EntrePass vs Employment Pass in Singapore: Which Is Right for You?

Last Updated: June 2026

If you are being hired by a Singapore company in a professional, managerial, or executive role, the Employment Pass is your pass. If you are starting and running your own eligible business in Singapore, the EntrePass is built for you. That is the core answer: the Employment Pass is sponsored by an employer and tied to that job, while the EntrePass is anchored to a company you own and run. This guide covers what each pass is, who it suits, the side-by-side differences, whether an EP holder can start a business, which gives the better path to permanent residency, and the common mistakes that delay an approval.

Key Takeaways

• The Employment Pass is for employed professionals, managers, and executives; the EntrePass is for foreign entrepreneurs running their own eligible business.
• The Employment Pass needs a minimum qualifying salary of S$5,600 a month (S$6,200 in financial services) and a passing COMPASS score; the EntrePass has no minimum salary but strict business criteria.
• An Employment Pass is sponsored by a Singapore employer and tied to that role; an EntrePass is tied to your own private limited company.
• You can own shares in a company while on an Employment Pass, but you cannot self-employ on it; running your own venture generally needs an EntrePass or an EP issued under the new company.
• From 1 January 2027 the Employment Pass salary floor rises to S$6,000 (S$6,600 in financial services).
• Both passes can lead to permanent residency over time; the stronger case depends on income, business performance, and time in Singapore.

What Is the Employment Pass?

The Employment Pass (EP) is Singapore’s main work pass for foreign professionals, managers, and executives. It is the right pass when a Singapore company wants to hire you and put you on its payroll.

To qualify, you need a minimum fixed monthly salary of S$5,600, rising to S$6,200 for the financial services sector, and the bar increases with age so that older, more experienced candidates are benchmarked against higher local salaries. From 1 January 2027 these floors rise to S$6,000 and S$6,600 respectively for new applications. The figures are set and updated by the Ministry of Manpower.

On top of salary, most EP candidates must pass COMPASS, the points-based Complementarity Assessment Framework. COMPASS awards points across factors such as salary relative to local peers, qualifications, workforce diversity, and how many locals the firm employs. The pass mark is 40 points. To understand the scoring before you apply, our MOM COMPASS framework and score calculator guide breaks down each category, and our piece on the Employment Pass in 2026 and the new COMPASS salary benchmarks covers what employers must do now.

The defining feature of the EP is that it is employer-sponsored and tied to a specific job. Your employer applies for it, and the pass is linked to that company and that role. Change jobs and a new employer must apply for a fresh pass. This is the structural difference that separates it from the EntrePass.

What Is the EntrePass?

The EntrePass is for foreign entrepreneurs who want to start and operate a business in Singapore that is genuinely innovative or fundable. It is not a general business pass for any shop or trade; it targets ventures with growth potential.

The business must be a private limited company registered with ACRA, or one you intend to register within six months of an in-principle approval. To pass the eligibility screen, the company generally has to show at least one of: funding from a recognised venture capital firm or angel investor, support from a government-accredited incubator, ownership of intellectual property, or a research tie-up with a local institution. Ordinary businesses like coffee shops, bars, and employment agencies are specifically excluded.

There is no minimum salary requirement for the EntrePass, which is the point: an early-stage founder may not be drawing a salary at all. Instead, the trade-off comes at renewal. To renew, the business must hit progressive milestones on total business spending and on local hires, with the bar rising at each renewal stage. The full eligibility and renewal criteria sit on the MOM EntrePass page. If you are still weighing how to set up the underlying company, our guide to opening a business in Singapore as a foreigner maps the wider process.

Employment Pass vs EntrePass: The Side-by-Side Comparison

The two passes solve different problems. The diagram below lines them up on the points that matter most when you are deciding which to apply for.

The short version: pick the Employment Pass if a Singapore company is hiring you and you can meet the salary and COMPASS bar. Pick the EntrePass if you are the founder of an innovative or venture-backed business and you will be running it yourself. For the full menu of options, our overview of work passes in Singapore shows where each pass fits.

Can an Employment Pass Holder Start a Business in Singapore?

This is one of the most common questions, and the answer has two parts.

You can own shares. Holding an EP does not stop you from being a shareholder, or even a director, of a Singapore company. Many EP holders co-own businesses. If you sit on the board, an EP holder usually needs a Letter of Consent from MOM before taking up the directorship.

You cannot self-employ on the EP. The pass is tied to your sponsoring employer and that specific job, so you cannot use it to operate as a self-employed sole proprietor or partner, or to draw your living from a business you run yourself. If your plan is to actively run your own venture, you have two clean routes: apply for an EntrePass if the business meets the innovation criteria, or incorporate the company and have it sponsor an Employment Pass for you, provided you can meet the salary and COMPASS requirements. The second route is often how founders of conventional, profitable businesses operate, since the EntrePass criteria would not fit them.

