, you must have started, or intend to start, a private limited company registered with ACRA in which you hold at least 30 per cent, and that company must be venture-backed or own innovative technologies. Second, you must meet at least one of five qualifying criteria. Those five criteria are the substance of the assessment, and they map loosely onto the entrepreneur, innovator and investor profiles that MOM has in mind.

Table 2. The five EntrePass qualifying criteria

Criterion	What MOM requires	Typical evidence
Raised funding	At least SGD 100,000 from a single funding round, from investors, for any past or current business	Investment agreements, shareholder certificates
Incubator or accelerator support	The business is or will be supported by a government-recognised or internationally renowned incubator or accelerator	Incubation agreement
Founded and sold a technology business	You founded it, it was venture-backed or owned innovative technologies, and it was sold under your management	Incorporation documents, business plan, sale and purchase agreement naming you
Intellectual property	The business holds IP registered with an approved national IP institution giving a competitive advantage that cannot easily be replicated	IP registration
Research collaboration	An ongoing research collaboration in Singapore with an Institute of Higher Learning or a Research Institution, with your involvement	Research collaboration agreement, verified by a contact at the institution

MOM names examples: SEEDS Capital, Vertex Ventures and partners under Startup SG Equity for the funding criterion; partners under Startup SG Accelerator or Startup SG Founder, and programmes such as Y Combinator, MassChallenge and Alchemist Accelerator, for the incubator criterion; and the Institutes of Higher Learning listed by ICA, A*STAR research institutions and institutions under the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise for research collaborations. Contracts for services are expressly not research collaborations.

Enterprise Singapore works with MOM to evaluate EntrePass applications, and may contact holders periodically for engagement and audit purposes. That is not a formality. Treat the business plan as a document you will be held to.

Businesses that cannot use the EntrePass

Table 3. Businesses MOM excludes from the EntrePass

Excluded business
Coffee shops, hawker centres, food courts
Bars, night clubs, karaoke lounges
Foot reflexology, massage parlours
Acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, herbal dispensing businesses
Employment agencies
Geomancy businesses

Note the fifth line. We are an employment agency ourselves, and an employment agency is not an eligible EntrePass business. If that is your plan, the route is an Employment Pass with a Singapore company as the employer, not an EntrePass.

The company: what MOM actually requires

MOM’s current published requirements for the company are narrower than the folklore. The company must be a private limited company registered with ACRA, the pass holder must hold at least 30 per cent of it, and it must be venture-backed or own innovative technologies. If the registered company is more than 12 months old at the date of application, MOM assesses the application against the renewal criteria rather than the entry criteria, which is a significant practical point for anyone who incorporated early and waited.

Two figures circulate widely that we will not repeat as current requirements, because MOM does not publish them on any of its EntrePass pages as at 15 September 2026. The first is a minimum paid-up capital of S$50,000. The second is a requirement to register the company with ACRA within six months of approval. Neither appears in MOM’s published eligibility, key facts, documents, application, renewal or family pages. They may reflect earlier practice or the conditions attached to an individual in-principle approval. If a condition of that kind applies to your case, it will be stated in your own in-principle approval letter, and that letter governs. We describe what the authority publishes, not what is repeated on advisory sites.

MOM does say two things that limit expectations. Getting an EntrePass is not a guarantee that the business registration or any licence will be approved, and ACRA approval and any sector licence are separate applications. Incorporation therefore usually comes first in practice, and our affiliate Raffles Corporate Services handles incorporation and the resident director requirement while we handle the pass.

Applying

The candidate applies directly. MOM charges S$105 on submission and S$225 on issuance, with S$30 for a Multiple Journey Visa where required. Processing is within six weeks for most cases. The documents are the passport particulars page, a business plan in English of ten pages or less covering product, market, operations and management team, supporting material such as licensing agreements, certificates and patents, documents on prior ventures, a curriculum vitae with testimonials, the company’s latest ACRA business profile, the latest financial statement where the company is more than 12 months old, and the evidence specific to whichever criterion you rely on.

An approved application produces an in-principle approval letter giving six months to enter Singapore and have the pass issued. A new pass and the first renewal run for up to one year each, and subsequent renewals for up to two years. MOM advises applying for family passes only after the main pass is approved, because the family application fees are lost if the EntrePass is refused.

