S Pass

The S Pass allows mid-level skilled staff to work in Singapore. Candidates need to earn at least $2,300 a month and have the relevant qualifications and work experience.

Who is eligible

The S Pass is for mid-skilled foreign employees (e.g. technicians) who meet these criteria:

  • Fixed monthly salary of at least $2,500. The salary should reflect work experience. Older, more experienced applicants need higher salaries to qualify.
  • A degree or diploma. The Ministry of Manpower may consider technical certificates, such as courses for qualified technicians or specialists. The certification should include at least 1 year of full-time study.
  • Years of relevant work experience.

Application for an S Pass is open to all nationalities.

What is the duration

The duration of the pass is as follows:

  • First-time candidates: up to 2 years
  • Renewals: up to 3 years (You can start renewing up to 6 months before the pass expires. You must renew before the expiry date. Note: If the passport is valid for less than 3 years, the duration granted will only be up to 1 month before the expiry date of the passport.)

Note:

  • Remember to apply for renewal early. Renewing early does not mean that you’ll lose the remaining days in your current pass. The duration of the renewed pass will start when the current pass expires.
  • If you miss the deadline, you must apply for a new pass.

Passes for family

Pass holders who have a fixed monthly salary of at least $6,000, are eligible for a Dependant’s Pass for their spouse and children.

You can submit the Dependant Pass application together with your S Pass application or separately at a later date.

For employers

S Pass quota and levy requirements

The number of S Pass holders you can hire is limited by a quota. You must also pay a monthly levy for these workers.

What is the foreign worker levy

The foreign worker levy, commonly known as “levy”, is a pricing mechanism to regulate the number of foreign workers in Singapore.

The employer must pay the levy for all his or her S Pass holders. The levy liability starts from the day the S Pass is issued and ends when the pass is cancelled or expires.

The levy is paid using GIRO.

Levy rates are regularly reviewed and adjusted as required. See the upcoming levy rates announced in Budget 2019.

Quota requirement

If you have never applied for a Work Permit or S Pass, you need to declare your business activity for calculating your quota.

Under the quota, the number of S Pass holders your company can hire is capped at:

  • 15% of the company’s total workforce in the services sector.
  • 20% in all other sectors.
  • Employers who exceed the quota will need to increase their local workforce or reduce the number of foreign workers.
  • With effect from 1 Jan 2020 and 1 Jan 2021, the number of S Pass holders a company in the services sector can hire is capped at 13% and 10% of the total workforce respectively.

Levy rate

For the services sector, the levy rate is as follows:

Tier Quota % Monthly levy rate Daily levy rate
Basic/Tier 1 Up to 10% of the total workforce $330 $10.85
Tier 2 Above 10% to 15% of the total workforce $650 $21.37

For all sectors (excluding services), the levy rate is as follows:

Tier Quota % Monthly levy rate Daily levy rate
Basic/Tier 1 Up to 10% of the total workforce $330 $10.85
Tier 2 Above 10% to 20% of the total workforce $650 $21.37

Note:

  • For all sectors, the S Pass quota will be counted within the Work Permit quota.
  • The daily levy rate applies only to S Pass holders who did not work for a full calendar month. The daily levy rate is calculated as follows: (Monthly levy rate x 12) / 365 = rounding up to the nearest cent.

S Pass medical insurance requirements

Before you can issue or renew an S Pass, you must buy medical insurance for the pass holder and submit the details online.

What it should cover

As part of an employer’s S Pass medical obligations, you must buy and maintain medical insurance for your S Pass holders as long they are under your employment.

The insurance coverage must be at least $15,000 per year and cover inpatient care and day surgery.

Co-pay arrangement

You can have a co-pay arrangement with the S Pass holder only if all of the following are met:

  • The medical treatment is not for work-related inpatient expenses.
  • The co-pay amount is reasonable and does not exceed 10% of the worker’s monthly salary.
  • The duration co-payment does not exceed 6 months.
  • The co-payment option is explicitly in the employment contract or collective agreement and has the worker’s full consent.
You cannot pass on the cost of purchasing the medical insurance to S Pass holders.

Submit insurance details

You need to submit medical insurance details online before you request to issue or renew an S Pass, and when the insurance details change.

You can submit the medical insurance details through:

  • WP Online
  • EP Online – you can submit the details when you issue the S Pass.

You need to keep the following information up to date:

  • Name of insurer
  • Insurance policy number
  • Insurance policy commencement date
  • Insurance policy expiry date

We encourage you to get a WP Online account to make it easier for you to update your employees’ medical insurance. Registration is free.

Documents required for S Pass

You need to submit documents such as copies of passport details and educational certificates along with the S Pass application.

You will need these documents to apply for an S Pass:

  • Personal particulars page of the candidate’s passport.
  • Company’s latest business profile or instant information registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA).
  • Candidate’s educational certificates. You will need additional documents for:
    Qualifications from Additional documents needed
    India
    • Transcripts
    • Marksheets
    China Verification proof for diploma and above qualifications.

The Ministry of Manpower may ask for other documents when we review your application.

If you are asked for the verification proof of your candidate’s qualifications, you can get it from Dataflow or other global verification agencies. Alternatively, if the verification agency or educational institute has an online instant verification portal, you can submit the screenshot and web page address showing the verification result.

For non-English documents, you must submit the original document and an English translation. The translation can be done by a translation service provider.

Relevant legislation

Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (Chapter 91A) and Employment of Foreign Manpower (Work Passes) Regulations 2012

Apply Now

To apply for an S Pass, you will need to follow the following steps:

(Steps 1 to 4 can be done by the applicant outside of Singapore)

Step 1: Access whether you are eligible for an S Pass.

Step 2: The employer should know the quota and levy requirements

Step 3: First-time employers should declare their business activity

Step 4: Check that you have all the documents required

Step 5: Fill up the following forms.

https://forms.gle/ZA1zF4XR95q8tUGw8

Here is a guide on how to fill out the forms.

(YouTube video goes here)

If your family members are eligible for relevant passes like dependant passes, you may choose to do the application concurrently. You may also do the application after your application has been approved.

Step 5: Inform us that the form has been completed and make payment. Please note that we will only process the S Pass application after we have received payment.

Once the application is approved (in-principle approval), you can travel to Singapore.

Step 6: Upon receiving the in-principle approval, purchase medical insurance and submit details, register fingerprints and photograph and the S Pass will be issued to you.

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