Singapore EntrePass

The Singapore EntrePass is a Ministry of Manpower work pass for foreign entrepreneurs, innovators and investors who want to start and run a business in Singapore. It’s not a tourist pass and it’s not a remote-work visa. The pass is built for people behind venture-backed companies or businesses with innovative technologies and it’s open to all nationalities.

That setup matters because the EntrePass isn’t meant for just any business idea. Singapore uses it to screen for higher-calibre founders, serial entrepreneurs and experienced investors, while ruling out low-innovation sectors such as coffee shops, bars, massage parlours, employment agencies and geomancy businesses.

What makes it different:

• Business-linked: You need a qualifying company and business plan, not just a desire to stay in Singapore.
• Innovation-focused: The business must be venture-backed or own innovative technologies.
• Work-pass rules apply: It comes with business and hiring milestones, so approval doesn’t mean you can ignore performance expectations.
• No quota or levy: Unlike standard employment passes, it doesn’t carry a foreign worker quota or levy.

The pass can be issued for up to 1 year at first. Renewals can run for up to 2 years, but only if the business meets the Total Business Spending and Local Workforce criteria set by the authorities. Those renewal thresholds are revised periodically, so the bar can move as Singapore updates its startup policy.

One change applicants should know about, the old S$50,000 paid-up capital requirement was removed for new applications. That makes the EntrePass less about a fixed cash injection and more about whether the business itself looks innovative, fundable and serious enough to operate in Singapore.

The upside is clear if you qualify. You get a route to build a company on the ground and there’s also scope for certain family passes once you hit the required business milestones. The catch is that the pass is stricter than a casual visa and the business has to keep earning its place.

EntrePass isn’t for tourists, remote workers or people looking for a loose way to stay in Singapore. It’s a work pass for foreign founders, innovators and investors who want to start and run a venture-backed or innovation-driven company here.

It’s open to all nationalities. The catch is that you need to meet both the company rule and at least one of the track-record or innovation tests. Your private limited company must be registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority and you must hold at least 30% of the company.

The business also has to fit EntrePass’s target profile. That usually means a company that’s venture-backed or owns innovative technologies. If the company is more than 12 months old when you apply, the Ministry of Manpower looks at it under renewal-style criteria instead of the initial-entry test, which is stricter in practice.

• Funding: You’ve raised at least SGD 100,000 in a single round from eligible investors for a current or past business.
• Incubator or accelerator support: You’re backed by a government-recognised or internationally known incubator or accelerator.
• Exit track record: You founded and sold a venture-backed or innovation-driven technology business.
• Intellectual property: Your business owns registered IP that gives it a real competitive edge and isn’t easy to copy.
• Research collaboration: You have an active research partnership in Singapore with an institute of higher learning or a research institution.

MOM also gives examples of eligible investors and partners, including SEEDS Capital, Vertex Ventures and partners under Enterprise Singapore’s Startup SG Equity programme, plus well-known international venture capital firms, incubators and accelerators.

Some business types are flat-out excluded. Coffee shops, hawker centres, food courts, bars, night clubs, karaoke lounges, foot reflexology or massage parlours, acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine or herbal dispensing businesses, employment agencies and geomancy businesses don’t qualify. There’s no stated age limit and the portal doesn’t list a fixed minimum personal salary. For renewals, the pressure shifts to business spending, local hiring and company ownership.

Family eligibility is tied to business performance too. To bring a spouse and children, you need to meet one of the listed conditions, such as annual business spending of SGD 100,000 with one local worker or stronger entrepreneurial achievements. Bringing parents calls for higher spending and hiring thresholds, so this isn’t a pass you can treat like a soft landing.

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The EntrePass isn’t a visitor pass and it’s not a remote-work shortcut either. It’s for foreign entrepreneurs, innovators and investors who are setting up a venture-backed or innovation-driven business in Singapore, so the paperwork is built around the business, not just the person.

MOM asks for a defined set of documents with the application. The core file usually includes your passport personal particulars page, an English business plan of no more than 10 pages and supporting records that show your background and the company’s activity. If your company has already been registered, you’ll also need its latest business profile or instant information from BizFile, plus recent financial statements if it’s been registered with ACRA for more than 12 months.

