Personalised Employment Pass Application
WHAT IS A PERSONALISED EMPLOYMENT PASS?
The Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) is for the high-earning Employment Pass holder and overseas foreign professionals. It offers greater flexibility than other work passes and is not sponsored by a Singapore company.
PEP holders are not allowed to start a business or conduct any form of entrepreneurial activity while on a PEP, otherwise, you need to apply for an EntrePass.
PEP is issued once and is not renewable. If your PEP is expiring, you will need to get an Employment Pass or S Pass to continue working in Singapore. You do not have to cancel the existing PEP for your employer to apply for the new pass.
Pass holders may be required to pay income tax.
Benefits of the PEP
The PEP gives you greater job flexibility than other work passes:
- You can generally hold a job in any sector. However, the PEP does not exempt you from complying with registration requirements to practise in Singapore for professions such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, architecture, law, etc.
- You do not need to re-apply for a new pass if you change jobs; you only need to MOM.
- You can stay in Singapore for a continuous period of up to 6 months without a job to search for new employment.
GUIDE BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE APPLICATION OF A PEP
1. Know the eligibility and requirements
The Personalised Employment Pass is for:
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An overseas foreign professional with a last drawn fixed monthly salary overseas of at least $18,000. The last drawn salary should have been within 6 months before you apply for PEP.
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An Employment Pass holder earning a fixed monthly salary of at least $12,000.
As a PEP holder you must:
- Not be unemployed in Singapore for more than 6 months at any time. Otherwise, you will need to cancel the pass.
- Earn a fixed salary of at least $144,000 per calendar year, regardless of the number of months you are employed.
Who is not eligible?
You are not eligible for the PEP if you are:
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An Employment Pass holder under the sponsorship scheme.
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A freelancer or foreigner who intends to work on a freelance basis.
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A sole proprietor, partner or where a director is also a shareholder in an ACRA-registered company.
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A journalist, editor, sub-editor or producer.
2. Prepare the documents before the application
The following are the basic set of documents required to apply for PEP. Additional documents may be requested for further assessment.
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Personal particulars page of the applicant’s travel document.
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Applicant’s educational certificates
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Employment contracts for the applicant’s new and previous employment (if any)
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(If the applicant is not a current Employment Pass holder in Singapore) Employment history stating the company name, occupation, fixed monthly salary (S$), country and period of employment.
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Applicant’s latest tax statement θ Applicant’s payslips and bank account statements for the past 3 months
Where a document is in a foreign language, the document must be translated into the English language.
3. Apply for the Pass before the candidate arrives in Singapore
The candidate or the appointed employment agency may apply for the pass on behalf of the candidate. An application form must be submitted online to the MOM portal and will be processed within 8 weeks or may take longer if additional information or documents will be required by MOM.
4. Enter Singapore and get the pass issued
You can enter Singapore once the In-Principle Approval (IPA) from MOM is received. The IPA gives you 6 months to enter Singapore and get the pass issued. Do note that you must be in Singapore to get your pass issued.
After the issuance, the notification letter (valid for 1 month from the date of issue) that allows the candidate to start work and travel out of Singapore while waiting for the pass card will be received. The notification letter states if the candidate needs to have a fingerprint and photo taken for card registration.
The following information and documents are needed to get the pass issued:
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Candidate's passport details
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Candidate’s Singapore contact details
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Candidate's current Short-Term Visit Pass (STVP) or immigration pass details
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Candidate's Singapore residential address must meet the housing requirements
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Singapore residential or office address to receive the candidate’s card
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Details of up to 3 authorised recipients to receive the card (their mobile number, email address and NRIC number / FIN/passport number)
The PDF copies of these documents may also need to be uploaded:
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Candidate’s passport page showing the date of arrival in Singapore
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Completed medical examination form or medical declaration form
5. Register fingerprints and photo
Check the notification letter whether you are required to have your fingerprints and photo registered. If required, you must make an appointment to visit Employment Pass Services Centre (EPSC) for the registration within 2 weeks after the pass is issued.
The candidate should bring along these documents for the appointment:
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Original passport
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Appointment letter
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Notification letter
6. Receive the card
The card will be delivered to the given address 4 working days after the candidate registers and gets the documents verified at EPSC. The authorised recipients will get an SMS or email with the delivery details at least 1 working day before the delivery. After 2 unsuccessful deliveries, the card must be collected personally from MOM within 3 working days after the second attempted delivery.
Appeal against a rejected Personalised Employment Pass application
In case of an unsuccessful application, the pass holder will receive a rejection letter via e-mail. If the pass holder can address the reasons for rejection stated in the rejection advisory, then he/she can submit an appeal within 3 months of getting the rejection through the MOM portal. If this period is missed, a new application must be submitted.
Appeals take at least 8 weeks to process or maybe longer. The outcome of the appeal will be sent to the e-mail address provided by the pass holder in the original application form.
POST-APPLICATION GUIDE (if required)
1. Notify MOM of any changes in the pass holder’s particulars
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You need to notify MOM under these circumstances:
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Change in employment status or employer
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Change in local contact person’s details
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Declaring annual salary
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Change in the residential address
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Change in personal particulars
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Change in application details after the pass is approved
2. Replacement of a Personalised Employment Pass card
In case of a lost, stolen, or damaged pass card, the pass holder must apply for a replacement within 1 week. The application for the replacement of the PEP card will be done online through EP Online portal. If the request is approved, print the card replacement letter for the instructions on collecting the replacement card. The replacement card can be collected 4 working days after the approval. An appointment is not needed for card collection.
Important notes for replacement of a Personalised Employment Pass card
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3. Cancellation of a Personalised Employment Pass
The PEP must be cancelled if the pass holder is unemployed for more than 6 months. Once the pass is cancelled it cannot be reinstated.
Cancellation can be done online through EP Online portal.
Before cancellation
You need to pay your outstanding income tax and seek tax clearance from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) at least 1 month before you leave the job.
Important notes for cancellation of a Personalised Employment Pass
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Pass holders do not have to cancel the pass each time they change employers but to notify MOM.
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Request for cancellation of a pass can be submitted up to 14 days in advance. Or 1 week from the pass holder’s departure date.
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A request for a short visit pass (STVP) is needed if the pass holder is still in Singapore after the cancellation. The pass holder needs to show the STVP and a valid passport to the immigration officer when leaving Singapore.
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If the pass holder has left Singapore permanently, the PEP must be cancelled within 1 week from the departure date, unless it has expired.
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Once the PEP is cancelled, all the related Dependant's Passes, Long Term Visit Passes, Letters of Consent and Work Permits for the family will also be cancelled.
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Once the pass is cancelled, please cut the pass card in half and discard it to prevent misuse.
Our Personalised Employment Pass Application Services include:
- Pre-application information and advice about Personalised Employment Pass
- Online filing of Personalised Employment Pass application
- Tracking PEP application status while under processing
- Responding to MOM’s requests for additional information as necessary
- Arranging for issuance of PEP card upon in-principle approval (IPA)
- Filing of appeal in case of initial rejection of PEP application
Talk to our specialist now.
