Frequently asked questions
Nine guides, each answering one question fully. They cover setting up a company in Singapore, applying for an Employment Pass and appealing a rejection, the conditions that come with a work pass, bringing your family, renewing a pass, working as a spouse, applying for permanent residency, and the recruitment rules our agency works under.
Every figure on these pages comes from a published government source, and each page lists those sources at the foot with the date printed on them. Where a source does not say something, we say so rather than filling the gap.
MOM EA Licence No. 21C0488
Starting a business in Singapore
Setting up a company in Singapore
How a foreign founder registers a Singapore company: local residency, directors and the company secretary, the registered office, and the steps on Bizfile.
Work passes
Applying for an Employment Pass
Who applies for an Employment Pass, the two eligibility stages, COMPASS, the documents required, the timeline, and how long the pass lasts.
If an Employment Pass application is rejected
What MOM publishes about appealing a rejected Employment Pass: the three-month window, who may appeal, what changes the outcome, and how long it takes.
Work pass conditions and your protection
The conditions a Work Permit holder and their employer must meet, the fees an employer may never pass to a worker, and where the rules differ by pass type.
Renewing a work pass
Renewing an Employment Pass or Dependant’s Pass: how early to apply, what is checked again, what renewing early and late means, and how to end a pass properly.
If your spouse wants to work
How a Dependant’s Pass holder can work in Singapore now: the DP-Work Permit, taking an Employment Pass or S Pass instead, running a business, and volunteering.
Family and residency
Bringing your family to Singapore
The Dependant’s Pass and the two different Long-Term Visit Passes: which agency issues which, who qualifies, who applies and how long it takes.
Applying for Permanent Residency
Permanent residency in Singapore as ICA publishes it: who may apply, how ICA assesses an application, how it is made, and what follows the outcome.
About our agency
Fair recruitment rules for employment agencies
Fair recruitment licence conditions an employment agency works under: what they require, what we report to MOM, and the fee limit protecting workers.
If your question is not answered here
The help assistant on every page answers more than a dozen shorter questions about work passes, COMPASS, required documents and SAT verification, and those answers are readable without JavaScript on the help page. If you would rather ask a person, send us the details of the role you are hiring for or the pass you need help with and a consultant will reply.