Employment Pass Application Fee
$0.00
Per Application Inclusive Of MOM Cost
Our Services Include:
- Assistance in completing the self-assessment tools with MOM
- EP Online filing of “Employment Pass Application”
- Pre-application advising on Singapore Employment Pass (EP) and gathering of the necessary information
- Tracking EP application status while under processing
- Liaise with direct MOM officer in charge when necessary
- Responding to MOM’s request for additional information as necessary
- Arranging for issuance of Employment Pass upon in-principle approval
- Filing of appeal in case of rejection of EP application
Apply Employment Pass
“Apply Employment Pass” allows foreign professionals, managers and executives to work in Singapore.
Candidates need to earn at least $4,500 a month and have acceptable qualifications.
Employers must also demonstrate that they have fairly considered all jobseekers.
Employment Pass Application Process Singapore
Before applying
- Consider all candidates fairly
- Know the eligibility and requirements
- Check the documents required for applying
Before the candidate arrives in Singapore
- Apply Employment pass
After the candidate arrives in Singapore
- Get the EP pass issued
- Register fingerprints and photo
- Receive the pass card
As and when required
- Notify MOM of changes
- Renew Employment Pass
- Replace a lost or damaged pass card
- Cancel Employment Pass
Applying Employment Pass Procedure
Who can apply EP
An employer or appointed licence employment agent needs to apply on behalf of the candidate.
Note: You are required to advertise your job opening on MyCareersFuture to consider all applicants fairly, before you can apply for an Employment Pass. When you apply for the pass, select the option to be considered for both the EP and the S Pass
Who is it intended for
Foreign professionals who meet the eligibility requirements and have a work offer in Singapore.
Salary that qualifies for EP
A fixed monthly salary of at least $4,500 is required (more experienced candidates need higher salaries).
What is the validity period
The validity period of the pass is as follows:
- Candidates who are applying for the first time: up to two years
- Renewals are possible for up to three years.
Can EP be renewed
Yes. Find out how to renew Employment Pass
Any passes for family
Yes, Available for eligible pass holders.
Levy or quota
Levy or quota is not required for employment pass holder
Medical insurance
Employers have the option of providing medical insurance to EP holders.
Consider all candidates fairly
Consider all candidates fairly before you apply for an Employment Pass
Before applying for an Employment Pass (EP), you must advertise the job on MyCareersFuture and consider all candidates fairly. This is expected of all employers.
Fair Consideration Framework (FCF)
The Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) sets out the requirements for all employers in Singapore to consider candidates fairly for job opportunities. Employers should not discriminate candidates based on non-job related characteristics such as age, gender, nationality or race.
All employers in Singapore are expected to adhere to the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices.
Consider all candidates fairly
To promote fair employment practices and improve labour market transparency, employers submitting EP applications must first advertise on MyCareersFuture, and consider all candidates fairly.
Advertising requirements
The advertisement should clearly explain the job requirements and salary offered to attract the right candidates.
We will reject any EP applications linked to advertisements that are discriminatory or do not represent the job accurately:
- The advertisement must not contain discriminatory words or phrases - see examples.
- The job advertised must match the occupation in the EP application.
- The employer submitting the EP application must be the same as the one in the job advertisement.
- The salary offered must be clear, specific, and consistent. Therefore the salary range advertised:
- Must be visible to all candidates and cannot be hidden.
- Cannot be too broad, i.e. the maximum salary cannot exceed two times of the minimum salary.
- Must contain the salary offered to the EP candidate.
- The advertisement must be open for at least 28 days to allow job seekers to view and apply for the vacancy.
If you change any advertisement details (e.g. job title, salary or number of vacancies), you must keep it open for at least another 28 days before you can submit the EP application. This is to ensure that job seekers are aware of the updated job details and have a chance to apply for it.
Job advertisements that have expired or have closed for more than 3 months cannot be used for EP applications. You must advertise the vacancy again to reach out to other job seekers.
- If you are using an advertisement for multiple EP applications, the total number of EP applications cannot exceed the number of vacancies in the advertisement.
Exemption from advertising requirement
All employers must practise fair hiring even if their job vacancies can be exempted from advertising.
For practical reasons, you don’t need to advertise on MyCareersFuture if you meet any of the following requirements:
- Your company has fewer than 10 employees.
- The fixed monthly salary for the vacancy is $20,000 and above.
- The role is short-term, i.e. not more than 1 month.
- The role is to be filled by a local transferee, i.e. an existing employee from your company in Singapore transferring to another related branch, subsidiary, or affiliate in Singapore.
- The role is to be filled by a candidate choosing to apply as an overseas intra-corporate transferee under the World Trade Organisation’s General Agreement on Trade in Services or an applicable Free Trade Agreement that Singapore is party to.
Eligibility for Employment Pass
Only eligible candidates will be considered for an Employment Pass. Criteria include a minimum salary of $4,500 and acceptable qualifications. Use the Self-Assessment Tool to check a candidate’s eligibility before you apply.
Who is eligible
The Employment Pass is for foreign professionals who:
- Have a job offer in Singapore.
- Work in a managerial, executive or specialised job.
- Earn a fixed monthly salary of at least $4,500 (older, more experienced candidates need higher salaries).
- Have acceptable qualifications, usually a good university degree, professional qualifications or specialised skills.
Application for an Employment Pass is open to all nationalities.
Use the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) to check if the candidate qualifies for the pass.
Salaries for younger or older candidates
Young graduates from good institutions can qualify if they earn at least $4,500.
Older, more experienced candidates need higher salaries to qualify.
From 1 September 2020, the minimum qualifying salary will be raised to $4,500 for new applications. From 1 December 2020, the minimum qualifying salary for EP candidates in the financial services sector will be raised to $5,000 for new applications. The qualifying salaries for older and more experienced candidates in their 40s will be raised correspondingly and will remain around double the minimum qualifying salary for the youngest applicants. The new salary criteria will apply to those renewing their EPs if their passes are expiring from 1 May 2021.
You can find out more about which firms are considered to be part of the Financial Services sector.
Acceptable qualifications
We do not accept qualifications from unaccredited institutions.
To check if an institution is accredited, you can use:
- Global verification agencies such as Dataflow or Risk Management Intelligence (RMI)
- International accreditation bodies
- Awarding country’s educational authorities
We don’t have a list of approved institutions. Instead, we evaluate each application on its own merit, based on a wide range of factors such as the candidate’s salary, track records, work experience, skill sets and global and countries’ rankings of institutions.
Self-Assessment Tool (SAT)
We encourage you to use the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) to get an indication of whether a candidate meets the Employment Pass requirements. Candidates can also use the tool to assess their eligibility.
If the SAT shows that the candidate is not eligible, you shouldn't apply for the Employment Pass because it will be rejected.
If the SAT shows that the candidate is eligible, there is around a 90% chance that the candidate will get a pass.
Documents required for Employment Pass
You need to upload documents (e.g. candidate’s educational certificates and passport page showing personal particulars).
You need to upload these documents when submitting an Employment Pass application:
- Personal particulars page of candidate’s passport.
If the candidate’s name on the passport is different from their other documents, you must include either of the following:
- Explanation letter and supporting documents, e.g. deed poll
- An affidavit
- Company’s latest business profile or instant information registered with ACRA.
- Candidate’s educational certificates, e.g. degree certificate. You need to upload additional documents for:
Diploma and above qualifications from | Additional documents required
India
- Transcripts or marksheets for all semesters stating the college attended
China
Verification proof from one of these sources:
- Diploma: Online Verification Report of Higher Education Qualification Certificate from China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHSI)
- Diploma and above: Global verification agencies, e.g. Avvanz, Dataflow, eeCheck or Risk Management Intelligence (RMI)
- Degree and above: China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center (CDGDC)
Institutions not found in the application form’s drop-down list
- Verification proof from a global verification agency, e.g. Avvanz, Dataflow, eeCheck or RMI
MOM may ask for other documents when they review the application.
For non-English documents, you must upload the original document together with an English translation as 1 file. The translation can be done by a translation service provider.
Employers are responsible for ensuring that their candidates’ qualifications are genuine and were awarded by accredited institutions.
If you’re asked for a verification proof, it must meet these requirements:
You need to upload additional documents for the following:
For regional representatives of overseas companies
You need:
- A copy of the approval letter from Enterprise Singapore for setting up the representative office in Singapore.
- A letter from the representative’s office headquarters stating:
- The purpose of the application.
- The duration of the candidate’s assignment.
- A guarantee for the maintenance and repatriation of the candidate.
For healthcare professionals, lawyers, football players or coaches
You need supporting documents from the respective professional bodies:
| Occupation | Professional body |
| Dentist | Singapore Dental Council |
| Diagnostic radiographer | Allied Health Professions Council |
| Doctor | Singapore Medical Council |
| Emergency medical technician | Unit for Prehospital Emergency Care |
| Football player or coach | Sport Singapore |
| Lawyer | Legal Services Regulatory Authority |
| Nurse | Singapore Nursing Board |
| Occupational therapist | Allied Health Professions Council |
| Paramedic | Unit for Prehospital Emergency Care |
| Pharmacist | Singapore Pharmacy Council |
| Physiotherapist | Allied Health Professions Council |
| Radiation therapist | Allied Health Professions Council |
| Speech therapist | Allied Health Professions Council |
| TCM practitioner | Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board |
For employees in a food establishment
A copy of the foodshop licence issued by Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
If you have a new establishment and don't have the licence yet, you can submit a copy of the “Application for Foodshop Licence” letter issued to you by SFA.
Submit An EP Application
To submit an EP application:
- Get a written consent to apply for Employment Pass from the candidate.
- Submit application via EP online and upload the required documents.
- MOM cost $105 fee for each application
- Check application status after 3 weeks. It may take longer if additional information is required.
- If the pass is approved, Print the in-principle approval (IPA) letter.
Send the pass holder’s copy of the IPA to the candidate. It has a pre-approved single-entry visa for the candidate to enter Singapore.
The IPA gives you 6 months to bring the candidate to Singapore and get the pass issued. It also states whether the candidate needs to go for a medical examination, which can be done after arrival in Singapore.
Get Employment Pass issued
When: Within 6 months of in-principle approval
Processing time: Immediate
The candidate must be in Singapore when you carry out these steps to get the pass issued:
- Provide the required information and documents via EP online
- MOM fees
- $225 for each pass
- (If applicable) $30 for each Multiple Journey Visa
- Once the pass is issued, the candidate and you will both receive the notification letter by email.
The notification letter:
- Allows the candidate to start work and travel in and out of Singapore while waiting for the pass card.
- States if the candidate needs to have their fingerprints and photo taken for the card registration.
- Is valid for 1 month from the date of issue. If the candidate needs more time to complete the card registration procedures, you can request to extend the validity of the notification letter.
What we need
We will need the following information to get the pass issued:
- Candidate's passport details
- Candidate’s Singapore contact details
- Candidate's current Short-Term Visit Pass (STVP) or immigration pass details
- Candidate's Singapore residential address, which must meet the housing requirements for you to get the pass issued.
- Singapore residential or office address to receive the candidate’s card
- Details of up to 3 authorised recipients to receive the card (their mobile number, email address and NRIC number / FIN / passport number)
We may also need to upload PDF copies of these documents:
- Candidate’s passport page showing the date of arrival in Singapore
- Completed medical examination form or medical declaration form
- Completed declaration form (attached to the candidate's in-principle approval letter). The employer’s declaration of the form should be signed by an authorised human resource personnel, or an employee holding at least a managerial position.
Example: If the STVP expires on 10 February, please only submit the request from 3 February.
Register fingerprints and photo taking
When: Within 2 weeks after pass is issued (if required)
Check the notification letter for whether the candidate needs to register fingerprints and photo.
For registration, you must make an appointment for the candidate to visit the Employment Pass Services Centre (EPSC). The candidate has to register within 2 weeks after the pass is issued.
The candidate should bring along these documents for the appointment:
- Original passport
- Appointment letter
- Notification letter
- Documents listed in the IPA letter and notification letter
Receive The EP Card
When: 4 working days after registration or document verification
MOM will deliver the card to the given address 4 working days after the candidate registers and gets document verified.
If the candidate does not have to register, we will deliver the card 4 working days after checking the documents.
The authorised recipients will get an SMS or email with the delivery details at least 1 working day before the delivery.
You can also check the card delivery details in EP Online.
Download SGWorkPass to scan QR code on your new card to check status, expiry date and more.
If card delivery fails
After two unsuccessful deliveries, you’ll have to collect the card at MOM Services Centre – Hall C.
The candidate or an authorised person can collect it 3 working days after the second attempted delivery. They don’t need an appointment.
Bring along these documents for the card collection:
- Candidate’s original passport.
- Notification letter.
If you authorise someone to collect it on your behalf, make sure they bring these along:
An authorised letter from the employer.
NRIC or passport for verification.