Hiring a Foreign Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner in Singapore: TCM Practitioners Board Registration and Employment Pass Strategy

Can a physician who has spent fifteen years practising traditional Chinese medicine in a top-tier Chinese hospital start seeing patients in a Singapore clinic within a year of being offered the job? The honest answer is: only if the employer understands that hiring a foreign TCM practitioner in Singapore is a two-gate process, not a one-step work pass application. Before the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will even look at an Employment Pass or S Pass, the individual must first clear registration with the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board (TCMPB), the statutory body that licenses TCM physicians and acupuncturists under the TCM Practitioners Act.

Singapore trains TCM physicians through only three approved local institutions, so clinics expanding services, opening a second outlet, or replacing a retiring senior physician frequently look overseas, particularly to mainland China, for qualified candidates. The TCMPB does have defined pathways for foreign-trained physicians, but they come with clinical experience thresholds, a Chinese-language qualifying examination, and a conditional registration period that employers need to plan around well before they touch the MOM application.

This guide sets out, in order, what TCMPB registration actually requires, how Employment Pass and S Pass eligibility compare for a TCM hire, where a TCM physician stands (and does not stand) under the COMPASS points framework, and what the fully loaded cost of the hire looks like once fees, salary and clinic compliance are added up.

Two Gates Before Day One: TCMPB Registration and a Valid Work Pass

A foreign national cannot practise as a TCM physician or acupuncturist in Singapore, whether employed or self-employed, without registration under Regulation 6 of the TCM Practitioners (Registration of TCM Physicians and Acupuncturists) Regulations. Registration and the work pass are assessed by two separate government bodies, on two separate timelines, and an employer who applies for the Employment Pass before securing TCMPB registration is simply applying too early: MOM’s own supporting document checklist for healthcare-related passes expects proof of professional registration or a clear registration pathway.

Full Registration: Local or Recognised China Institutions

Under the TCMPB’s registration requirements (last updated 22 December 2025, accessed 20 September 2026), an applicant qualifies on academic grounds if they hold a TCM graduation certificate from one of three local institutions, the Singapore College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Institute of Chinese Medical Studies, or Nanyang Technological University, or a five-year full-time bachelor’s degree in TCM (conducted in Chinese) from one of eight named universities in the People’s Republic of China, including Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. A degree from any other overseas institution does not, on its own, satisfy the academic criterion.

The Route for Foreign-Trained Physicians and Permanent Residents

Foreigners and permanent residents with a recognised foreign TCM qualification must additionally hold a valid Registration Certificate and Practising Certificate from their country of practice, plus a current certificate of good standing dated within three months of application, show proof of potential employment as a full-time TCM physician in Singapore, and possess sufficient clinical experience at an approved TCM establishment while holding the rank of Deputy Chief Physician (副主任医师) or higher. A separate route exists for foreigners with outstanding TCM skills and expertise: at least 15 years of clinical experience, including at least 5 years as Chief Physician (主任医师), or specific case-by-case consideration by the Board.

Either route requires at least one year of TCM practice in Singapore under conditional registration at an approved local TCM establishment before the candidate can sit the Qualifying Examination for full registration. That exam, the Modified Singapore TCM Physicians Registration Examination (Modified-STRE) for the 2025 and 2026 intakes, is administered in Chinese and covers ethical guidelines, written case analysis, TCM clinical appraisal, acupoint localisation and acupuncture techniques; it moves to a Clinical Competency Assessment format from 2027. Employers should budget at least 12 to 18 months from job offer to full, unconditional registration, and should read our healthcare sector hiring guide for Singapore 2026 for how this timeline compares with other regulated healthcare roles.

Hiring a Foreign TCM Practitioner in Singapore: Employment Pass or S Pass

Once TCMPB registration (full or conditional) is secured, the employer applies to MOM for the appropriate work pass. The choice generally comes down to seniority and salary: a Deputy Chief Physician or Chief Physician-grade hire will usually clear Employment Pass thresholds comfortably, while a more junior conditionally registered acupuncturist or associate physician may sit closer to S Pass territory.

Criterion	Employment Pass	S Pass
Minimum qualifying salary (non-financial services, current)	SGD 5,600/month at age 23, rising to SGD 10,700 at 45 and above	SGD 3,300/month at age 23 or below, rising to SGD 4,800 at 45 and above
From 1 January 2027 (new applications) / 1 January 2028 (renewals)	SGD 6,000 rising to SGD 11,500	SGD 3,600 rising to SGD 5,100
Points/skills test	COMPASS (minimum 40 points), waived at SGD 22,500 fixed monthly salary or above	No COMPASS; skills-related evaluation via qualifications and Self-Assessment Tool
Quota and levy	None	Quota ceiling of 10% of total workforce for the services sector; flat levy of SGD 650/month per S Pass holder
Application / issuance fee	SGD 105 / SGD 225	SGD 105 / SGD 100
Dependant’s Pass eligibility	From SGD 6,000 fixed monthly salary	From SGD 6,000 fixed monthly salary

Source: MOM, Employment Pass eligibility (accessed 20 September 2026) and MOM, S Pass eligibility (last updated 1 September 2026). Figures are age-graduated and increase progressively between the ages shown; employers should run the exact age through MOM’s Self-Assessment Tool before applying.