EntrePass renewal, year by year

This is where most EntrePass stories end, and it is the part founders should model before they start. Renewal can be applied for three months before expiry, costs S$225 on issuance, and takes within eight weeks for most cases. You must still own at least 30 per cent, have created an individual profile and claimed the company profile on Startup SG Network, and the company must be an ACRA-registered private limited company that is demonstrably venture-backed or owns innovative technologies, shows ongoing business activity, has submitted its latest financial statements, and meets the Total Business Spending and Local Workforce criteria for the cycle.

Table 4. EntrePass renewal criteria by cycle, in Singapore dollars

Renewal cycle	Annual Total Business Spending	Local Workforce	Basic monthly salary for a PME
1st	Not applicable	Not applicable	3,900
2nd	100,000	1	3,900
3rd	200,000	2	3,900
4th	300,000	3	3,900
5th	400,000	4	3,900
6th	700,000	5	4,700
7th	750,000	6	4,700
8th	800,000	7	4,700
9th	900,000	8	4,700
10th	1,000,000	9	4,700
11th	1,150,000	10	4,700

The first renewal has no spending or headcount test, which gives a founder roughly two years of runway before the numbers start. The second renewal asks for S$100,000 of Total Business Spending and one Local Workforce unit. The jump between the fifth and sixth cycles, from S$400,000 to S$700,000 and from four to five local staff, is the steepest step on the table and the point at which many founders convert to an Employment Pass instead.

How Total Business Spending is calculated

Total Business Spending is the company’s Total Operating Expenses less three deductions: royalties, franchise and technical know-how fees paid to overseas companies, work outsourced overseas, and total remuneration paid to the company’s own EntrePass holders. Cost of goods sold, cost of service and cost of sales are not operating expenses for this purpose, and neither are personal expenses or rental of residential property. Founders who plan to hit the threshold by paying themselves should note the third deduction: your own remuneration does not count.

How Local Workforce is calculated

Local Workforce is the number of local professionals, managers and executives plus the number of Local Qualifying Salary employees divided by three. A PME must be a Singaporean or permanent resident, earn at least the basic monthly salary in the table, have received CPF contributions for at least three months, and be on the registered company’s direct payroll. An LQS employee must meet the Local Qualifying Salary guidelines, have received CPF contributions for at least three months, and also be on direct payroll. At most 12 LQS employees can be counted. The criterion must be met at the point of submission, not at some point during the year.

The Local Qualifying Salary is S$1,800 a month for a full-time local working 35 to 44 hours a week, or S$10.50 an hour gross below 35 hours. MOM reviews it regularly, so check the figure at the time.

Documents at renewal

MOM asks for an ACRA business profile issued within the last three months, audited financial statements for the latest financial year, corporate bank statements for the last three months, CPF statements for employees, at least one document evidencing business activity such as invoices, contracts, partnership or tenancy agreements, a revised business plan if the business has changed, the passport particulars page, and a screenshot of the Startup SG Network company profile. Statements need not be audited where the company qualifies as a small company under ACRA’s audit exemption.

EntrePass family passes

Family passes on the EntrePass are earned rather than granted, and the thresholds are separate from the renewal thresholds.

Table 5. What an EntrePass holder must show to sponsor family

Family member	Requirement	Pass type
Spouse, common-law or legally married, and children	At least one of: annual Total Business Spending of SGD 100,000 and 1 Local Workforce; founded and sold 2 or more venture-backed or technology-owning companies; raised more than SGD 2 million for a past or current business; or 2 or more deep tech intellectual properties giving significant competitive advantage	Dependant’s Pass for a legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21, Long-Term Visit Pass for a common-law spouse, stepchildren under 21 and unmarried disabled children aged 21 or above
Parents	Annual Total Business Spending of SGD 200,000 and 2 Local Workforce	Long-Term Visit Pass

These take longer than an employee’s family passes: MOM quotes six weeks for a Dependant’s Pass and eight weeks for a Long-Term Visit Pass for EntrePass dependants, against three weeks for an ordinary Employment Pass family. The detail is on our family passes page and our page on the MOM Long-Term Visit Pass.

Cancelling matters too. The EntrePass must be cancelled within one week from the date you close the business, tax clearance must be sought from IRAS at least one month before closure, and all family passes are cancelled with it and cannot be reinstated.