• Passport: Personal particulars page of the applicant’s passport.
• Business plan: In English, no more than 10 pages, covering products or services, market analysis, operations plan, management team profile and supporting documents such as licensing agreements, product certificates and endorsement patents.
• Background documents: Proof of prior business ventures, the applicant’s CV and past employment testimonials, if any.
• Company records: Latest business profile or instant information from BizFile, if the company is already registered, plus latest financial statements if it’s been registered for more than 12 months.
• Other support: Any documents that strengthen the application.

What you need on top of that depends on the innovation route you’re using. For funding, MOM wants proof of at least SGD 100,000 from a single funding round. For incubator support, you’ll need an incubation agreement. Other routes call for incorporation papers, sale and purchase agreements, IP registration documents or a research collaboration agreement, depending on the claim.

Non-English documents have to be uploaded in one file with the original and the English translation together. MOM doesn’t spell out an apostille or legalisation requirement on the EntrePass pages, so don’t assume one is needed unless the application asks for it.

If your pass is approved, issuance can bring another round of paperwork. MOM may ask for a medical declaration form, possibly a medical exam, your passport details, Singapore contact details and a local address that meets housing requirements. The official pages don’t list a personal proof-of-funds requirement, a mandatory health insurance rule, a police clearance certificate or a special minimum passport validity period beyond standard immigration practice.

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The EntrePass isn’t a cheap, casual visa. It’s a work pass for foreign founders, innovators and investors building a venture-backed or innovation-driven business in Singapore, so the fees are tied to that kind of application, not a tourist stay.

The official fee structure is straightforward, but it does have a few layers:

• Application fee: SGD 105 for each EntrePass application, paid when you submit.
• Pass issuance fee: SGD 225 for each approved pass.
• Multiple Journey Visa: SGD 30 for each MJV, if one applies to you.
• Renewal: the same SGD 225 issuance fee and SGD 30 MJV fee apply again on renewal, if relevant.

There’s also a replacement fee if you ask for a new card when the old one was already returned and didn’t need replacing. That fee is SGD 65.40, including GST. The official pages don’t spell out a separate routine replacement charge beyond that situation.

For families, the EntrePass pages don’t list a special dependants fee. If you sponsor a spouse or child, any Dependant’s Pass or Long-Term Visit Pass would follow the normal fee rules for those passes, not a special EntrePass rate.

One thing the government doesn’t price for you is the rest of the process. The official materials don’t give fixed costs for legal help, translation, insurance or other private expenses, so those can vary a lot depending on who’s handling the application.

The pass itself is also built around milestones, which matters for budgeting. Initial validity can be up to 1 year and renewals can run up to 2 years if you meet the business-spending and local-workforce requirements. So the real cost isn’t just the fee at filing, it’s also the expense of keeping the business eligible to renew.

The EntrePass application is filed online through the Ministry of Manpower’s EP eService. You don’t need a company representative or employment agency for the initial submission and the pass is meant for foreign entrepreneurs, innovators and investors who are building a real business in Singapore, not for tourists or remote workers.

Before you apply, pull your paperwork together. The official process calls for a business plan and supporting evidence that matches your profile, so weak or incomplete files are more likely to slow things down.

• Passport particulars page: a clear copy of the bio page.
• Business plan: a 10-page plan.
• Background documents: CV and testimonials, plus prior venture records if you have them.
• Company documents: the company business profile, if it’s already available.
• Criterion-specific proof: funding, intellectual property or research collaboration documents, depending on which EntrePass criteria you’re using.

Submit the application yourself through the online portal and pay the SGD 105 application fee. Most cases are processed within 6 weeks, though the official portal says complex cases can take longer and may trigger a request for more information.

You can check status after 2 weeks. If the application is approved, MOM sends an in-principle approval letter to the notification email address you used in the form.

The in-principle approval letter acts as a single-entry visa for Singapore and stays valid for 6 months. It may also say whether you need a medical exam, so don’t ignore that part.

After you arrive, the pass still needs to be issued. If you have Singpass, the issue step can be done through EP eService. If you don’t, the candidate or a company representative or employment agent has to do it in person at the Employment Pass Services Centre. The issuance fee is SGD 225, plus SGD 30 per multiple journey visa if that applies.

