The Tech.Pass has always been the work pass that promises the most and approves the fewest. As at 26 April 2026, it is also a pass on a runway: at the Committee of Supply on 3 March 2026, MOM confirmed that a new ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track will replace Tech.Pass from January 2027. So if you are reading this for the first time, you have a finite window in which the existing pass remains the right vehicle.
This guide unpacks the five things the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) actually evaluates on a Tech.Pass file, the documentary evidence that distinguishes a clean approval from a polite rejection, and the practical question almost nobody asks: should you apply for Tech.Pass at all in 2026, or wait nine months for the ONE Pass (AI and Tech) successor?
Singapore Employment Agency is the consumer brand of Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd (LBEA), MOM Licence 19C9790. We work alongside Raffles Corporate Services on incorporation and corporate-secretarial groundwork for incoming founders, and we run the pass file at every stage from intake to issue.
What the Tech.Pass actually is
The Tech.Pass is administered by EDB, not MOM (though MOM issues the physical pass). Per the EDB Tech.Pass page, it is a self-sponsored work pass for established tech entrepreneurs, leaders or technical experts to perform a wide range of activities in Singapore: lead a tech team, found a company, take board roles, lecture, mentor and invest. Unlike the Employment Pass, it is not tied to a single sponsoring employer. Unlike the EntrePass, it is not contingent on incorporating a specific business with a specific funding profile.
The pass is valid for two years in the first instance, renewable once for a further two years. After the four-year window, holders are expected to transition to a different pass (typically EP, or now — from January 2027 — the ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track).
The five selection criteria EDB actually evaluates
EDB’s formal eligibility test is “at least two of three” qualifying criteria. From the operating-desk view, however, files succeed or fail on five distinct evaluation elements. The first three are the formal EDB criteria; the fourth and fifth are the unwritten elements that materially shift outcomes.
Criterion 1 — Salary track record
You must have had a fixed monthly salary, in the year immediately preceding the application, of at least S$22,500 (or the foreign-currency equivalent). EDB looks at fixed monthly salary, not total compensation: stock-based compensation, performance bonuses and one-off payments do not count. Documentary evidence: the last 12 months of pay slips and the corresponding tax assessment from the relevant jurisdiction.
Practical note: this is a high bar in many markets but achievable in US/UK tech and in senior Asia-tech roles. It is the criterion most consultancies steer candidates towards because it is easy to evidence on paper.
Criterion 2 — Leading role at a high-value tech company
More than five cumulative years of experience in a leading role in a tech company with either a market valuation of at least US$500 million or at least US$30 million in funds raised (and current funded status). “Leading role” means executive or senior-leadership scope — founder, C-suite, VP-equivalent or head-of-function with material decision-making authority.
Documentary evidence: an employment letter or board confirmation that explicitly states scope, authority and reporting line; cap table or funding documentation showing the US$30M raised; market-cap evidence (for listed entities, share-price screenshots and shares-outstanding documentation); year-by-year breakdown of the role tenure.
Where this criterion fails: candidates who were technically “senior” but managed individual contributors rather than functions; founders of companies that raised seed funding but never crossed the US$30M aggregate threshold; advisory roles incorrectly characterised as leadership roles.
Criterion 3 — Product/development track record
At least five cumulative years in a leading role in a tech company developing a technology that has either reached 100,000 monthly active users or generated US$100 million in annual revenue. The threshold is on the product, not the company — an enterprise SaaS product hitting the revenue figure qualifies even if the underlying parent company is much larger.
Documentary evidence: product analytics reports (DAU/MAU dashboards), revenue attribution to the specific product, the candidate’s named role in product leadership, public references where available (press, conference appearances). Internal product memos and OKRs that show authorship and ownership help.
Where this criterion fails: candidates who worked on a product but cannot prove it cleared the user/revenue threshold; candidates whose product attribution is too diffuse to evidence; candidates relying on now-defunct products with no surviving documentation.
Criterion 4 — The unwritten leadership-quality test
Beyond the formal “two of three,” EDB conducts a qualitative assessment of leadership track record. This is where files with technically-passing criteria still fail. Reviewers look at: progression through roles (not lateral moves only); team-size and budget growth under the candidate’s leadership; public artefacts (talks, papers, patents, GitHub presence); and the calibre of the institutions and people the candidate has been associated with.
