Foreign founders exploring Singapore as a base for their next venture usually come across three work pass options in the same afternoon: the EntrePass, the Employment Pass (EP), and ONE Pass. The names blur together fast, and the confusion gets worse once COMPASS enters the conversation, since many founders assume the points framework that governs EP applications also applies to them. It does not, and getting that wrong can derail an otherwise solid application strategy.
The EntrePass exists for a narrow but important group: entrepreneurs who are genuinely building something new in Singapore, not simply relocating an existing job. It is administered by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) together with Enterprise Singapore, and it comes with no minimum salary requirement, no foreign worker levy, and no quota. In exchange, MOM asks for real proof that the business is venture-backed, holds meaningful intellectual property, or is otherwise the kind of enterprise Singapore wants more of.
This guide sets out exactly what mom.gov.sg says about eligibility, how the pass is actually assessed, what happens at renewal, and how EntrePass compares with the Employment Pass and ONE Pass, so you can work out which pathway actually fits your situation before you spend time and fees on the wrong application.
What the EntrePass is for
According to MOM, the EntrePass allows eligible foreign entrepreneurs to start and operate a business in Singapore that is venture-backed or possesses innovative technologies. It is open to all nationalities. There is no stipulated minimum salary, and it carries no foreign worker levy or quota, which sets it apart from most other Singapore work passes.
The pass is intended for serial entrepreneurs, high-calibre innovators, or experienced investors, not for anyone simply wanting to register a company and pay themselves a salary. If your business idea is a coffee shop, a bar, a foot reflexology outlet, a traditional Chinese medicine practice, an employment agency, or a geomancy business, it is explicitly excluded from EntrePass eligibility under MOM’s rules.
Does COMPASS apply to EntrePass?
No. Based on MOM’s published eligibility, application, and renewal pages for EntrePass, the COMPASS points framework is not part of the EntrePass assessment criteria at all. COMPASS governs Employment Pass applications, where candidates and their sponsoring companies are scored on salary, qualifications, workforce diversity, and support for local employment. EntrePass applications are instead assessed against a completely separate set of entrepreneurial criteria: company ownership, venture backing or innovative technology, and (at renewal) business spending and local hiring milestones. If you have been told your EntrePass will be scored under COMPASS, that is incorrect, and you should verify directly against mom.gov.sg before proceeding on that assumption.
Founders who are instead considering the standard Employment Pass route and its COMPASS salary benchmarks should treat that as a genuinely different pathway with its own qualifying salary and points structure, not an alternative flavour of EntrePass.
EntrePass eligibility criteria
To qualify for an EntrePass, MOM requires you to meet both of the following conditions.
Condition one: the company itself
You must have started, or intend to start, a private limited company that is registered with ACRA, in which the pass holder holds at least 30 percent of the registered shares, and which is venture-backed or owns innovative technologies. If the registered company is already more than 12 months old at the date of application, MOM assesses it against the renewal criteria instead of the fresh-application criteria, so timing your application before that 12-month mark matters.
Condition two: at least one qualifying track
On top of the company condition, you must satisfy at least one of the following, as set out on mom.gov.sg:
- Funding raised: at least SGD 100,000 from a single funding round from a recognised investor for any past or current business, such as SEEDS Capital, Vertex Ventures, partners under Enterprise Singapore’s Startup SG Equity programme, or internationally renowned venture capital firms, corporates, and business angels.
- Incubator or accelerator support: the business is or will be supported by a government-recognised or internationally renowned incubator or accelerator, including Startup SG Accelerator or Startup SG Founder partners, or globally recognised names such as Y Combinator, MassChallenge, or Alchemist Accelerator.
- Founded and sold a technology business: you founded and sold a venture-backed or innovative-technology business under your own management, with documentary evidence such as incorporation papers and the sale and purchase agreement.
- Intellectual property: the registered or proposed business holds IP registered with an approved national IP institution that provides a significant competitive advantage which cannot be easily replicated.
- Research collaboration: the business has an ongoing, verifiable research collaboration in Singapore with an Institute of Higher Learning or a Research Institution, including bodies under A*STAR or the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise. A contract of services does not count as a research collaboration.
Successful applicants are also encouraged, though not strictly required, to contribute to Singapore’s startup ecosystem through activities such as hosting workshops, organising networking sessions, or mentoring other founders. Enterprise Singapore may periodically contact EntrePass holders for engagement and audit purposes throughout the life of the pass.
The application process and timeline
The application is submitted online, and MOM’s published figures are as follows.
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
| Application fee | SGD 105 per pass, paid on submission |
| Issuance fee | SGD 225 per pass, paid once approved and issued |
| Multiple Journey Visa (if applicable) | SGD 30 per pass |
| Processing time | Within 6 weeks for most cases |
| Status check | Available after 2 weeks via MOM’s online service |
| In-principle approval (IPA) validity | 6 months to enter Singapore and get the pass issued |
| First pass duration | Up to 1 year |
Getting an EntrePass approved is not the same as getting your business registration or licences approved. You still need separate approval from ACRA to register the company, and any additional licences your business activity requires must be applied for separately. If MOM requests further information during processing, it will email you directly, and you should reply to that email rather than starting a new enquiry, since this can otherwise extend the 6-week timeline.