Personalised Employment Pass

The Personalised Employment Pass is not a founder pass. It is a pass for a high earner who wants to move between employers without reapplying, and it is best understood by its restrictions.

The entry requirement is a fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500, benchmarked to the top 10 per cent of Employment Pass holders. An overseas professional’s last drawn salary must have been within the six months before the application. The pass runs for up to three years and MOM is explicit that it is issued only once and cannot be renewed. When it expires the holder needs an Employment Pass or S Pass, and the PEP need not be cancelled first for the employer to apply.

Table 6. Personalised Employment Pass, what it allows and what it forbids

Feature	Position
Changing employer	Allowed with no new application. Notify MOM within 1 week of starting, leaving or changing employer
Sector	Any, but professional registration requirements still apply, for example medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, architecture and law
Unemployment	Up to 6 continuous months to look for work. Beyond that the pass must be cancelled
Annual income	Fixed salary of at least S$270,000 per calendar year, regardless of months worked. S$144,000 for passes applied for before 1 September 2023
Annual declaration	Declare annual salary to MOM by 31 January each year
Starting a business	Not allowed. No entrepreneurial activity of any kind
Company roles	Not eligible if you are a sole proprietor, a partner, or a director who is also a shareholder in an ACRA-registered company
Freelancing	Not eligible
EP Sponsorship holders	Not eligible
Restricted occupations	Media and religion-related occupations among others are not permitted
Family	Dependant’s Pass for a legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21, Long-Term Visit Pass for a common-law spouse, stepchildren under 21 and parents
Fees and timing	S$105 to apply, S$225 to issue, within 6 weeks for most cases

The annual salary arithmetic is unforgiving. MOM calculates fixed annual salary as fixed monthly salary multiplied by the months worked in the calendar year. A holder earning S$22,500 for four months, unemployed for two, then S$30,000 for six months reaches S$270,000 and meets the test. A holder on S$22,500 who takes three months out does not. Failing means cancelling the pass.

If you intend to start or invest in a business, the PEP is the wrong pass and MOM says so directly, pointing instead to the EntrePass or the ONE Pass. A PEP holder who quietly becomes a director and shareholder of their own company is in breach of the pass conditions, which is an offence under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act 1990.

Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass

The ONE Pass is the most permissive of the four. It runs for up to five years, is renewable for five years at a time, exempts the holder from COMPASS and from the Fair Consideration Framework advertising requirement, allows the holder to start, operate and work for multiple companies concurrently, and requires no new pass on a change of job.

Table 7. ONE Pass eligibility routes

Route	Requirement
Current or last held employment	Fixed monthly salary of at least S$30,000, or foreign currency equivalent, for the 12 consecutive months before the application, with an established company overseas where applicable
Prospective employment in Singapore	Fixed monthly salary of at least S$30,000 with an established Singapore-based company, applying only when employment starts within 6 months
Established company test	Market capitalisation of at least US$500 million or annual revenue of at least US$200 million, assessed case by case and able to combine the global office
Outstanding achievements	Sports, arts and culture, or academia and research, reviewed with MCCY, MOE, NRF and A*STAR. No salary criterion
AI and Tech, from 28 January 2027	At least S$30,000 a month for 12 consecutive months, of which at least S$22,500 must be fixed monthly salary and the remainder may be vested share options or share ownership, plus 5 cumulative years within the past 10 in a founder or C-suite role in a tech firm or a technical role, at a company meeting one of: valuation or market capitalisation of at least US$500 million, annual revenue of at least US$200 million, at least US$500 million assets under management, or, for tech start-ups, funds raised of at least US$30 million

One rule defeats a surprising number of applications. Where the candidate drew salaries from more than one employer in the qualifying 12 months, the S$30,000 must come from one employer alone: MOM’s own example is that S$20,000 from company A plus S$10,000 from company B does not qualify, while S$30,000 from A plus S$5,000 from B does. An existing work pass holder in Singapore must have worked here for at least one year before applying.

Renewal, family and reporting

The ONE Pass renews for five years each time on one of two bases: a fixed monthly salary averaging at least S$30,000 over the past five years in Singapore, or having started and being in operation of a Singapore-based company that employs at least five locals, each earning a gross monthly salary of at least the prevailing Employment Pass minimum qualifying salary. Renewal can be applied for up to six months before expiry. That second limb is why the ONE Pass works for a founder in a way the PEP never can.