Practical note: a candidate who narrowly clears Criterion 1 (salary) and Criterion 3 (product) but whose CV reads as a passenger on someone else’s rocket ship will struggle. Conversely, a candidate who cleanly clears two criteria with rich leadership artefacts often gets approved on the first pass.
Criterion 5 — Stated intent and ecosystem fit
Tech.Pass holders are expected to contribute to Singapore’s tech ecosystem — not just live here. The application requires a stated intent: are you founding a company? Investing? Mentoring? Joining a Singapore-incorporated entity in a leadership capacity? EDB evaluates the credibility and substance of the stated intent. Vague “explore opportunities” statements are weaker than concrete plans (target sectors, target investments, named co-founders, intended hiring profile).
This also drives the renewal test. At year-two renewal, EDB looks at what you have actually done with the pass — companies founded, hires made, mentorship logged, investments executed. Holders who used the pass for residence-only and did nothing material in the ecosystem are rejected at renewal.
The Tech.Pass vs ONE Pass vs EP decision
For senior tech leaders deciding between routes in 2026, the file looks like this:
Take Tech.Pass now if: You want self-sponsorship and the flexibility to do multiple activities (board roles, founding, advisory) without re-papering. You can clear two of the three formal criteria with strong documentary evidence. You plan to be in Singapore actively building, not residence-shopping.
Take EP now if: You have a single sponsoring employer who will be the primary engagement for the next 2–5 years. The salary clears the EP qualifying floor (currently SGD 5,600 per month for non-financial sector, rising to SGD 6,000 from 1 January 2027 — see our 2026 EP guide). The role qualifies for the 5-year tech EP under the Shortage Occupation List.
Take ONE Pass now if: Your fixed monthly salary is at or above S$30,000, or you have an outstanding-achievement track record (recognised awards, founder-of-a-public-tech-company, etc.). The ONE Pass already supports the multi-activity profile that drove most candidates towards Tech.Pass.
Wait for ONE Pass (AI and Tech) if: You can credibly afford to wait nine months. The successor track, replacing Tech.Pass from January 2027 (per COS 2026), is positioned to offer more attractive terms. Candidates whose Tech.Pass clock would tick uselessly while they incorporate or relocate may be better off waiting.
Documentation: what the “clean” file looks like
An EDB-grade Tech.Pass file is heavier than most candidates expect. The minimum bundle: passport, CV, personal statement of intent, last three years of tax assessments, last 12 months of pay slips, employment letters with role detail, evidence of the qualifying criteria you are relying on (cap tables, market-cap snapshots, product analytics, revenue letters), public artefacts (LinkedIn audit, news coverage, talks, patents), and references from credible industry figures. Translations into English where the underlying document is in another language. Notarisation where required by the originating jurisdiction.
The “clean” file is one where every claim in the personal statement is independently evidenced in the supporting bundle, and where the bundle reads as a coherent leadership story rather than a disconnected collection of tabs.
Common reasons Tech.Pass applications fail
Three patterns dominate. First, the “technically passes, qualitatively thin” file: meets two criteria on paper, leadership story is weak, no public artefacts. Second, the “wrong pass” file: the candidate would be a clean EP under SOL or a clean ONE Pass and is over-applying for Tech.Pass. Third, the “intent gap” file: criteria clearly met, but the personal statement is generic and the ecosystem-fit story is unconvincing.
Where to go from here
If you are a senior tech leader considering Tech.Pass, ONE Pass or a 5-year SOL EP, Singapore Employment Agency / LBEA handles the full file and can advise on which pass is the right vehicle for your profile. For founders incorporating a Singapore vehicle alongside the personal pass, Raffles Corporate Services handles incorporation, accounting and corporate-secretarial work; sister-brand Singapore Secretary Services handles ongoing corp-sec compliance. We covered the broader EP picture in the 2026 EP guide and the long-game move to PR in the 2026 PR pathway guide.
Authoritative sources: EDB Tech.Pass · MOM 5-year tech EP · MOM ONE Pass · COS 2026.
— The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services