If your situation involves a nominee director or you are coming from a Dependant’s Pass and want to run a business, those guides cover the specific permissions you need.

Which Pass Offers a Better Path to PR?

Both the Employment Pass and the EntrePass can lead to Singapore permanent residency. Neither is a guaranteed route, and there is no fixed waiting period that converts a pass into PR.

For EP holders, a strong PR case tends to rest on a stable, well-paid job, a track record of staying in Singapore, and qualifications that signal long-term value. For EntrePass holders, the case is built on business performance: real revenue, jobs created for locals, and the venture’s contribution to the economy. A salaried professional on a high EP salary often has a more predictable, lower-risk path simply because stable income is easier to evidence, while a successful EntrePass business can be just as strong once results show. The better pathway is the one that matches your reality. Our overview of applying for permanent residency in Singapore explains how applications are assessed.

How Do You Apply for Each Pass?

For the Employment Pass, the application is made by the employer or its appointed agent through MOM’s online system. You will need the job details, your salary, qualifications, and supporting documents, and the application is assessed against the salary thresholds and COMPASS. Once approved in principle, the pass is issued after you are in Singapore and the formalities are completed.

For the EntrePass, you apply as the entrepreneur, with a business plan and evidence that the company meets the innovation or funding criteria. If the company is not yet incorporated, you have a window to register it after an in-principle approval. Our guides to how to register a company in Singapore and to CorpPass for foreigners without a SingPass cover the company side, and tax filing for foreign-owned companies explains what follows once you are trading.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

A few errors come up again and again. The first is assuming an EP lets you run your own business; it does not, and trying to self-employ on it puts your pass at risk. The second is applying for an EntrePass with an ordinary trade that falls outside the innovation criteria, which leads to a quick rejection. The third is underestimating the EntrePass renewal milestones, since founders sometimes get the first issue but cannot meet the spending and local-hiring targets later. The fourth is treating the EP salary floor as fixed when it rises with age and is scheduled to increase again in 2027.

Are There Other Options for Top Talent?

Yes. For very senior candidates, two alternatives sit above the standard EP. The Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass, the ONE Pass, is a five-year personalised pass for high earners with a fixed monthly salary of at least S$30,000, and it is not tied to a single employer. The Tech.Pass targets established technology professionals and founders who want flexibility to start companies, lead teams, and invest. Both are narrow, high-bar passes, but worth knowing if you are weighing options at the top end.

Talk to Excellence Singapore About Your Work Pass and Setup

Choosing between an EntrePass and an Employment Pass is rarely the whole job. It usually comes bundled with incorporating the company, meeting the resident-director rule, sorting a registered address, and keeping the entity compliant once it is live. We help foreign professionals and founders pick the right pass, prepare and submit the application, and handle the incorporation and ongoing corporate-secretarial work behind it. Excellence Singapore will map the route that fits your situation and keep the moving parts in step.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an Employment Pass and an EntrePass?

The Employment Pass is for foreign professionals, managers, and executives who are hired and sponsored by a Singapore employer, with the pass tied to that job. The EntrePass is for foreign entrepreneurs who start and run their own eligible business in Singapore, with the pass tied to their own company rather than an employer.

Which pass should an entrepreneur choose?

If the business is venture-backed, holds intellectual property, or is genuinely innovative, the EntrePass is the natural fit. If it is a conventional business that would not meet those criteria, the usual route is to incorporate the company and apply for an Employment Pass under it, provided you can meet the salary and COMPASS requirements.

Does the EntrePass have a minimum salary?

No. The EntrePass has no minimum salary requirement, because early-stage founders may not draw a salary at first. Instead, the business must meet eligibility criteria at the start and progressive spending and local-hiring milestones at each renewal.

Can an Employment Pass holder start a business in Singapore?

You can own shares in a Singapore company while holding an Employment Pass, and you can be a director with a Letter of Consent. You cannot self-employ on an EP. To actively run your own venture you would need an EntrePass, or an Employment Pass sponsored by the new company.

Which pass offers a better path to PR?

Both can lead to permanent residency. There is no automatic route from either. The stronger case depends on your income, your business performance, and how long you have stayed and contributed in Singapore. A high, stable EP salary is easy to evidence, while a successful EntrePass business can be just as compelling once the results are clear.

How long is each pass valid?

A first Employment Pass is issued for up to 2 years, with renewals of up to 3 years. The EntrePass is typically issued for 1 to 2 years, with renewal tied to the business meeting its spending and local-hiring milestones.