Singapore Tech.Pass
Singapore SGP
Tech.Pass is Singapore's open, employer-independent work pass for senior technology leaders, founders, and investors, administered by the Economic Development Board (EDB). Unlike the Employment Pass or EntrePass, Tech.Pass is not tied to any single employer or company — holders can simultaneously found and run one or more tech companies, work as an employee, serve as a consultant, mentor, or lecturer, and sit on company boards, all under one pass.
Eligibility requires both a last-drawn fixed monthly salary of at least SGD 22,500 and at least 5 cumulative years in a leading role at a company valued above US$500 million (or with US$30 million+ raised) or a tech investment firm managing US$500 million+.
The pass is issued for 2 years initially and can be renewed once for another 2 years — a maximum of 4 years total — after which holders must transition to another long-term Singapore status such as the Employment Pass or permanent residency. Renewal requires meeting one of three continued-engagement tests tied to income, business spending and local hiring, or funding raised.
Program Details
- Category
- Skilled Worker
- Processing Time
- 2 months
- Application Fee
- $244
- Minimum Income
- $16,650/mo
- Minimum Investment
- —
- Family Included
- Spouse and children may be sponsored on a Dependant's Pass; parents may be sponsored on a Long-Term Visit Pass, each subject to separate Ministry of Manpower criteria and fees.
- Path to PR
- Yes — 2 years
- Path to Citizenship
- Yes — 8 years
- Physical Presence
- Must be substantively based in Singapore to sustain the qualifying leading-role/business activity; no explicit minimum day-count is published, but renewal requires demonstrating continued economic engagement with Singapore.
- Dual Citizenship
- Not allowed
- Tax Impact
- Holders who spend 183+ days/year in Singapore are Singapore tax residents, taxed on Singapore-sourced income at progressive rates (0-24%); foreign-source income not remitted to Singapore is generally exempt. No capital gains tax.
- Renewal Cost
- $244
Must have a last-drawn FIXED monthly salary of at least SGD 22,500 (~$16,650 USD) within the past year — 'fixed' explicitly excludes bonuses, variable pay, and equity-based compensation. Applicants must also show at least 5 cumulative years (within the past 10) in a leading role at either a tech company valued/capitalised at US$500 million+ or having raised US$30 million+ in funding, OR a tech-focused venture-capital/investment firm with US$500 million+ in assets under management.
Application Timeline
Apply
2mo processing
Visa Granted
Initial permit
Permanent Residency
After 2 years
Citizenship
After 8 years
Key Requirements
- ✓Last-drawn fixed monthly salary of at least SGD 22,500 (~$16,650) within the past year, excluding bonus, variable pay, and equity
- ✓At least 5 cumulative years within the past 10 in a leading role at a tech company valued/capitalised at US$500 million+ or having raised US$30 million+, OR a tech VC/investment firm with US$500 million+ AUM
- ✓Valid passport
- ✓Clean background and regulatory checks
- ✓For renewal: meet one of three continued-engagement tests (income, business spend + local hiring, or funding raised)
Am I eligible for Singapore Tech.Pass?
Quick self-check based on the published criteria. Not legal advice. No data leaves your browser.
Minimum monthly income
Programme requires $16,650/month.
Fill in the fields above to see a verdict.
This is a heuristic, not a determination. Final eligibility depends on full documentation and immigration-officer discretion.
Application Process — Step by Step
- 01
Confirm eligibility
home countryVerify the fixed-salary test and the 5-cumulative-year leading-role/track-record test, and gather supporting documentation.
Typical duration: 2-4 weeks
- 02
Submit application
onlineApply via EDB's online FormSG submission portal and pay the SGD 105 application fee.
Typical duration: Not officially publishedsource ↗
- 03
EDB assessment
onlineEDB reviews salary and track-record evidence.
Typical duration: Several weeks (no published SLA)
- 04
Pay issuance fee and collect pass
destinationPay the SGD 225 issuance fee and receive the Tech.Pass.
Typical duration: 1-2 weeks
- 05
Apply for dependant passes
destinationIf relocating with family, apply for a Dependant's Pass or Long-Term Visit Pass.
Typical duration: 2-6 weeks
Documents Required
| Document | Issued By | Apostille | Translate to | Validity (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valid passport | Home country passport authority | No | — | — |
| Salary/compensation evidence (payslips, tax filings, employment letters) | Employer / tax authority | No | en | 365 |
| Proof of leading-role tenure at a qualifying company/fund | Employer | No | en | — |
| Company valuation/funding evidence | Company / investors | No | en | — |
Realistic Costs
Government fees (SGD 105 application + SGD 225 issuance) are officially published by EDB; all other line items are general relocation-cost estimates for this income tier, not official figures.
Realistic Timeline
- Decision → arrival6 weeks
- Residence card issuance2 weeks
- Total to residence card6–12 weeks
EDB does not publish a formal processing-time SLA for Tech.Pass; anecdotal reports suggest 4-8 weeks to decision.
Renewal
- First renewal after
- 24 months
- Subsequent cycle
- 24 months
- Renewal fee
- $244
- Requirements
- Must meet one of three tests: at least SGD 270,000 in assessable income per the latest IRAS Notice of Assessment; at least SGD 100,000 in annual business spending plus at least 1 local professional/manager/executive hire (or 3 local qualifying staff); or the holder's tech company raising US$10 million+ cumulative funding in the trailing 36 months from EDB-recognised investors.