Family rights are the widest of the four. A legally married spouse takes a Dependant’s Pass and can apply for a Letter of Consent to work; a common-law spouse takes a Long-Term Visit Pass and can also apply for one. Children under 21, including adopted children, take Dependant’s Passes, while unmarried disabled children aged 21 or above, stepchildren under 21 and the holder’s parents take Long-Term Visit Passes. MOM quotes four weeks. No passes are available for children who are married or over 21.

The reporting obligation is easy to forget. A ONE Pass holder must notify MOM of their professional activities and annual income by 31 January of the following year, and of changes to residential address and personal information. Fees are S$105 on application and S$225 on issuance, with processing within four weeks for most cases.

Tech.Pass in 2026 and 2027

Tech.Pass is administered by the Economic Development Board rather than by MOM alone, and it is closing. At the Ministry of Manpower’s Committee of Supply in March 2026 the Ministry announced a new ONE Pass track for AI and technology from January 2027 to replace it. From 28 January 2027, MOM and EDB will no longer accept new or renewal Tech.Pass applications. Existing holders can remain on their pass until it expires, and eligible holders can then consider the new ONE Pass AI and Tech track or another work pass.

Table 8. Tech.Pass status and what replaces it

Item	Position as at 15 September 2026
New applications	Accepted until 28 January 2027
Renewal applications	Accepted until 28 January 2027
Existing holders	May remain on the pass until it expires
Replacement	ONE Pass AI and Tech track, applications open from 28 January 2027
Entry criteria	Last drawn fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500 in the last year, plus 5 cumulative years in a leading role within the past 10 years
Company test	Tech company valued at US$500 million or more, or with at least US$30 million raised, or a tech venture capital firm with at least US$500 million under management
Duration	2 years, renewable once for 2 years
Renewal, route 1	At least S$270,000 assessable income on the latest IRAS Notice of Assessment, from salary or business income
Renewal, route 2	Total annual business spending of at least S$100,000 and at least 1 local PME or 3 LQS employees
Renewal, route 3	A Singapore-incorporated business with a digital or technology core product that has secured more than US$10 million cumulative investment funding in the past 36 months and has received funding from programme-recognised investment firms

One inconsistency is worth flagging rather than smoothing over. EDB’s Tech.Pass page states the Local Qualifying Salary as S$1,600 a month, while MOM’s own Local Qualifying Salary page gives the current figure as S$1,800. The MOM page is the authority on the LQS. We have reproduced both figures as each agency publishes them and we would use S$1,800 in practice, but anyone relying on the Tech.Pass renewal route should confirm the figure with EDB for their own case.

Anyone considering Tech.Pass today is really choosing between a two-year pass with a closing renewal window and waiting for the ONE Pass AI and Tech track. For most candidates who can meet the ONE Pass thresholds, waiting is better: a five-year pass with a renewal route is worth more than two years with no path forward.

Choosing between them

Start from what you are actually going to do in Singapore, not from which pass sounds most prestigious.

Table 9. Decision framework for a founder or senior executive

Your situation	Best fit	Why
Founding a venture-backed or IP-owning start-up, modest or no salary	EntrePass	No salary test. Renewal is measured on business spending and local hiring
Founding a company but able to pay yourself at or above the EP floor	Employment Pass	Simpler, no business spending targets, but COMPASS applies and the company must exist to sponsor you
Senior executive earning S$22,500 or more, no business interests	Personalised Employment Pass	Employer flexibility for up to 3 years, but it is issued once and forbids business ownership
Earning S$30,000 or more, or with outstanding achievements	ONE Pass	5 years, renewable, multiple companies, widest family rights, no COMPASS
Senior technology operator or founder, applying in 2026	Tech.Pass, or wait for the ONE Pass AI and Tech track	Tech.Pass closes to applications on 28 January 2027
Running a coffee shop, bar, massage, TCM, employment agency or geomancy business	Employment Pass	These businesses are excluded from the EntrePass
Spouse of a work pass holder who wants to run a business	Letter of Consent on a Dependant’s Pass	Covered on our family passes page
Married to a Singapore citizen or PR	ICA Long-Term Visit Pass, then a Letter of Consent	Usually simpler than any work pass route

Two practical notes. A founder cannot sponsor their own Employment Pass in the abstract: the company has to exist and be able to support the application, so incorporation comes first. And MOM allows only one work pass application per candidate at a time, so you cannot hedge across two routes.

The law underneath all of this

Table 10. The legal framework

Instrument	What it governs here
Employment of Foreign Manpower Act 1990	Work passes, the offence of working without one, self-employment, employer duties, penalties and debarment
Employment of Foreign Manpower (Work Passes) Regulations 2012	The categories of work pass, the specific conditions of the PEP and the EntrePass, and the schedules of conditions and fees
Immigration Act 1959	Lawful stay, entry permits, and what happens when a pass is cancelled or expires
Companies Act 1967	Incorporation, shareholding and the resident director requirement
Employment Act 1968	Statutory employment protections, and where a founder falls outside them

Employment of Foreign Manpower Act 1990

Section 5 makes it an offence to employ a foreign employee without a valid work pass, for a foreign employee to be in employment without one, and to employ one otherwise than in accordance with the conditions of the pass. The employer faces a fine of at least S$5,000 and not more than S$30,000, imprisonment of up to 12 months, or both, with heavier mandatory penalties on a second conviction. The employee faces up to S$20,000, two years, or both.

Section 10 matters most to founders. A foreigner must not be a self-employed foreigner unless they hold a valid work pass, on penalty of a fine of up to S$20,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both, with a mandatory custodial element on a second conviction. A self-employed foreigner is any foreigner who, not being employed under a contract of service, engages in any trade, vocation or profession, whether for gain or otherwise, or any other activity in Singapore for gain. That is wide enough to catch someone who starts operating a company before the pass is issued, and a PEP holder who takes on entrepreneurial activity the pass does not permit.

Section 22 covers the general offences. Contravening a condition of a work pass or in-principle approval carries up to S$10,000, 12 months, or both. A statement to the Controller of Work Passes that the person knows, or ought reasonably to know, is false in a material particular or misleading by omission carries up to S$20,000, two years, or both. For an EntrePass renewal built on financial statements, spending figures and payroll records, that is the provision governing the accuracy of what you file.

Section 7 lets the Controller issue a pass with or without conditions, refuse, vary, suspend or revoke one, and debar any person from applying for a work pass for such fixed period as the Controller determines, having regard among other things to whether they act in concert with, or are an associate of, a debarred person. The statutory definition of associate reaches spouses, relatives, business partners, employers, employees, trustees and controlled companies, so a debarment attaching to one venture can follow a founder into the next. Appeals go to the Minister, whose decision is final, and judicial review is excluded except on procedural grounds.

The Work Passes Regulations 2012

Regulation 2 lists the categories of work pass, including the EntrePass and the personalised employment pass by name. Regulation 8 deals with the EntrePass: the Controller may issue one where satisfied that the foreigner plans to set up or operate a business in Singapore, whether as a body corporate under the Companies Act 1967, a sole proprietorship or firm under the Business Names Registration Act 2014, a limited liability partnership under the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005, or otherwise, with an undertaking from the foreigner or from a sponsor that must itself be a company incorporated under the Companies Act 1967. The regulation is broader than MOM’s published policy, which currently requires a private limited company; where the two differ in that direction, policy governs what MOM will approve.

Regulation 7 sets the conditions of the personalised employment pass, and they are more specific than the web pages suggest. The holder must notify the Controller of any change of employer or employment status within seven days, of contact details including residential and work addresses within 14 days, of any change in the nominated contact person within seven days, and of their annual salary within 30 days of the end of each calendar year. The holder must engage only in the trade, occupation or employment specified in the pass, and must obtain the Controller’s prior consent at least seven days before engaging in anything else. The employer must notify the Controller of the start and end of the holder’s employment within seven days of each.

The regulations carry eight schedules of conditions and fees. The Fourth Schedule, often cited loosely, sets out the conditions and regulatory conditions of the work permit, its first part dealing with employers of domestic workers and covering upkeep, food, medical treatment and safe working conditions. The Employment Pass equivalent is the Sixth Schedule, which defines fixed monthly salary, requires payment within seven days of the end of the salary period, bars the employer from taking any sum or benefit from an employment agency in connection with the employment, requires a reassessment before a declared salary is reduced, and requires the employer to cancel the pass and inform the Controller in writing within seven days after employment ceases.

