Eligible high-earning foreign professionals can apply for a Personalised Employment Pass. Pass holders have greater job flexibility than with other work passes. However, they need to meet certain requirements to hold the pass.
Who is eligible
You can apply for a Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) if you are earning a fixed monthly salary of at least $22,500. This is benchmarked to the top 10% of EP holders. For overseas foreign professionals, your last drawn salary should have been within the past 6 months of your application.
To keep your PEP, you must:
- Be employed continuously in Singapore. If you are unemployed for more than 6 months at any point, you will need to cancel your pass.
- Earn a fixed salary of at least $270,000 per calendar year, regardless of the number of months you are in employment.
If you applied for your PEP before 1 September 2023, you must earn a fixed salary of $144,000 per calendar year, regardless of the number of months you are in employment.
Who is not eligible
You are not eligible for the PEP if you are:
- An Employment Pass holder under the sponsorship scheme.
- A freelancer or foreigner who intends to work on a freelance-basis.
- A business owner in an ACRA-registered company, such as a sole proprietor, partner, shareholder or where a director is also a shareholder.
- A journalist, editor, sub-editor or producer.
Note: You are not allowed to start a business or conduct any form of entrepreneurial activity while on a PEP. If you intend to do so, you should apply for an EntrePass or Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass.