Personalised Employment Pass Singapore: PEP Guide

Quick answer: The Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) is a three-year, non-renewable pass for qualifying high-earning foreign professionals. It is not tied to one employer, but it is not an entrepreneur or freelance pass and carries strict continuing income and employment conditions.

Why is the PEP different from an Employment Pass?

A PEP holder can generally change employers without applying for a new pass and may work in different sectors, subject to professional registration and restricted-occupation rules. The holder may remain in Singapore for up to six continuous months between jobs while searching for new employment.

Unlike an ordinary Employment Pass, the candidate applies directly. There is no foreign worker quota or levy. The flexibility comes with important limits: the PEP is issued only once, lasts up to three years and cannot be renewed.

Current PEP salary requirements

To apply, a candidate must earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500. An overseas foreign professional must have drawn that qualifying salary within the six months before the application.

After receiving the PEP, the holder must earn at least S$270,000 in fixed salary in each calendar year, regardless of how many months the holder was employed during that year. This annual requirement is separate from the six-month unemployment limit.

Continuing obligations

Do not remain unemployed for more than six continuous months.
Meet the applicable annual fixed-salary requirement.
Declare annual salary to MOM by the required deadline.
Notify MOM of changes to employment status, employer and personal particulars.
Comply with any registration or licensing requirement for regulated professions.

MOM may review the holder’s employment and salary evidence. Payslips, bank records, tax assessments and employment agreements should be retained and remain consistent.

Who cannot use a PEP?

MOM states that a PEP is not available to:

Employment Pass holders under the sponsorship scheme;
freelancers or people intending to work on a freelance basis;
sole proprietors or partners;
directors who are also shareholders in an ACRA-registered company; or
persons intending to work in restricted occupations, including certain media- or religion-related roles.

A PEP holder cannot start a business or conduct entrepreneurial activity. A founder should instead examine whether an EntrePass, an employer-sponsored Employment Pass or another route fits the actual business and role. Incorporating a company does not override the PEP restrictions.

Application process, fees and duration

The candidate submits the application online and supplies the required passport and income evidence.
The MOM application fee is S$105.
Most cases are processed within six weeks, although additional checks can take longer.
If approved, the in-principle approval normally gives six months to enter Singapore and issue the pass.
Issuance costs S$225, plus S$30 for a Multiple Journey Visa if applicable.
The pass is valid for up to three years and is not renewable.

Before the PEP expires, a holder who intends to continue working must obtain another appropriate pass. An employer can apply for an EP or S Pass without first cancelling the existing PEP, but the relevant new-pass criteria must be met.

Family members

A PEP holder may generally apply for a Dependant’s Pass for a legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21. A common-law spouse, eligible stepchildren and parents may qualify for a Long-Term Visit Pass under MOM’s prevailing rules. Each family member requires a separate application and fee.

Employment-contract issues for PEP holders

Changing jobs may not require a new PEP, but it still changes the contractual relationship. Before accepting a role, consider:

whether fixed pay, not merely potential bonus, will satisfy the annual PEP requirement;
notice, garden leave and payment in lieu provisions;
deferred compensation and what happens to it on resignation or termination;
non-compete, non-solicitation, confidentiality and intellectual-property clauses;
tax equalisation, relocation expenses and repayment clauses; and
whether any period between roles could approach the six-month limit.

A badly drafted agreement can leave a holder with insufficient qualifying fixed income even where total potential compensation appears high. Contractual disputes do not suspend MOM deadlines.

Does a PEP lead automatically to permanent residence?

No. A PEP is a work pass, not permanent residence. Any Singapore permanent-residence application is assessed separately by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority under its prevailing criteria.

Official MOM sources

Accurate as at and last reviewed: 7 September 2026.

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