One further provision links the whole system together. Where a pass issued by the Controller of Immigration expires without renewal or is cancelled, any in-principle approval or work pass held by that foreigner also ceases to be valid by operation of the regulation. Immigration status and work authorisation are not independent of each other.

Immigration Act 1959

The Immigration Act governs lawful stay. A person must not remain in Singapore after the cancellation of a permit or certificate, or after the expiry or notified cancellation of a pass, unless otherwise entitled to remain. Remaining unlawfully for up to 90 days carries a fine of up to S$4,000 or imprisonment of up to six months or both; beyond 90 days, imprisonment of up to six months plus caning of at least three strokes, or a fine of up to S$6,000 where caning cannot be imposed. That is why MOM allows a Short-Term Visit Pass of up to 90 days to be requested when an EntrePass or PEP is cancelled, and why the request should be made at cancellation rather than afterwards. The Act also distinguishes a pass from an entry permit: a non-citizen who wishes to become a permanent resident applies for an entry permit, which is the instrument of permanent residence. Founders planning a long stay should read that alongside our page on the Singapore PR application.

Companies Act 1967

An EntrePass founder is a director, a shareholder, or both, and the Companies Act 1967 applies accordingly. Every company must have at least one director ordinarily resident in Singapore, and where there is a single member that sole director may also be the sole member. A director must be a natural person aged at least 18 and of full legal capacity, and must not resign unless at least one resident director remains, any purported resignation in breach being invalid.

The consequence founders underestimate is financial. Where a company carries on business without a resident director for more than six months, a member who knows it is doing so becomes liable for all the debts contracted in that period. A foreign founder who has not yet been granted a pass therefore needs a resident director from incorporation, not from the date the pass arrives. That is why the nominee resident director service exists, and our affiliate Raffles Corporate Services handles it.

Employment Act 1968

The Employment Act 1968 defines an employee as a person who works under a contract of service with an employer, and includes a workman. Nationality is not a criterion, so a foreign employee of the founder’s company is covered like a local one. A founder who draws director’s fees rather than a salary under a contract of service is generally not an employee and does not have the Act’s protections, which is one reason EntrePass founders should take advice on how they are engaged by their own company. Part 4, on rest days and hours of work, is tiered by salary: it applies to workmen earning not more than S$4,500 a month and to non-managerial, non-executive employees earning not more than S$2,600.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a minimum salary for an EntrePass?

No. MOM states plainly that there is no stipulated minimum salary. The pass is assessed on the business and the founder’s track record, and renewals are assessed on business spending and local hiring.

Does the EntrePass require S$50,000 in paid-up capital?

MOM does not publish a paid-up capital requirement on any of its current EntrePass pages. The published company requirements are an ACRA-registered private limited company, at least 30 per cent shareholding, and a business that is venture-backed or owns innovative technologies. If a capital condition applies to your case it will appear in your own in-principle approval letter.

Must I register the company within six months?

MOM does not publish a six-month registration deadline. What it does publish is that a company more than 12 months old at the date of application is assessed against the renewal criteria rather than the entry criteria. Any condition on timing in an individual case will be in the in-principle approval letter.

How long does an EntrePass last?

Up to one year on first issue and up to one year on the first renewal, then up to two years on subsequent renewals. Renewal can be applied for three months before expiry.

What does an EntrePass cost?

MOM charges S$105 on application and S$225 on issuance, with S$30 for a Multiple Journey Visa where applicable. Our own fee for an EntrePass is quoted case by case, because the work varies with the business and the criterion relied on.

Which businesses cannot use an EntrePass?

Coffee shops, hawker centres and food courts; bars, night clubs and karaoke lounges; foot reflexology and massage parlours; acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine and herbal dispensing; employment agencies; and geomancy businesses.

Can a Personalised Employment Pass holder start a company?

No. MOM states that a PEP holder is not allowed to start a business or conduct any form of entrepreneurial activity, and that a sole proprietor, a partner, or a director who is also a shareholder in an ACRA-registered company is not eligible for the pass at all. If you intend to do any of that, apply for an EntrePass or a ONE Pass.

Can the Personalised Employment Pass be renewed?

No. It is issued once, for up to three years. To keep working after it expires you need an Employment Pass or S Pass, and the PEP does not have to be cancelled before your employer applies.

What happens if a PEP holder is out of work?

The holder may stay in Singapore for up to six continuous months to look for work. If the unemployment runs beyond six months the pass must be cancelled. The annual fixed salary test of S$270,000 still applies regardless of how many months were worked.

