Published by VCO Office · Last updated August 2026
Most work visas require you to find someone willing to hire you. The EntrePass works the other way around. It lets a foreign founder incorporate a Singapore company, take an ownership stake in it, and operate as both the business owner and the visa holder without needing a local employer to sponsor you.
That design makes it one of the most compelling immigration pathways in Singapore for serious entrepreneurs. It also makes it one of the most demanding. The Ministry of Manpower is not issuing EntrePass visas to ordinary service businesses or lifestyle companies. The bar is deliberately high, and understanding exactly where that bar sits before you apply is what separates a successful application from an expensive rejection.
This guide covers who qualifies, what the application actually requires, how renewal milestones work in practice, and critically when the EntrePass is not the right tool and a different visa makes more sense.
The EntrePass is a work pass from the Ministry of Manpower for foreign entrepreneurs who want to start and run a business in Singapore that is venture-backed or built on innovative technologies. Unlike an Employment Pass, the EntrePass is tied to your own company rather than an employer's job offer.
It is one of the few pathways that allows foreign nationals to incorporate and actively run their own company in Singapore without needing an existing Singapore employer to sponsor them.
Three things distinguish it from other work passes:
No salary requirement unlike the Employment Pass, you are not required to be paid a monthly salary to meet the eligibility criteria, so you can focus on building your business rather than meeting income thresholds. No foreign worker quota. EntrePass holders are exempt from the foreign worker levy and quota that applies to other work pass categories. And self-sponsorship, you are your own employer, which means you do not depend on a third party to keep your visa valid.
The EntrePass assessment is not anchored to salary thresholds or employer sponsorship. Instead, MOM evaluates the innovation merit of your proposed business, the credibility of your entrepreneurial track record, and the realistic potential for economic contribution to Singapore.
MOM assesses EntrePass applications across three broad profiles: entrepreneur, innovator, and investor. Most early-stage founders fall under the entrepreneur or innovator profile.
To qualify, you must register a company with ACRA, hold at least 30% of its shares, and meet one of MOM's entrepreneur, innovator, or investor profiles.
For the entrepreneur profile specifically, your business must meet at least one of the following criteria:
Venture-backed: your company has received or committed funding from a recognised venture capital firm, business angel, or a government-recognised funding body such as Enterprise Singapore. The funding must be from a credible, traceable source a letter of intent from a friend's personal investment account will not satisfy this criterion.
Incubator or accelerator supported: your company is accepted into or supported by a Singapore government-recognised incubator or accelerator programme. Several Singapore-based accelerators are on the recognised list check MOM's current list before applying, as this changes periodically.
Government agency support: your venture has formal backing from a Singapore government agency, such as Enterprise Singapore, the Economic Development Board, or a research institution operating under a government mandate.
The innovator profile is designed for founders whose business edge comes from technology or intellectual property rather than funding. Qualifying criteria include:
The investor profile is available to founders who have previously exited companies at significant scale or are committing substantial capital to a Singapore venture. As an alternative route, founders who have previously founded and sold two or more venture-backed companies that raised at least S$2 million for past or current business may also be eligible.
The business must not be more than six months old at the point of application if it has already been incorporated. This means you can apply before incorporating in which case you apply with a business plan and the incorporation is completed once the pass is approved or you can incorporate first and apply within six months of registration.
The applicant must own at least 30% of the issued shares of the Singapore company, and the company must meet specific innovation criteria, funding, IP, accelerator backing, or research collaboration.
The company must be a Singapore private limited company registered with ACRA. Sole proprietorships, partnerships, and LLPs do not qualify. The company must also have a compliant registered office address in Singapore, a statutory requirement for any ACRA-registered entity.
The EntrePass application is submitted through MOM's EP Online portal. It requires considerably more documentation than a standard Employment Pass because MOM is assessing the quality of your business, not just your credentials.
Core documentation for all applicants:
For companies already incorporated:
For companies not yet incorporated:
Founders who misunderstand its scope treating it as a straightforward incorporation pathway rather than an innovation-centric immigration framework consistently face rejection.The business plan in particular is evaluated seriously. Generic plans assembled from templates are unlikely to satisfy MOM's assessment. The plan needs to demonstrate genuine market understanding, a credible path to revenue, and a specific case for why Singapore is the right base for the venture.
The EntrePass is issued for one year on first issue. The first renewal is granted for 12 months; the second, third, and fourth renewals are each granted for 24 months.
Renewals are not automatic. Each renewal requires demonstrating that the business is making meaningful progress specifically through a combination of business spending and local hiring milestones that escalate over time.
First renewal milestone: Total business spending of at least S$100,000 and at least one local employee, a Singapore citizen or permanent resident — earning a minimum salary of S$1,400 per month.
Second renewal milestone: Total business spending of at least S$150,000 and at least three local employees at the minimum salary, or demonstrated additional funding raised or significant revenue growth.
