Eligibility

Foreigners who wish to work in Singapore can apply for the Singapore Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) if they are:

• Overseas foreign professional whose last drawn fixed monthly salary overseas was at least $18,000The last drawn fixed monthly salary overseas should be no more than six months from the time of the application.
• P1 Pass holders who earn a fixed monthly salary of at least $12,000

* The following groups of foreigners are not eligible for the PEP:

(i) foreigners who are issued with an Employment Pass under the Sponsorship scheme. Under this scheme, their direct employers are overseas companies which do not have a Singapore-registered office/business entity

(ii) foreigners who are working or intending to work on a free-lance basis without any direct employers in Singapore

(iii) foreigners who are listed as Sole Proprietors, Partners or Directors in a business/company registered with ACRA and are shareholders of that business/company

(iv) foreigners working as journalists, editors, sub-editors and producers.

Note: The PEP holder is not allowed to start his/her own business or engage in any entrepreneurial activities. The holder must apply for an EntrePass if he/she intends to do so.

Benefits – Job flexibility

PEP holders can generally take on employment in any sector. There may be some jobs where prior permission is required. For more information on occupations that require prior approval, please contact VALON.

PEP holders do not need to re-apply for a new pass when changing jobs. They can inform MOM using a notification form.

PEP holders are also given the flexibility of a continuous period of up to six months without a job to evaluate employment or work opportunities. They are not be required to leave Singapore during this time.

Dependant privileges

PEP holders will enjoy similar dependants’ privileges akin to P1 pass holders. They are eligible to bring their spouses (legally married) and children under 21 years of age on Dependant’s Passes. They can also bring their parents on Long Term Visit Passes. The dependants’ applications must be sponsored by the PEP holders.

Conditions of validity

Maximum Unemployment Period: This cannot exceed six continuous months at any point. PEP holders who are unable to find employment after a continuous period of six months must cancel their pass. This includes PEP holders who are leaving Singapore to work for their overseas employer.

Minimum Annual Fixed Salary: PEP holders must earn an annual fixed salary of at least $144,000 for each calendar year of the PEP.

Requisite Notifications to MOM: PEP holders and their employers will need to keep MOM informed of each change in the PEP holders’ employment status (e.g. commencement or cessation of employment). In addition, PEP holders are required to declare their annual fixed salary within 30 days of the end of the calendar year. They also need to inform MOM of any changes in their contact details viz. local contact person and address.

Duration

The PEP will be issued only once. It is valid for three years, and is non-renewable.

Collection of Pass

Before the collection of the Personalised Employment Pass (PEP), the foreigner will need to submit a request to issue the pass. The foreigner must be in Singapore at the time a request to issue the pass is made.

The Personalised Employment Pass card can be collected directly at the card collection lobby at Employment Pass Services Centre four working days after the foreigner has registered for his/her fingerprint and photo-image. There is no need to make an e-appointment for card collection.

Exceptions: For cases whereby the foreigner is not required to register his/her fingerprint and photo image, an e-appointment must be made before visiting Employment Pass Services Centre for document verification and card collection.

If a representative is coming on the foreigner’s behalf, a letter of authorisation, signed off by the Personalised Employment Pass applicant and bearing the foreigner’s and the representative’s particulars are required.

The representative must also bring along an official identification document that shows his/her name, NRIC/travel document number and photo-image for verification at the e-appointment for card collection.

VALON can be your resource and business partner in Asia. Should you wish to receive more detailed information on VALON, please do not hesitate to contact us at enquiry@valoncorp.com.

Disclaimer: This publication does not provide financial, legal or tax or advice of any kind, and VALON cannot guarantee that the information is accurate, complete or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information in this publication current, VALON make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained herein. Nothing on this publication should be used as a substitute for the advice of a third party. VALON assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained herein and disclaim all liability in respect to such information. You should not act upon information in this publication without seeking professional advice.