Singapore work passes explained: which one fits you?

Work down the list and stop at the first yes. Salary here means fixed monthly salary; MOM checks it against the figure for your age and sector.

• Have you earned at least S$30,000 a month for the last 12 months at an established company, or do you have outstanding achievements in arts, sport or research? Look at the ONE Pass.
• Do you already earn at least S$22,500 a month, and want a pass not tied to one employer? Consider the Personalised Employment Pass. On an EP at that salary, COMPASS doesn’t apply.
• Is your offer a professional, managerial or executive role paying at least the EP qualifying salary for your age? Employment Pass, if it scores 40 COMPASS points.
• Is it a skilled associate professional or technician role paying at least S$3,300 (more with age)? S Pass, subject to your employer’s quota.
• Are you 18–25 and studying at, or a graduate of, a university in one of the listed countries? The Work Holiday Programme, for up to six months. Australian and New Zealand citizens aged 18–30 have their own 12-month programme.

Employers and agents can run MOM’s Self-Assessment Tool before applying. Ask your future employer to run it for your offer; it is the most reliable check short of the real application.

Stage 1 is the qualifying salary, benchmarked to the top third of local PMET salaries by age. For new applications it is S$5,600 a month at 23 or below, rising progressively to S$10,700 at 45 and above, and S$6,200 to S$11,800 in financial services. From 1 January 2027 new applications need S$6,000 to S$11,500 (financial services S$6,600 to S$12,700); renewals follow for passes expiring from 1 January 2028. Miss stage 1 and no COMPASS score can save the application.

Stage 2 is COMPASS: 40 points, unless the salary is at least S$22,500, you are an overseas intra-corporate transferee, or the role lasts a month or less. Before applying, the employer must advertise the job on MyCareersFuture for 14 consecutive days, unless exempt: firms with fewer than 10 employees, salaries of S$22,500 or more, roles of a month or less, and intra-group transfers.

The employer or its appointed agent applies. The fees are S$105 to apply and S$225 to issue the pass, and MOM processes or updates most online applications within 10 business days. A first EP lasts up to two years and renewals up to three. Experienced tech professionals in specific shortage occupations can get up to five years if they pass COMPASS with at least 10 diversity points and meet a higher salary (currently from S$10,700 at 36 or below).

Each of the four core criteria awards 0, 10 or 20 points: salary against local PMET pay in the sector (10 from the 65th percentile, 20 from the 90th), qualifications (10 for a degree-equivalent, 20 for a top-tier institution), your nationality’s share of the firm’s PMETs (20 under 5%, 10 under 25%) and the firm’s share of local PMETs compared with its sector. Firms with fewer than 25 PMETs get 10 by default on the last two. A shortage occupation adds up to 20 and strategic economic priorities 10.

• A software developer at a 20-person start-up with a non-top-tier degree and a salary at the 70th percentile: 10 (salary) + 10 (degree) + 10 + 10 (small-firm defaults) = 40. Passes.
• The same developer at a large bank where their nationality is 30% of PMETs and the bank’s local share is low: 10 + 10 + 0 + 0 = 20. Software developer is on the Shortage Occupation List, and because their nationality is under a third of the bank’s PMETs, the bonus is 20: 40, a pass. At 35% the bonus would be 10 and the offer would fail.

If the application needs qualification points, the employer submits verification proof with your degree. If it needs the shortage-occupation bonus, MOM checks your duties, experience and qualifications against that occupation, and you can then only work in it. These examples are illustrations; the employer’s Self-Assessment Tool gives the real score.

The S Pass covers skilled workers in associate professional and technician roles. The qualifying salary is S$3,300 a month at 23 or below, rising to S$4,800 at 45 and above (financial services S$3,800 to S$5,650). From 1 January 2027 new applications need S$3,600 to S$5,100 (financial services S$4,000 to S$5,650), with renewals following for passes expiring from 1 January 2028. MOM also expects the minimum to reach around S$4,000 to S$4,500 by about 2030.

Declaring qualifications is optional, but a declared one must be genuine and from an accredited institution. There is no COMPASS, but the employer pays a levy and is limited by a quota, and the same 14-day advertising rule applies. A first S Pass lasts up to two years and renewals up to three. Because the quota is the employer’s, an S Pass offer from a firm already at its limit may not be possible, however strong you are.

The ONE Pass is a personalised pass for top talent. The salary route needs a fixed monthly salary of at least S$30,000 for the 12 consecutive months before applying, from one employer with a market capitalisation of at least US$500 million or annual revenue of at least US$200 million; outstanding achievers in sport, arts and culture, or academia and research can qualify without the salary. Existing pass holders need at least a year of work in Singapore first. It lasts up to five years, lets you start, run and work for several companies at once, and lets your spouse work on a Letter of Consent.

The Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) is for high-earning EP holders and overseas professionals on at least S$22,500 a month. It isn’t tied to an employer, but you must keep earning at least S$270,000 a year, may not start a business on it, and must cancel it if you are unemployed for more than six months.

Tech.Pass is closing: EDB and MOM will not accept new or renewal applications from 28 January 2027. It is being replaced by a ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track from January 2027, which will let tech leaders meet the S$30,000 criterion with a fixed salary of at least S$22,500 plus vested stock such as ESOPs, alongside company-size and five-year experience criteria.

If you are 18 to 25 and an undergraduate or graduate of a university in Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK or the US, the Work Holiday Programme lets you stay and work for up to six months. It is capped at 2,000 pass holders at any one time. Undergraduates must have been full-time students there for at least three months before applying.

Australian and New Zealand citizens aged 18 to 30 with a degree, or two years of full-time undergraduate study, can use the separate Work and Holiday Visa Programme for up to 12 months. Either way, treat it as a foot in the door: a strong six months is the best argument for an employer to sponsor an EP afterwards.

An EP belongs to the employer that applied for it. A new employer applies for a new pass, and MOM says even a move to a related company in the same group needs a new application. Don’t resign until the new IPA is in hand.

When employment ends, the employer cancels the pass. A Short-Term Visit Pass then lets you stay for up to 90 days, but you cannot work, even while waiting to leave. That makes your savings, not the pass, the real limit on a job search after a layoff; our guide to getting back on track after a layoff covers the search itself.

EP and S Pass holders earning at least S$6,000 a month, sponsored by an established Singapore-registered company, can bring a legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21 on a Dependant’s Pass. Common-law spouses, step-children and handicapped children over 21 can come on a Long-Term Visit Pass, and EP holders earning at least S$12,000 can bring parents on one.

A Dependant’s Pass is not a work pass. For your partner to work, an employer applies for an EP, S Pass or DP-Work Permit, or your partner gets a Letter of Consent to run their own business. ONE Pass holders’ spouses can work on a Letter of Consent. See the accompanying partners guide for rebuilding a career after the move.

EP and S Pass holders can apply for permanent residence to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). There is no published points threshold: ICA weighs family ties to Singaporeans, economic contribution, qualifications, age, family profile and length of residence, and aims to process applications within six months once all documents are in.