What is the ONE Pass salary requirement?

A fixed monthly salary of at least S$30,000, or the foreign currency equivalent, for the 12 consecutive months before the application, or the same figure under a prospective Singapore employer. It must come from a single employer. Candidates with outstanding achievements in sport, arts and culture, or academia and research may apply without meeting the salary criterion.

Can a ONE Pass holder run a business?

Yes. The pass allows the holder to start, operate and work for multiple companies concurrently, subject to the terms of any employment contract, and one of the two renewal routes is running a Singapore company that employs at least five locals each earning at least the prevailing Employment Pass minimum qualifying salary.

Is Tech.Pass still available?

Yes, but only until 28 January 2027, after which MOM and EDB will no longer accept new or renewal applications. It is being replaced by a ONE Pass track for AI and technology opening the same day. Existing holders may remain on their pass until it expires.

Can I apply for two of these passes at once?

No. MOM allows only one work pass application per candidate at a time. Choose the route first, and apply for family passes only after the main pass is approved, because the family application fees are lost if the main application is refused.

Do I incorporate the company before or after the pass?

In practice, before. MOM warns that getting an EntrePass is not a guarantee that business registration or any licence will be approved, and ACRA registration and sector licences are separate applications. The company also needs a resident director from the start.

How we can help

Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd is an employment agency licensed by the Ministry of Manpower, EA Licence 19C9790. We assess founders and senior candidates against all four routes before anything is filed, prepare and submit the application, and handle renewals, appeals and cancellations.

Table 11. Our published fees

Service	Our fee	Notes
EntrePass, new or renewal	On quote	Scope varies with the business and the qualifying criterion
Personalised Employment Pass and ONE Pass	On quote	Assessed case by case
Dependant’s Pass or Long-Term Visit Pass, new	S$600	Per pass. MOM fees are separate
Dependant’s Pass or Long-Term Visit Pass, renewal	S$200	Per pass. MOM fees are separate
Additional, Dependant’s Pass child aged 12 or below	S$280	Covers the vaccination verification workstream
Letter of Consent, new	S$300	MOM charges no fee for the Letter of Consent
Letter of Consent, renewal	S$150	MOM charges no fee for the Letter of Consent

For an EntrePass we read the business plan as an assessor would, tell you which of the five criteria is strongest and whether the evidence supports it, map the renewal thresholds onto your funding runway so you know when the first local hire has to be on payroll, and prepare the filing. For the PEP and ONE Pass we check the salary history against the way MOM calculates it, which is where most of these applications fail.

We do not promise approvals. MOM and Enterprise Singapore decide EntrePass applications on their merits. Where we think an application is unlikely to succeed as it stands, we will say so and tell you what would need to change, including where the honest answer is that an Employment Pass is the better route. Incorporation, the resident director and company secretarial work belong to our affiliate Raffles Corporate Services. Where a matter needs legal advice we refer it to an independent Singapore law firm.

Talk to our team about a founder pass, or read our pages on the Employment Pass, the S Pass, the Personalised Employment Pass, the ONE Pass and family passes.

Official sources

• MOM: Eligibility for EntrePass
• MOM: Key facts for EntrePass
• MOM: Apply for an EntrePass
• MOM: Renew an EntrePass
• MOM: Passes for families of EntrePass holders
• MOM: Documents required for EntrePass
• MOM: Eligibility for Personalised Employment Pass
• MOM: PEP annual salary notification and updates
• MOM: Eligibility for Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass
• MOM: Key facts on the ONE Pass
• MOM: Passes for families of ONE Pass holders
• MOM: Local Qualifying Salary
• EDB: Tech.Pass
• Singapore Statutes Online: Employment of Foreign Manpower Act 1990
• Singapore Statutes Online: Employment of Foreign Manpower (Work Passes) Regulations 2012
• Singapore Statutes Online: Immigration Act 1959
• Singapore Statutes Online: Companies Act 1967
• Singapore Statutes Online: Employment Act 1968

Figures checked against MOM, EDB and Singapore Statutes Online guidance on 15 September 2026. Eligibility and approval depend on the individual application, and the Ministry of Manpower, Enterprise Singapore and the Economic Development Board decide their own cases. This page is general information and not legal advice. See our legal and referral information.