Employment Pass (EP) 

An Employment Pass (EP) is a Singapore work visa issued to foreign professionals, employees, managers, executives, and owners or directors of Singapore companies. It allows them to work and stay in Singapore, as well as travel in and out without having to apply for an entry visa. It is open to all nationalities and is usually valid for up to 2 years with the possibility of renewal of up to 3 years.

Eligibility Criteria

EP candidates must pass a two-stage eligibility framework:

Stage 1 — Qualifying Salary

Candidates must earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$5,600 for most sectors, or S$6,200 for financial services. This is benchmarked against the top one-third of local PMET (Professionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians) salaries and rises progressively from age 23, up to S$10,700 (S$11,800 for financial services) at age 45 and above.

From 1 January 2027, new applications and renewals of passes expiring from 1 January 2028 will need to meet higher thresholds: S$6,000 for most sectors (rising to S$11,500 at age 45+) and S$6,600 for financial services (rising to S$12,700 at age 45+).

Stage 2 — COMPASS

Unless exempted, candidates must also pass the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS), a points-based system scoring six criteria:

C1 — Salary: how the offered salary compares to local benchmarks
C2 — Qualifications: recognised educational credentials
C3 — Diversity: the employer’s nationality mix
C4 — Support for Local Employment: the employer’s share of local PMET hires
C5 — Skills Bonus: whether the role is on the Shortage Occupation List
C6 — Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus: employer participation in eligible government programmes

A candidate needs at least 40 points to pass. Candidates are exempt from COMPASS if they meet any of the following:

• A fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500
• Applying as an overseas intra-corporate transferee
• Filling the role for 1 month or less

Note: candidates who don’t meet Stage 1 aren’t eligible, regardless of COMPASS score.

Employers and employment agents can use MOM’s Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) to check a candidate’s eligibility before applying. Fast-growing tech companies newly expanding to Singapore may also be eligible for the Tech@SG Programme.

Who can apply for an Employment Pass?

Only the employer or an authorized third party can apply for a candidate’s EP. If a company doesn’t have a registered office in Singapore, they need to get a Singapore-registered company to act as a local sponsor and submit the application.

Before submitting a new EP application, employers must first advertise the role on MyCareersFuture for at least 14 days and fairly consider all candidates, in line with the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF).

Can an EP holder take up a secondary directorship?

Generally, an EP holder can hold a position only in the company that has applied for their pass. But an EP holder can become a registered director of another company if it is a subsidiary or holding company of the company where the primary EP is applied. The EP holder would have to obtain a Letter of Consent (LOC) issued by MoM and be registered as a director with ACRA before carrying out their directorship duties.

Can EP holders get their families to Singapore?

Yes, an EP holder can bring their families to Singapore on either Dependant’s Pass (DP) or Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP), provided they earn a fixed monthly salary of S$6000. These passes too need to be applied by the employer or authorized third party.

If there are any changes to the particulars like company name and address, salary, employee’s residential address, nationality, marital status, or passport details of the EP holders or their dependents, either the employer or the EP pass holder has to notify MOM of the same.

With an Employment Pass, one can also apply for Permanent Residence (PR) in due course.

Navigating the EP qualifying salary and COMPASS assessment can be complex, especially for first-time applicants — HeySara’s work pass service manages the full application process, from eligibility checks through submission.