Renewal: what MOM actually checks
This is where many first-time EntrePass holders are caught off guard. Renewal is not a formality, and it is not assessed on the same basis as the original application. You can begin the renewal process 3 months before your pass expires, and MOM will check all of the following at once, per its published renewal criteria:
- You still own at least 30 percent of the company.
- You have created an individual profile and claimed your company profile on Startup SG Network.
- The company remains registered with ACRA as a private limited company.
- The company still demonstrates that it is venture-backed or owns innovative technologies.
- The company shows ongoing business activity and progress, backed by the latest financial statements.
- The company meets the Total Business Spending (TBS) and Local Workforce (LWF) targets for its specific renewal cycle.
The TBS and LWF thresholds step up with each renewal cycle. According to MOM’s published table, the first renewal carries no TBS or LWF requirement, but the second renewal requires at least SGD 100,000 in annual Total Business Spending and an LWF of 1, rising progressively to SGD 1,150,000 in TBS and an LWF of 10 by the eleventh renewal cycle. Local Workforce is calculated as the number of Professionals, Managers and Executives on direct payroll, plus the number of Local Qualifying Salary employees divided by three, with a cap of 12 LQS employees counted in any single calculation. In practical terms, this means the EntrePass is designed to push genuine business growth and local hiring over time, not to provide indefinite residency on the strength of the original idea alone.
Renewed passes run up to 1 year for the first renewal and up to 2 years for each subsequent renewal, provided the criteria continue to be met.
EntrePass vs Employment Pass vs ONE Pass
Founders often ask which of these three passes actually fits their plan. The honest answer depends on whether you are building a new venture from scratch, joining or being hired by an existing Singapore entity, or already operating at the top tier of your field.
| Feature | EntrePass | Employment Pass | ONE Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who it suits | Founders of venture-backed or innovative-technology businesses | Professionals employed by a Singapore-registered company | Top-tier talent across business, arts, sport, science and more |
| Minimum salary | None stipulated | Governed by COMPASS and qualifying salary benchmarks | At least SGD 22,500 fixed monthly salary, or comparable achievements |
| Assessed under COMPASS | No | Yes | No |
| Employer sponsorship needed | No, the candidate applies directly | Yes, sponsoring company applies | No, self-sponsored |
| Renewal tied to | Business spending and local hiring milestones | Ongoing COMPASS assessment and salary criteria | Continued high-earning employment or achievement |
Founders who later scale beyond the entrepreneurial stage sometimes look at whether converting to ONE Pass makes sense once their earnings and profile qualify, particularly if they are moving from a hands-on operating role into a broader leadership or investor position. Others considering the AI and technology-specific route may find the ONE Pass AI and tech track more directly relevant than EntrePass if they have already built and led a sizeable tech company. It is also worth noting that MOM’s own EntrePass eligibility page points founders who have already founded or led a sizeable tech company toward the EDB-administered Tech.Pass as a separate option outside MOM’s own work pass suite.
Structuring the business before you apply
Because EntrePass requires a private limited company registered with ACRA, and because the pass holder must hold at least 30 percent of it, the corporate structuring decisions you make before applying matter as much as the pass application itself. Founders bringing in co-founders, early investors, or a holding structure need the shareholding split settled before the EntrePass application goes in, since MOM checks this shareholding threshold again at every renewal. If you have not yet incorporated, it is worth reading through the practicalities of why founders incorporate a private limited company in Singapore before finalising your cap table and applying for the pass.
Founders who are unsure whether EntrePass, EP, or one of Singapore’s other founder-focused schemes fits their situation should also compare against the Global Investor Programme options, which serve a different profile of applicant: those investing significant capital into an existing or new Singapore business in pursuit of permanent residence, rather than those seeking a work pass to run day-to-day operations.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming COMPASS applies. It does not. Do not prepare an EntrePass application around COMPASS salary bands or points criteria, since MOM assesses EntrePass on entirely different grounds.
- Applying after the 12-month mark. If your company is already more than 12 months old when you apply, MOM assesses you against renewal criteria, not fresh-application criteria, which is a materially higher bar.
- Choosing an excluded business type. Coffee shops, bars, foot reflexology and massage outlets, TCM and acupuncture businesses, employment agencies, and geomancy businesses are all explicitly excluded.
- Underestimating renewal requirements. Total Business Spending and Local Workforce thresholds increase at every renewal cycle. A business plan that only accounts for getting the first pass approved, without a credible path to hitting later-cycle spending and hiring targets, risks non-renewal down the line.
- Skipping Startup SG Network registration. Renewal requires an individual profile and a claimed company profile on Startup SG Network. This is easy to overlook until the renewal window is already open.
Getting your EntrePass application right the first time
The EntrePass rewards founders who can show real substance behind their venture: genuine funding, genuine intellectual property, or a genuine research partnership, not simply an idea and an ACRA registration. Because the eligibility test, the application documentation, and the renewal spending and hiring milestones all interact with your company’s shareholding structure and its financial trajectory, it pays to get the corporate structuring and the pass strategy aligned from day one rather than treating them as separate problems.
If you are weighing up an EntrePass application against an Employment Pass, ONE Pass, or the Global Investor Programme, or you need help incorporating the private limited company your EntrePass application will sit under, Raffles Corporate Services works with foreign founders on both the corporate services and the work pass side through our associated MOM-licensed employment agency. Visit Raffles Corporate Services to speak with our team about your specific situation before you submit.
The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services