Employment Pass

Key Facts of Employment Pass (EP)

An Employment Pass (EP) is a work visa issued to foreign professionals with specialized skills, managers, and company directors who want to work and live in Singapore.

The pass is valid for up to 2 years for first-time candidates, and up to 3 years for renewals.

Experienced tech professionals with skills in shortage may be eligible for a longer 5-year duration pass.

Employment Pass eligibility

• Persons of any nationality or citizenship can apply for an Employment Pass.

• Be hired or employed by a registered company in Singapore.

• Candidate must work in a managerial, executive or specialised job.

• Candidate must earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$5,000 for graduates of accredited institutions. More experienced candidates are required to have commensurately higher salaries to qualify, which increases with age.

• As of February 1, 2022, candidates must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

From September 1, 2023, Employment Pass candidates must pass a two-stage eligibility framework. Besides meeting the qualifying salary (Stage 1), candidates must meet the required a minimum of 40 points under the new points-based Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) (Stage 2) to be eligible. The new COMPASS system will evaluate applications based on the individual's set of qualifications and company attributes. Points can be scored on four foundational criteria (salary, qualifications, diversity and support for local employment) and two bonus criteria (skills bonus and strategic economic priority bonus). The program also considers certain cases when the applicants are exempted from COMPASS.

Required documents

• Personal particulars page of candidate's passport

• Company's latest business profile or instant information registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)

• Candidate's educational certificates

• Verification proof of qualification by background screening companies

• Written consent from candidate allowing the company or employment agency to apply for EP on his or her behalf

• Any additional documents that MOM may request

Note that all documents must be in English or translated into English.