COMPASS: Where a TCM Physician Hire Scores, and Where It Does Not

Employment Pass candidates below the SGD 22,500 exemption threshold must clear at least 40 points under the COMPASS framework, scored across salary relative to local peers, candidate qualifications, workforce diversity, and the employer’s track record on local employment (C1 to C4), plus two bonus criteria: the Skills Bonus tied to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) and a Strategic Economic Priorities bonus (C5 and C6). This is a point worth checking carefully: under the Shortage Occupation List that took effect from 1 January 2026, the healthcare occupations named for the C5 skills bonus are clinical psychologists, diagnostic radiographers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, registered nurses, podiatrists and medical social workers. TCM physicians and acupuncturists are not on that list, so a TCM hire cannot claim the SOL bonus and must instead score well on the four foundational criteria, particularly C1 (salary) and C2 (qualifications, where a recognised TCM degree plus Deputy Chief Physician or Chief Physician rank should score favourably).

This is a useful contrast with two other regulated healthcare roles we have covered: our guides to hiring a foreign physiotherapist in Singapore and hiring a foreign diagnostic radiographer in Singapore both involve professions currently on the 2026 SOL, which can materially ease the COMPASS math. For a fuller walkthrough of how the points are scored and the most common reasons applications fail, see our COMPASS framework guide to points, bonuses and the shortage list. Source: MOM, COMPASS C5 Skills Bonus and Shortage Occupation List (accessed 20 September 2026).

Total Cost of an Employment Pass for TCM Physicians and S Pass Alternatives

Employers scoping a TCM hire need to budget for more than salary. On the Employment Pass side, there is no quota or monthly levy, only the SGD 105 application fee and SGD 225 issuance fee, plus the candidate’s monthly salary and any employer-funded medical insurance. On the S Pass side, the services sector quota is capped at 10% of total headcount, and every S Pass holder now attracts a flat SGD 650 monthly levy regardless of quota tier, following the harmonisation that took effect on 1 September 2025. A clinic close to its S Pass quota ceiling may find that an Employment Pass, despite the higher salary floor, is the more workable route for an experienced physician.

Clinics should also factor in TCMPB-side costs that sit outside the MOM fee schedule: the Qualifying Examination fee, any clinical attachment or supervision arrangement required during conditional registration (the supervising TCM physician-in-charge must hold at least 15 years of local practice experience and can supervise only one conditionally registered physician at a time), and the practical cost of the 12 to 18 month runway between offer and full registration, during which the employer is effectively paying for a physician who cannot yet see patients without supervision.

Setting Up or Expanding a TCM Clinic: Corporate and Compliance Considerations

A foreign TCM physician hire is often bundled with a bigger event: opening a new clinic outlet, converting a sole proprietorship into a private limited company as the practice scales, or bringing on a co-owner physician as a shareholder-director. Each of these carries its own ACRA and tax compliance obligations that sit alongside, not instead of, the TCMPB and MOM approvals. Employers going through this at the same time as a work pass application may find it useful to read Raffles Corporate Services’ guide to the Healthcare Services Act (HCSA) 2026 licensing framework for clinics and health providers, and Singapore Secretary Services’ overview of sector compliance for healthcare and other regulated industries, both of which set out the wider regulatory baseline a growing TCM practice needs to satisfy on top of its TCMPB obligations.

Employers should also plan renewal timelines early. A TCM physician’s Employment Pass or S Pass will need renewing on the same cycle as their TCMPB registration status changes from conditional to full, and salary benchmarks are reviewed periodically by MOM. Our guide to EP renewal, salary uplift and dependency ratios covers the most common reasons renewal applications for professional and healthcare hires get queried or rejected.

A Practical Timeline for Employers

• Months 1 to 2: Confirm the candidate’s academic qualification against the TCMPB’s approved institution list and gather the Registration Certificate, Practising Certificate and certificate of good standing from the country of practice.
• Months 2 to 3: Submit the TCMPB registration application online through the sponsoring employer; arrange the conditional registration supervision agreement with an approved local TCM establishment.
• Months 3 to 15: Complete the required period of TCM practice under conditional registration before the candidate is eligible to sit the Qualifying Examination.
• Concurrently: Submit the Employment Pass or S Pass application to MOM once conditional registration is granted and a firm job offer with fixed salary is in place; run the candidate through the Self-Assessment Tool first.
• After the Qualifying Examination: Apply for conversion to full registration and, where salary has changed, review whether the existing work pass still meets the current qualifying salary and COMPASS requirements.

Hiring a foreign TCM practitioner in Singapore rewards employers who sequence the TCMPB registration and MOM work pass steps correctly rather than treating them as a single application. Getting the clinical experience documentation, the qualifying examination timeline and the COMPASS scoring right before an application is lodged avoids the far more expensive problem of a rejected pass or a physician who cannot legally start work on the date the clinic needs them.

For help structuring a compliant work pass application for a TCM physician, acupuncturist or any other regulated healthcare hire, visit Singapore Employment Agency. If the hire is tied to incorporating a new clinic entity or restructuring an existing one, Raffles Corporate Services can advise on the accompanying corporate and tax structuring.

The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency