Licensing requirements

• Before you apply for your licence
• Your obligations as an employment agency operator

Before you apply for your licence

Entities and individuals that are actively involved in putting job seekers in touch with employers and vice versa on a regular basis, and/or could substantially influence the outcome of the employment terms and conditions are required to obtain an employment agency licence if such activities are carried out in Singapore. This is regardless of whether the entity or individual is based in Singapore or overseas and regardless of whether the job seekers are placed in jobs in Singapore or overseas.

Employment agency works are activities carried out to facilitate the placement of a worker with an employer. They may include:

• Communication with any worker for the purposes of assisting in job applications
• Collation of biodata or resume of any worker to help secure employment
• Submission of work pass application on behalf of employer or worker to MOM

A licence is not required when recruiting persons for the sole purpose of employing them for your own company/business. A licence is also not required if you are outsourcing your own staff (i.e. you are the employer who hire and pay the staff), to your customers' premises/offices.

The following activities and entities are exempted from the need to obtain an employment agency licence:

• Wholly web-based job portals
• Entities and individuals who maintain and operates any job bulletin board and who does not otherwise carry on an employment agency
• Entities who submits work pass applications and who does not otherwise carry on an employment agency
• Recognised universities or educational institutions
• Community Development Councils
• Employment and Employability Institute Pte Ltd
• Singapore Workforce Development Agency

For more details on exemption, please refer to Employment Agencies (Exemption) Order 2011.

Licensing criteria

You must meet the following criteria before you may apply for an employment agency licence:

• You must be a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident at the point of application. If you are a foreigner applying for an employment agency licence for a business/company/limited liability partnership (LLP)/Limited Partnership (LP), you are required to obtain an Employment Pass which will allow you to work in that particular business/company/LLP/LP.
• You must be registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) as owner/director/managing director/manager of the business/company/limited liability partnership (LLP)/Limited Partnership (LP) at the point of application. You must have one of the following registered as one of your principal activities

1. ‘Maid Agencies' (SSIC 78103)
2. ‘Employment Agencies (excluding maid agencies)' (SSIC 78104)
3. ‘Executive Search Agencies' (SSIC 78105)

• You cannot be an undischarged bankrupt.
• You cannot have any previous court convictions records (particularly under Women's Charter, Children and Young Persons Act, Penal Code, Immigration Act, Employment Agencies Act and Employment of Foreign Manpower Act) in Singapore or elsewhere, of an offence involving dishonesty or human trafficking.
• You are not a director of or involved in the management of an employment agency whose licence had been revoked.

Key Appointment Holder

• Your partner, owner, manager, director, managing director, chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief operating officer and any person who has general control and management of the administration of any specified employment agency work (known as key appointment holders) must not be an undischarged bankrupt.
• Your key appointment holders do not have any conviction records (particularly under Women's Charter, Children and Young Persons Act, Penal Code, Immigration Act, Employment Agencies Act and Employment of Foreign Workers Act) in Singapore or elsewhere, of an offence involving dishonesty or human trafficking.
• Your key appointment holders are not directors of or involved in the management of an employment agency whose licence had been revoked.

Certificate of Employment Intermediaries

Under the New Employment Agency (EA) Regulatory Framework, a new Certificate of Employment Intermediaries (CEI) will replace the current Certificate for Employment Agencies (CEA). The CEI aims to equip EA personnel with the necessary knowledge of relevant legislation and regulations. This ensures that the EAs understand the law and their obligations, thereby raising their professional knowledge and service to their clients.

For more information on Certificate of Employment Intermediaries (CEI).

Your obligations as an employment agency operator

a) What should be included in the written service agreement between you and employers of foreign domestic workers

Employment agencies (EAs) are required to sign a written service agreement with employers of foreign domestic workers that satisfies a set of requirements. Please refer to the Employment Agency Comprehensive Licence Condition 16 for the requirements.

EAs can continue to use the existing standard service agreement that is administered under the accreditation framework as it fulfills the set of requirements. Alternatively, EAs may use a recommended service agreement.

b) Staff registration card

Upon successful registration of the EA personnel, EAs are required to issue all registered personnel with the registration card in accordance to the specifications prescribed in the Employment Agencies Rules 2011.

Please be informed that failure to issue a registration card to the EA personnel in the prescribed form will be an offence. All EA personnel are also required to show their registration cards to prospective or new clients and allow them to take down any information on the cards.

Sample of Registration Card

Template of EA Personnel Registration Card

c) Placement Declaration

It is important for MOM to have the latest information on the type of placement your employment agency is doing. Access to Work Permit Online (WPOL) and Employment Pass Online (EPOL) application will only be given to employment agencies who have declared to MOM through Online Business Licensing Service that they are placing foreigners. MOM will not issue WPOL/EPOL account to employment agencies who have declared as not placing foreigners.

Employment agency licensees are required by Employment Agency Licence Conditions 3 and 14 (for Comprehensive Licence) to keep the MOM updated on the following information. If there has been a change in your UEN number/business entity type, you also need to submit a new application for your employment agency.

Item	Action	Working days required (excl. day of submission)	Remarks
Change in Licensee's personal particulars email address marital status residential address educational qualifications contact numbers	Log in to OBLS	Immediate	Important correspondences such as the Banker’s Guarantee discharge letter, are mailed using the residential address.
Change in employment agency details operating address email address new branch applications accreditation details	Log in to OBLS	Immediate	Where applicable, prior approval for appropriate land use should be sought from the relevant authorities, e.g. Housing & Development Board, JTC Corporation, Urban Redevelopment Authority After updating your operating address, please fax the completed Request Note for Reprint of Licence.
Update branch information Open a new branch Update Existing Branch address  Termination of Branch	Log in to OBLS	3	Where applicable, prior approval for appropriate land use should be sought from the relevant authorities (e.g. Housing & Development Board, JTC Corporation, Urban Redevelopment Authority) After updating your operating address, please complete the Request Note for Reprint of Licence.
Update Foreign-Domestic Worker (FDW) boarding house information	Log in to OFWAS	Immediate
Updates to ACRA information (Company Details section) Changes to SSIC Changes to Registered address Addition /Removal of directors/partners Change in company/business/limited liability partnership (LLP) name (no change to UEN)	Log in to OBLS	7	Tick the ‘Update Company Details’ checkbox for the ‘Update Company Details’ section in OBLS so that the information displayed would be received by MOM.
Any other updates	Log in to OBLS	3

How to update Foreign Domestic Worker boarding house information

All employment agencies that place foreign domestic workers (FDW) are required to provide MOM their boarding house addresses.

Update Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) Boarding House information	Log in to OFWAS
User Guide to update FDW Boarding House Information on OFWAS	Download

You need following information ready before you proceed.

• SingPass
• Employment agency number
• Boarding house address
• Subcontractor contact details, if applicable. A subcontractor is a service provider (company or person) appointed by your agency to provide lodging for FDWs your care.
• Name of the boarding house's owner
• Boarding house capacity

How to update licensee details, ACRA information and agency details

Updates of licensee's details, ACRA information and employment agency details can be done online:

Updates of details of licensee and employment agency information	Log in to OBLS
User Guide for updating licence information on OBLS	Download

 

For limited partnerships, updates can be should be made in writing (together with the necessary supporting documents) and sent to the following address: 

The Employment Agency Licensing Branch
Foreign Manpower Management Division
120 Kim Seng Road
Singapore 239436