Employment Pass for founders.Your company applies for you.
If you are moving to Singapore to run the company, the pass comes from the company you just set up, and it is scored on your salary and your degree. This page has the 2026 salary floors, how the 40 COMPASS points work for a small company, the fees and timing, and when EntrePass is the better door.
- Salary floor, 2026
- S$5,600 a month
- Financial services
- S$6,200 a month
- COMPASS points needed
- 40
- Government fee
- S$330
- Processing, most cases
- About 3 weeks
- Who applies
- Your own company
Salary floors, COMPASS rules and fees from the Ministry of Manpower. Professional fees are list prices checked September 2026.
Six things that decide whether a founder gets the pass.
Only your company can sponsor you
The Employment Pass is applied for by the employer, and MOM expects you to work for the company that applies. An employer of record cannot do this for a founder, and a friend's company should not. So the order is fixed: incorporate first, then apply from the new company, with a nominee director covering the resident-director rule until the pass is issued.
Incorporating as a foreignerThe salary floor
S$5,600 a month for a candidate in their twenties, rising with age to S$10,700 at 45 and above. Financial services is S$6,200 rising to S$11,800. The company pays this salary and the employer has no CPF to add for a pass holder, so the cash cost is the salary itself. Paying yourself below the floor is the most common reason a founder application fails.
The 40 COMPASS points
Four criteria score 0, 10 or 20 each: salary against the sector benchmark, qualifications, the nationality mix of the company's staff, and the share of local employees. You need 40. A company with fewer than 25 employees automatically scores 10 on the last two, which means a founder needs 20 more points from salary and degree. A salary at or above the sector's 65th percentile and a degree from a recognised institution gets there.
- Shortage occupations add 20 bonus points; strategic economic priorities add 10
- The benchmark salaries are updated every year and rose again for 2026
- Our calculator scores a case in two minutes and says which criterion is short
Fees, timing and what MOM asks
S$105 to apply and S$225 on issue, S$330 in total. Professional fees run S$400 to 2,500 depending on how much work the case needs. Most decisions come back within three weeks; cases that need verification of a degree or a business plan take longer. MOM may ask for the company's business profile, a description of the role, proof of the degree and, for a new company, evidence that the business is real: contracts, a website, funding.
EntrePass, the founder alternative
EntrePass has no salary floor and is designed for founders. The catch is the eligibility gate: you need backing from a recognised investor or incubator, intellectual property, a research collaboration or comparable proof that the business is innovative. It must be applied for before incorporation or within six months of it. For a services business or a consultancy, the Employment Pass is the realistic route.
After approval
You collect the pass in Singapore, the nominee director resigns, and you become the resident director. Renewals are scored again, so keep the salary at the benchmark and keep the company hiring locally as it grows. A Dependant's Pass for a spouse and children needs a salary of at least S$6,000.
Ending the nominee arrangementThe pass and what it depends on.
Public list prices from the providers we compare, checked September 2026. Your assessment turns a range into a figure.
| Item | Typical range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Setting up | ||
| Employment Pass application | S$400 to 2,500 + S$330 | Professional fee depends on how much COMPASS work the case needs. S$330 is the government fee. |
| Foreign founder, year one | S$2,300 to 7,500 | Self-serve with three months of nominee director at the low end. Managed provider with director, secretary, accounting and immigration at the top. |
| Ongoing | ||
| Nominee director, per year | S$1,500 to 5,000 | Some providers add a refundable deposit. Falls away once a resident director is in place. |
Setting up
- Employment Pass applicationS$400 to 2,500 + S$330
Professional fee depends on how much COMPASS work the case needs. S$330 is the government fee.
- Foreign founder, year oneS$2,300 to 7,500
Self-serve with three months of nominee director at the low end. Managed provider with director, secretary, accounting and immigration at the top.
Ongoing
- Nominee director, per yearS$1,500 to 5,000
Some providers add a refundable deposit. Falls away once a resident director is in place.
MOM fees are fixed. Professional fees are list prices from immigration firms and managed providers, checked September 2026.
Get your exact numberWho should file it.
A founder application is a small case with a big consequence. It is worth having someone who has filed a hundred of them read yours before it goes in.
A managed corporate services firm
One firm incorporates the company, holds the nominee seat and files the pass, so the business profile MOM sees is consistent from the first day. They handle the questions and the appeal if one is needed.
Do it yourself on the MOM portal
Legal and free apart from the S$330 fee. Sensible if you are on a comfortable salary, hold a recognised degree, and the company already has a bank account and contracts. The risk is a rejection that costs three months.
A pass at all
If you are not moving to Singapore. Founders who stay abroad run the company with a nominee director and do not need a pass. Visits on a visa are fine; working here is not.
How we are paid. The provider you go ahead with pays us a referral fee out of their normal price, so you pay what you would pay going direct. We name the provider and the fee in your assessment reply, once we know your situation.
What we tell founders about the pass.
Run the calculator before you incorporate. If your salary and degree do not reach 40 points on paper, fix that first, because the company, the nominee and the deposit are all waiting on a pass that will not come.
Pay yourself the benchmark, not the floor. The floor gets you considered; the benchmark gets you points. The difference is a few hundred dollars a month against a three-month delay.
Make the company look real before the application goes in: a fintech account, a website, one signed contract. MOM checks new companies harder than old ones, and a shell with S$1 of capital and no history is a slow case.
What people ask us
Can I get an Employment Pass without a Singapore company?
Only if a Singapore employer hires you. As a founder, your own company is the employer, so the company comes first. Employer-of-record platforms do not sponsor passes for founders.
How much do I have to pay myself?
At least the floor for your age, S$5,600 a month at the youngest and S$10,700 at 45 and above (2026), and in practice at or above the sector benchmark to score COMPASS points. Plan on the benchmark, not the floor.
Does a new company with no employees pass COMPASS?
It can. A company with fewer than 25 employees scores 10 points on both the diversity and local-employment criteria by default. With 20 points from salary and degree you reach 40.
What if the application is rejected?
MOM gives the reason. Salary below benchmark and an unverifiable degree are the usual ones. You can appeal within three months with a stronger case, often a higher salary or additional evidence that the business is genuine. A managed firm does this as part of its fee.
How long does the whole process take, from nothing to living in Singapore?
Two days to incorporate, one to two weeks to prepare the application, about three weeks for MOM, then travel and collection. Eight to twelve weeks is realistic, longer if MOM asks questions.
Tell us your role, salary and degree. We'll tell you whether the pass is likely.
Two minutes on the form. One reply from a person within a business day with the points, the gap if there is one, and who should file it.