Singapore Employment Pass vs Singapore EntrePass
A factual side-by-side comparison of two residency programmes. All figures are drawn from the canonical program pages — follow either link in the table header for sources and the full profile.
Key Differences at a Glance
- ›Singapore Employment Pass is faster: 1 months vs 2 months for Singapore EntrePass.
Singapore Employment Pass Singapore · skilled worker | Singapore EntrePass Singapore · entrepreneur | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Singapore | Singapore |
| Category | Skilled Worker | Entrepreneur |
| Application Fee | $110 | $150 |
| Minimum Income | $3,700 /mo | — |
| Minimum Investment | — | — |
| Processing Time | 1 months | 2 months |
| Family Included | Dependant's Pass for spouse and children under 21 if earning SGD $6,000+/month; Long-Term Visit Pass for lower earners. | Dependant's Pass available for spouse and children under 21; Long-Term Visit Pass available for parents and parents-in-law. |
| Path to PR | Yes — 2 years | Yes — 2 years |
| Path to Citizenship | Yes — 8 years | Yes — 8 years |
| Physical Presence | Must work and reside in Singapore; continuous physical presence expected. Extended absences may affect PR eligibility. | Must actively manage the business in Singapore; substantial physical presence required for renewal. |
| Dual Citizenship | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Tax Impact | Employment Pass holders are Singapore tax residents if they work 183+ days in a calendar year. Singapore taxes only Singapore-sourced income for most residents. | Singapore taxes income sourced in Singapore; foreign-sourced income remitted to Singapore may also be taxable. No capital gains tax. |
| Tax Residency Trigger | 183 days/yr | 183 days/yr |
| Worldwide Taxation | Territorial | Territorial |
| Renewal Cost | $110 | $150 |
About Singapore Employment Pass
The Singapore Employment Pass (EP) is the standard work visa for foreign professionals, managers, and executives with a job offer from a Singapore-registered employer, which must sponsor the application. The minimum qualifying salary is SGD $5,000/month (~$3,700 USD) for most sectors, rising to roughly SGD $5,600–6,800/month for financial services, with higher bars for older or more experienced candidates under the points-based COMPASS framework (September 2023), which also weighs the employer's existing workforce diversity — a strong candidate can still be refused if the employer's nationality mix scores poorly. Dependants qualify for a Dependant's Pass if the holder earns SGD $6,000+/month, otherwise a Long-Term Visit Pass. There is no fixed PR timeline: holders commonly apply after 2–3 years, but approval is fully discretionary, weighing salary, tax contribution, age, and family ties. Citizenship can follow roughly 2 years after PR, though Singapore bars dual citizenship. Singapore taxes only Singapore-sourced income for residents (183-day trigger); EP holders receive no CPF contributions, and male children who gain citizenship become subject to National Service.
Full Singapore Employment Pass profile →About Singapore EntrePass
The Singapore EntrePass is an entrepreneur route for founders launching innovative, scalable Singapore companies. Its defining eligibility: the business must be venture-backed (by a MOM-recognised, MAS-licensed investor), incubator-supported, or IP-driven, and the applicant must incorporate a private limited company and hold at least 30% shareholding; hawker, food-court, and employment-agency businesses are excluded. There is no minimum salary, though personal financial viability is assessed. The application fee is about SGD 105 (~USD 150), with realistic first-year costs of SGD 10,000–20,000, and MOM targets eight-week processing. Spouse and children under 21 receive Dependant's Passes and may work. Permanent residency can be sought after two years and citizenship around eight years—but PR is discretionary, and Singapore does NOT allow dual citizenship, so naturalisation requires full renunciation. Renewal is not automatic and demands demonstrable business progress. Singapore taxes on a territorial basis (no capital gains tax), and a Startup Tax Exemption gives 75% relief on the first SGD 100,000 of income for three years.
Full Singapore EntrePass profile →Gotchas to Watch For
Singapore Employment Pass
- ⚠COMPASS framework (from Sep 2023) means even high-salary candidates can be rejected if their employer's workforce diversity score is low — the employer's existing nationality mix affects your application
- ⚠Financial services sector has a higher salary threshold: SGD 6,800/month (vs SGD 5,600 general). Revised upward from SGD 5,000 as of September 2023.
- ⚠EP does NOT grant CPF contributions — no mandatory savings scheme. This impacts long-term financial planning differently from local employment.
- ⚠Singapore does NOT allow dual citizenship
- ⚠EP is tied to employer — if you change jobs, new EP application required (employer must reapply from scratch)
- ⚠PR application is fully discretionary — many EP holders with strong profiles are rejected without explanation
- ⚠National Service applies to male Singapore citizens and PR holders — male children who obtain Singapore citizenship are subject to NS obligations at age 16-18
Singapore EntrePass
- ⚠The "VC funding" qualifier must be from a MOM-recognised, MAS-licensed investor — a term sheet from an unrecognised angel or family investment will be rejected
- ⚠EntrePass renewal is NOT automatic — MOM expects demonstrable business progress at each renewal. No progress = no pass
- ⚠Singapore does NOT allow dual citizenship — naturalisation requires full renunciation
- ⚠There is no minimum salary requirement for EntrePass (unlike Employment Pass) — but personal financial viability is assessed
- ⚠EntrePass holders do NOT qualify for CPF contributions (personal) — no CPF for your own retirement unless hiring Singapore citizens/PRs
- ⚠Business plan must show Singapore-specific operations; companies that simply "relocate" without local activity are rejected
- ⚠Spouse/children on Dependant's Pass can work in Singapore (spouse may apply for Letter of Consent to work without separate EP)
Neutral reference — we don't recommend one programme over another. Programmes change: always verify each detail against the official source linked on the individual program pages.