Third and fourth renewal milestones: Total business spending of at least S$200,000 and at least five local employees with minimum salary, with demonstrated business growth, revenue generation, and contribution to Singapore's economy.
Failing to meet renewal criteria may result in non-renewal. Planning your hiring and spending milestones from day one is essential to ensure successful renewals.This is the aspect of the EntrePass that most first-time applicants underestimate. The initial approval is an assessment of your business concept and credentials. The renewals are assessments of your actual business performance. Building the milestones into your operating plan before you apply rather than discovering them at renewal time is the difference between a visa that keeps renewing and one that does not.
To sponsor a Dependant's Pass for a spouse and children under 21, the EntrePass holder must have completed at least two renewal milestones specifically, total business spending of S$100,000 or more and at least one professional, manager, or executive employee earning at least S$3,900 per month.
For a Long Term Visit Pass for parents, the requirements are stricter: annual turnover of S$200,000 and a local workforce of at least two employees under the Local Workforce formula both conditions must be met simultaneously.
The EntrePass is a strong fit for a specific profile: a foreign founder with credible funding, recognised IP, accelerator backing, or institutional collaboration, who wants to build an innovative Singapore-registered venture and relocate to run it personally.
It is not the right fit for everyone who wants to run a Singapore company.
If you have credible funding, an accelerator backing, recognised IP, or research collaboration, the EntrePass is the cleanest immigration path while building your company. If you do not, you are better off incorporating, hiring yourself onto an Employment Pass, and pivoting to the EntrePass at the next milestone or applying for ONE Pass or PEP if you qualify.
Specifically, the EntrePass is unlikely to work for:
If your business doesn't meet the innovation bar, applying anyway and hoping MOM will be flexible is not a productive strategy. Rejections go on record and can affect future applications. Understanding which pathway is right for your profile before applying is worth the time.
Whether you are incorporating before applying or planning to incorporate upon approval, your Singapore company requires a registered office address with ACRA. This is a statutory requirement a physical Singapore address, accessible during business hours, that appears on the ACRA public register and receives all official correspondence including from MOM, IRAS, and government agencies.
For foreign founders who are not yet based in Singapore, a virtual office address from a registered Corporate Service Provider is the standard and accepted solution. It satisfies ACRA's registered office requirements without requiring you to lease physical space before you know whether your EntrePass application will be approved.
VCO Office provides an ACRA-compliant registered address at Paya Lebar Square from S$48 per year — no GST, no setup fee, no minimum contract. Our mail scanning plan ensures that all correspondence from MOM, IRAS, and ACRA reaches you by email the same day it arrives, wherever you are based. This is particularly useful during the EntrePass application period, when official letters from MOM may arrive at your registered address and need to be acted on promptly.
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| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Issued by | Ministry of Manpower (MOM) |
| Who it is for | Foreign founders of innovative or venture-backed Singapore companies |
| Minimum shareholding | 30% of the Singapore company |
| Company type | Singapore private limited company (Pte Ltd) |
| Company age limit | Must not be incorporated more than 6 months before application |
| Initial validity | 1 year |
| First renewal validity | 12 months |
| Subsequent renewals | 24 months each (up to 4 renewals) |
| First renewal milestone | S$100,000 business spending + 1 local hire at S$1,400/month minimum |
| Salary requirement | None — unlike Employment Pass |
| Foreign worker quota | Exempt |
| Family sponsorship | After meeting 2 renewal milestones |
Do I need to incorporate a company before applying? No. You can apply before incorporating, in which case you will need to provide a detailed business plan and commit to completing the incorporation once your pass is approved. If you have already incorporated, the company must not be more than six months old at the point of application.
Is the EntrePass the same as an Employment Pass? No. The Employment Pass requires a Singapore employer to sponsor you and pays you a salary above a qualifying threshold under the COMPASS framework. The EntrePass is issued to founders who own at least 30% of their own Singapore company you are your own employer, and there is no salary threshold for eligibility.
How long does the application take? MOM's standard processing time for an EntrePass application is approximately eight weeks from submission of a complete application, though complex cases or those requiring additional documentation may take longer.
Can I apply if I am already in Singapore on a tourist or other visa? Yes, you can apply for an EntrePass from within Singapore. However, you must not work for your company until the EntrePass is issued. working without a valid work pass is a breach of Singapore's Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.
What happens if my renewal application is rejected? If MOM declines to renew your EntrePass because milestones have not been met, you will need to cease operating your company in Singapore under that visa and either exit, apply for a different pass category, or restructure your situation with professional advice. This is why planning for milestones from day one rather than treating them as something to address at renewal time is essential.
VCO Office is a registered Corporate Service Provider in Singapore (CSP Registration Number: FA20170051). This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute immigration, legal, or regulatory advice. EntrePass eligibility criteria, renewal milestones, and application requirements are determined by the Ministry of Manpower and may change. Always verify current requirements at mom.gov.sg or with a qualified immigration professional before applying.
Sources: Ministry of Manpower Singapore — EntrePass (mom.gov.sg); All verified August 2026.
