Applying for an Employment Pass: Step by Step

Once you know you meet the Employment Pass (EP) criteria, the next question is purely procedural: how does the application actually run, and what do you have to do at each stage? The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) process has a fixed shape — advertise, submit, get an In-Principle Approval (IPA), enter Singapore, issue the pass, collect the card. This guide walks through every step, with the timelines and fees MOM publishes today. (If you are still checking whether you qualify, read the EP eligibility guide first — this page assumes the salary and COMPASS test are already cleared.)

Who applies

You cannot apply for your own EP. An employer or an appointed employment agent files the application on your behalf. If the hiring company has no Singapore-registered office, it must apply through a local sponsor. One useful feature of the EP: there is no foreign-worker levy and no quota, unlike work permits and S Passes.

Step 1: advertise the job (Fair Consideration Framework)

Before an employer can submit most EP applications, it must advertise the role on MyCareersFuture and consider all applicants fairly — the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF). The advertisement must stay open for at least 14 consecutive days, and the employer should not make a job offer during that period.

MOM Fair Consideration Framework advertising exemptions.

The rules are specific:

• The job advertised must match the occupation in the EP application, and the advertising employer must be the one applying.
• The salary range must be visible, and the maximum cannot exceed twice the minimum (so a minimum of S$5,000 caps the maximum at S$10,000).
• An advertisement that has expired or closed for more than three months cannot be used — the vacancy must be re-advertised.

Some roles are exempt from advertising (though fair hiring still applies):

• the company has fewer than 10 employees;
• the fixed monthly salary is S$22,500 or above;
• the role is short-term (one month or less);
• the role is filled by a local transferee; or
• the candidate is an overseas intra-corporate transferee.

Step 2: check with the Self-Assessment Tool

MOM provides a free Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) that checks whether a candidate clears both the qualifying salary and COMPASS. MOM’s own advice is plain: “You should not apply if the Self-Assessment Tool shows that your candidate does not qualify.” Running it first avoids a wasted application fee and a rejection on record.

Step 3: submit the application

The employer or agent submits online. The core documents required are:

• the personal particulars page of your passport;
• the company’s latest ACRA business profile (instant information);
• verification proof of your qualifications, where applicable.

Qualifications only need to be verified once — you will not be asked again on renewal or a change of employer. Accepted proof comes from selected background screening companies (carrying an MOM verification reference number), an official government or institution verification portal, or an OpenCerts digital certificate. Some occupations need extra documents from a professional body — for example a doctor (Singapore Medical Council), nurse (Singapore Nursing Board), pharmacist (Singapore Pharmacy Council), lawyer (Legal Services Regulatory Authority) or TCM practitioner.

Step 4: wait for the outcome (IPA)

For online applications, MOM processes or gives an update within 10 business days. For an overseas company applying through a local sponsor, allow up to six weeks in most cases. A successful application produces an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter; an unsuccessful one produces a rejection letter.

The IPA is your green light to travel: it is the document you show on arrival. Do not fly in before it is issued.

Step 5: enter Singapore and get the pass issued

Before departing, print the IPA letter and check ICA’s current travel requirements. After arriving, show the IPA to the immigration officer and complete any medical examination your IPA says you need (whether one is required is stated in your own IPA letter).

Key EP application fees and timings. Source: MOM, October 2026.

The pass must be issued within six months of the IPA, and you must be in Singapore for issuance. The employer or agent logs in to the EP eService, provides the required details, and pays the fees:

• S$105 per pass at submission; and
• S$225 per pass at issuance, plus S$30 for a Multiple Journey Visa if applicable.

Once issued, you and your employer both receive a notification letter by email. It is valid for one month and lets you start work and travel in and out of Singapore while the physical card is produced.

Step 6: collect the card and set up SGWorkPass

If your notification letter says so, you register your fingerprints and photo at the Employment Pass Services Centre (EPSC). The card is then delivered within five working days of registration (or of document verification, if registration is not required). On the day you register, set up your digital work pass in the SGWorkPass app, which shows your pass status and expiry without waiting for the card.

Bringing your family

You can bring eligible family members on Dependant’s Passes or Long-Term Visit Passes, but apply for them only after your EP is approved. MOM warns that if you lodge family applications at the same time as the EP and the EP is rejected, you lose each family pass’s application fee.

If the application is rejected

A rejection is not necessarily the end. MOM has a formal route to appeal against a rejected application (your employer or agent lodges it), and the SAT result will usually show why the profile fell short — most often the qualifying salary or COMPASS points. Fixing the underlying issue before re-applying matters more than the appeal itself.

After approval: duration and renewal

A first EP lasts up to two years; a renewal lasts up to three years. You can renew up to six months before expiry and must apply before the pass lapses. On renewal you receive an IPA valid for three months, and must get the pass issued before the IPA or current pass expires — otherwise an overstaying fine applies. The renewal issuance fee is S$225.

What this means for your move

• Ask your employer when the 14-day advertising window starts — it sets your earliest possible submission date.
• Get your passport page and qualification verification ready before submission, not after.
• Keep the IPA and notification letter safe: one gets you in, the other lets you work.

To check you clear the bar first, see EP eligibility and COMPASS; compare the EP against the S Pass and work permit; and if family are joining, read who can come and who can work. One early admin step for new arrivals is setting up Singpass.

General information only, from MOM, with the date each figure was checked. We are not an immigration agent; the final decision on any pass rests with MOM. Confirm the current rules on the official MOM page for your own case.