Personalised Employment Pass (PEP): a non-renewable pass not tied to one employer

Eligibility requirements

• You earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500. MOM benchmarks this to the top 10% of Employment Pass holders. Variable pay, allowances and equity do not count towards the fixed figure.
• An overseas professional must show that the last drawn salary at that level falls within the six months before the application. An existing Singapore pass holder must likewise meet the fixed-salary level.
• You are not an Employment Pass holder under the sponsorship scheme, a freelancer, or someone who intends to work on a freelance basis.
• You are not a sole proprietor, a partner, or a director who is also a shareholder in an ACRA-registered company, and you do not intend to start a business. Founders are directed to the EntrePass or ONE Pass instead.
• You will not work in a restricted occupation, such as media or religion-related roles.
• Once the pass is held, you must not be unemployed in Singapore for more than six months at any point, and you must earn a fixed salary of at least S$270,000 in each calendar year regardless of how many months you were employed.

Legal framework

Build the evidence

Prepare records that substantiate the relevant criteria. The final checklist depends on the applicant, route and filing authority.

• Passport particulars and a consistent employment history.
• Payslips and the employment contract for the last drawn salary, with the fixed component separated from bonuses and allowances; for an overseas applicant, evidence that the salary was drawn within the preceding six months.
• Tax statements or assessments supporting the salary level, and bank records where MOM asks for them.
• Employer information for the current or most recent role, including the employer's scale and your position in it.
• Declarations confirming that you are not a shareholder-director, sole proprietor, partner or freelancer and will not undertake entrepreneurial activity.

How to apply

1. 01

   Check that the PEP is actually the right instrument

   Compare it with an Employment Pass (renewable, employer-tied), the ONE Pass (five years, multiple employers, founders permitted) and Tech.Pass. A high earner who expects to stay beyond three years, or who may found a company, often needs a different pass.

2. 02

   Assemble independent salary evidence

   Reconcile payslips, contracts and tax records so the fixed monthly figure is beyond doubt. If any part of the package is variable, isolate it.

3. 03

   Apply to MOM

   The individual applies directly through MOM's system. Respond promptly to any request for further information.

4. 04

   Enter, have the pass issued and register

   Follow the in-principle approval, complete any required registration and apply separately for family passes.

5. 05

   Manage the conditions and the exit

   Notify MOM of job changes and personal details, declare annual income by 31 January of the following year, and before the pass expires secure an Employment Pass or S Pass through an employer if you intend to keep working in Singapore. The PEP need not be cancelled first.

After approval & family planning

• Eligible family members may apply through MOM for a Dependant's Pass (legally married spouse, unmarried children under 21) or a Long-Term Visit Pass (common-law spouse, step-children, handicapped adult children, parents), subject to the prevailing sponsor criteria. A dependant who wishes to work needs a work pass of their own.
• Job changes do not require a new pass, but MOM must be notified of changes to employment and personal information, and the fixed-salary and six-month unemployment conditions continue to apply throughout.
• The pass is not renewable. Continued work after expiry requires an Employment Pass or S Pass sponsored by an employer, assessed under the rules in force at that time, including COMPASS unless an exemption applies.
• Permanent residence is a separate ICA decision. A PEP holder's earnings and length of residence form part of that assessment but do not determine it.

What this route builds, and what it opens

WG assesses every route on three returns: the knowledge it adds, the cognitive capability that sustained work abroad develops, and the institutional opportunity it opens or closes. Real work is the mechanism in each case.

Programme context. Where a participant will be employed in Singapore at the qualifying salary and the programme does not require a founding or director-shareholder role, this route may be assessed. Its non-renewable nature makes it a bridge, not a destination. Read the framework ↗

Frequently asked questions

Points to consider

• The PEP suits a well-paid employee who values the freedom to change employers over a three-year window. It does not suit anyone whose plans include founding, directorship with shareholding, or a stay beyond three years.