The Employment Pass is the pass a Singapore employer uses to hire a foreign professional, manager, executive or technician. There's no quota or foreign worker levy attached to it, and eligible family members can come along on their own passes. Before any of that though, the candidate has to clear a two-stage eligibility test, and the employer has to show they looked at local candidates first.
Stage 1: the qualifying salary
The candidate needs a fixed monthly salary starting from $5,600, rising with age up to $10,700 for those 45 and above. Financial services roles sit on a higher scale, from $6,200 up to $11,800. These bands are set to rise from 1 January 2027, to $6,000–$11,500 generally and $6,600–$12,700 in financial services, and the new bands will also apply to renewals expiring from 1 January 2028. Missing this bar rules out the application outright, and no amount of scoring well elsewhere makes up for it.
Stage 2: COMPASS
Once the salary bar is cleared, the application is scored on COMPASS, a points system needing 40 points to pass. Points come from the candidate's salary relative to sector benchmarks, their qualifications, how much their nationality diversifies the employer's existing workforce, and how strong the employer's local hiring already is, plus bonus points for shortage-list occupations or strategic economic programmes. Two of these criteria depend on the employer's own workforce mix, not just the candidate, so the same person can pass at one company and fall short at another. Candidates are exempt from COMPASS altogether if they earn at least $22,500 a month, are an overseas intra-corporate transferee, or are filling the role for a month or less.
Before applying
Employers must advertise the role on MyCareersFuture and fairly consider all applicants under the Fair Consideration Framework before they can apply. It's worth running the candidate through the Self-Assessment Tool first, since it checks both the salary bar and the COMPASS score before any application is submitted.
Applying and getting the pass issued
The employer, or an appointed employment agent, submits the application. It is important to take note that overseas companies without a Singapore office need a local sponsor to do this. Core documents include the candidate's passport bio page and the company's latest ACRA business profile; qualification verification proof is only needed if the application is claiming COMPASS points for it. Once approved, the employer gets an In-Principle Approval letter, the candidate confirms they meet current travel requirements, and the pass is issued on arrival along with fingerprint and photo registration if MOM asks for it, and the card mailed out around five working days later.
Validity and staying compliant
A first-time pass runs up to 2 years, and renewals up to 3 years; some experienced tech roles on the shortage list can get a 5-year pass. It's renewable indefinitely as long as the holder still meets eligibility. Employers must notify MOM whenever company or pass holder details change, and medical insurance is optional rather than mandatory to provide. Pass holders may also owe Singapore income tax.
Checklist
- Advertise the role on MyCareersFuture and consider all candidates fairly
- Check the candidate meets the EP qualifying salary for their age and sector
- Run the Self-Assessment Tool to check the COMPASS 40-point pass
- Prepare the candidate's passport bio page
- Prepare the company's latest ACRA business profile
- Get qualification verification proof if claiming COMPASS points for it
- Apply through the EP eService as the employer or an approved agent
- Wait for the outcome and get the In-Principle Approval letter
- Check the candidate meets current travel and entry requirements
- Book fingerprint and photo registration on arrival, if required
- Diarise the renewal date and notify MOM of any future changes