Path to Permanent Residency — Details
Some details in this section are industry estimates or general guidance rather than officially verified — confirm against the official source before relying on them.
- Years required
- 2
- Integration test
- Not required
Path to Citizenship — Details
Some details in this section are industry estimates or general guidance rather than officially verified — confirm against the official source before relying on them.
- Years required
- 8
- Language test
- No
- Civic test
- Required
- Oath
- Required
- Dual citizenship
- Not allowed
Tax Residency
- Trigger
- 183 days/year of presence
- Taxation scope
- Territorial (in-country only)
- Exit-tax country
- No
Special regimes
- Singapore Territorial TaxationProgressive personal income tax 0-24% on Singapore-sourced income (24% top rate applies above SGD 1,000,000 chargeable income since YA2024; 22% for SGD 320,000-1,000,000); foreign-source income not remitted to Singapore generally exempt.
Singapore tax residents (183+ days/year in Singapore).
source ↗
Health Insurance
Some details in this section are industry estimates or general guidance rather than officially verified — confirm against the official source before relying on them.
- Mandatory
- No
- No co-pay required
- No
Banking Setup
Some details in this section are industry estimates or general guidance rather than officially verified — confirm against the official source before relying on them.
- Open account before arrival
- Not typically possible before arrival
Bridge fintechs
Local banks accepting applicants
DBS, OCBC, UOB
Family Specifics
- Spouse work rights
- A Dependant's Pass spouse may separately apply for a Letter of Consent or their own work pass; the Dependant's Pass itself does not include automatic work rights.
- Child school enrolment
- Full access to Singapore's extensive international school sector; local public-school admission for dependents is more restricted and subject to availability/quotas.
- Parent inclusion
- Eligible
- Sibling inclusion
- Not eligible
Gotchas — Things to Watch For
- ⚠Fixed salary excludes bonus, variable pay, and equity — many senior tech hires with heavy equity compensation will fail the SGD 22,500 fixed-salary test even at much higher total comp.
- ⚠The track-record test requires 5 CUMULATIVE years at qualifying-scale companies within the past 10 — time at smaller or earlier-stage companies doesn't count, even if impressive.
- ⚠Maximum total duration is 4 years (2+2) — unlike the ONE Pass, Tech.Pass is not designed for indefinite renewal; plan your longer-term Singapore status (EP, PR) before it expires.
- ⚠No employer sponsors this pass, which also means no employer safety net — the holder is personally responsible for all fees and for maintaining eligibility.
- ⚠EDB launched Tech.Pass with an initial cap of 500 places on a first-come-first-served basis — confirm current intake/quota status before assuming automatic acceptance.
What This Visa Does NOT Allow
- ×Does not itself grant permanent residency or citizenship — those remain separate, discretionary applications
- ×Does not extend beyond a 4-year maximum — holders must transition to another pass (EP, PR) for longer-term status
- ×Does not include automatic health coverage — holders must arrange their own insurance
Before You Arrive — Checklist
- Compile 12 months of fixed-salary payslips/compensation statements
- Gather documentary proof of the employer/fund's valuation, funding round, or assets under management
- Prepare passport and supporting corporate documents
After You Arrive — Checklist
- Register any Singapore company under the Tech.Pass founder activity with ACRA
- Apply for Dependant's Pass/Long-Term Visit Pass for family members if relocating
- Set up Singapore banking
Common Rejection Reasons
- •Fixed-salary calculation improperly includes bonus, variable pay, or equity, causing a shortfall against the SGD 22,500 threshold
- •Leading-role tenure not clearly at a company meeting the valuation/funding/AUM bar
- •Track record spread across several smaller companies that individually don't meet the US$500M/US$30M bar
- •Weak or unverifiable documentation of company valuation or funding rounds
Recent Legislative Changes
2021-01-01
Tech.Pass launched by EDB with an initial cap of 500 places, targeting senior tech leaders, founders, and investors as part of Singapore's push to attract top global tech talent.source ↗
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a job offer to get the Tech.Pass?+
No — Tech.Pass is not tied to any employer. Holders can found companies, work as an employee, consult, mentor, teach, or serve on boards, simultaneously, all under one pass.
What if my compensation is mostly equity or bonus?+
The SGD 22,500 threshold applies only to FIXED base salary — bonuses, variable pay, and equity are explicitly excluded, so high-equity compensation packages may not qualify even at a much higher total value.
How is this different from the ONE Pass?+
Both are elite, employer-independent passes, but Tech.Pass is specifically tech-focused with a track-record test tied to company valuation/funding/AUM, and is capped at 4 years total (2+2). The ONE Pass uses a broader high-income or exceptional-achievement test and is designed for longer-term, indefinitely renewable status.
Can I stay in Singapore indefinitely on a Tech.Pass?+
No — the pass has a hard 4-year maximum (2 years initial + one 2-year renewal). Holders need to transition to another pass, such as the Employment Pass or permanent residency, before it expires.
Can my spouse work in Singapore on a Dependant's Pass?+
Not automatically — a Dependant's Pass holder needs a separate Letter of Consent or their own work pass to legally work in Singapore.
Good Fit For
Applying from a specific country? Your home-country tax rules, banking access, and dual-citizenship options affect every programme differently. Browse nationality guides → for tax obligations, renunciation rules, and second-passport routes.
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Sources & last verified
- Official source
- Last verified
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