Once the pass is issued, MOM gives you a notification letter that lets you start work and travel in and out of Singapore while you wait for the physical card. If fingerprints and a photo are required, you’ll need to register them at the centre within 2 weeks. The card is usually delivered to your Singapore address within about 5 working days after registration or document verification.

Renewal is separate. You can apply up to 3 months before expiry and MOM says renewal cases are typically processed within 8 weeks. The renewal file asks for company information, financial and bank statements, CPF statements, business activity records and evidence of startup ecosystem contributions.

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The EntrePass isn’t a long-stay tourist option and it doesn’t work like a remote-work visa. It’s a renewable work pass for foreign founders, innovators and investors building a venture-backed or innovation-driven business in Singapore.

For a new pass, MOM says the validity is up to 1 year. The first renewal is also up to 1 year, then later renewals can be granted for up to 2 years at a time if the company and pass holder still meet the rules.

Renewal is possible only if the business is still active and meeting the right milestones. MOM doesn’t publish a fixed maximum number of renewals, but it does show rising thresholds across at least 11 renewal cycles, so this isn’t a pass you can renew casually forever without growth.

To renew, the pass holder must keep at least 30% shareholding in the company and have an individual profile on Startup SG Network with the company profile claimed. The company also has to stay ACRA-registered as a private limited company, show that it’s venture-backed or owns innovative technology and submit its latest financial statements.

The business must also meet the applicable Annual Total Business Spending and Local Workforce criteria for that renewal cycle. The official thresholds rise over time. For example:

• 2nd renewal cycle: Annual TBS of SGD 100,000 and LWF of 1
• 5th renewal cycle: Annual TBS of SGD 400,000 and LWF of 4
• Later cycles: thresholds rise to at least SGD 1,150,000 in TBS and LWF of 10

MOM also specifies minimum basic monthly salary levels for PME hires in the renewal table, so headcount alone isn’t the whole story. The renewal application should be filed up to 3 months before expiry and processing takes up to about 8 weeks.

If renewal is approved, MOM issues an in-principle approval valid for 3 months. The new pass starts only when the current one expires, so there’s no gap, but there’s also no early start.

The EntrePass isn't permanent residence. If you want PR later, that’s a separate Immigration and Checkpoints Authority process, not something the pass itself guarantees.

The EntrePass isn’t a tourist pass and it isn’t a shortcut to a tax break. It’s a work pass for foreign founders, innovators and investors who are setting up or running a venture-backed or innovation-driven business in Singapore, so the tax treatment follows Singapore’s обычный tax rules, not a special EntrePass package.

MOM’s EntrePass guidance doesn’t list any unique income tax rate, corporate tax exemption or EntrePass-specific treaty rule. Tax questions are handled by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore and EntrePass holders are generally taxed under the same individual and corporate rules as other residents or non-residents, depending on how their situation is classified.

That means two things matter most: your personal tax residency and how your company is structured and managed. IRAS generally looks at days physically present or employment activity in Singapore when deciding individual tax residency, while companies incorporated or controlled and managed in Singapore are generally within Singapore’s corporate tax net.

What to keep in mind

• No EntrePass tax perk: The official EntrePass pages don’t describe a special reduced tax rate or exemption tied to the pass itself.
• Residency still matters: Your individual tax treatment can change based on time spent in Singapore and other IRAS criteria.
• Company tax follows general rules: If your business is incorporated or controlled and managed in Singapore, expect Singapore corporate tax rules to apply.
• Check IRAS, not MOM: The EntrePass page doesn’t cover foreign-sourced income, reporting duties or treaty treatment in detail.

There’s also a practical issue here. The EntrePass can be renewed for up to 2 years, but only if you meet renewal conditions tied to Total Business Spending and local workforce numbers. So if you’re planning long-term, tax filing and company records shouldn’t be an afterthought.

The short version: don’t assume the pass changes your tax position. It doesn’t. If your setup is unusual or you’re unsure how residency or foreign income applies, get advice from IRAS guidance or a qualified tax adviser before you file anything.