Singapore digital nomad visa & residency (2026)

At Committee of Supply 2026, MOM announced a new ONE Pass (AI & Tech) sub-track to supersede Tech.Pass from January 2027, adding an equity-compensation pathway for founders, and confirmed the Employment Pass qualifying salary will rise to S$6,000/month (S$6,600 in financial services) for new applications from 1 January 2027.

New EP applications from 1 January 2025 require at least S$5,600/month in most sectors and S$6,200 in financial services, with age-progressive maximums reaching S$10,700–S$11,800 for candidates in their mid-40s. Renewals fall under the new threshold from 1 January 2026.

MOM applied the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) — already mandatory for new EP applications since September 2023 — to all renewal applications for passes expiring from 1 September 2024, meaning every renewal cycle now requires passing the 40-point employer-level fairness test.

Singapore launched the ONE Pass, a personalised 5-year work pass requiring a last-drawn monthly salary of at least S$30,000 or documented outstanding achievements in business, arts, sports, academia, or research. Holders can simultaneously start, operate, and work for multiple Singapore companies — the broadest employer flexibility of any Singapore work pass.

The EP qualifying salary rose from S$4,500 to S$5,000 (S$5,500 in financial services) for new applications — the third hike in under three years — as announced by Finance Minister Lawrence Wong at Budget 2022 on 18 February. MOM simultaneously announced COMPASS would be introduced in 2023 to add a structural fairness dimension beyond salary.

The Singapore Economic Development Board introduced Tech.Pass, an employer-independent 2-year pass (renewable once) capped initially at 500 slots for established tech entrepreneurs, senior executives, and leading engineers. Holders could work for, invest in, or found multiple Singapore tech companies simultaneously — a major structural departure from employer-tied passes.

MOM raised the EP qualifying salary from S$3,600 to S$4,500 and strengthened Fair Consideration Framework obligations, extending mandatory Jobs Bank advertising to 14 days before any EP hire. The package was framed as protecting local PMETs and was the first of three rapid EP salary hikes between 2020 and 2022.

MOM tightened EntrePass criteria to exclude ordinary SME founders, requiring applicants to demonstrate that their business is venture-capital-backed, holds a registered IP, or is resident in a government-supported incubator. A progressive renewal framework was also introduced, requiring growing employment and spending contributions over successive renewal cycles.

Singapore created the PEP, a non-employer-tied, non-renewable 3-year pass for high-earning foreign professionals (later requiring at least S$22,500/month), allowing holders up to 6 continuous months in Singapore between jobs. It was the first Singapore work pass explicitly designed to give elite foreign talent job-change flexibility without losing residency rights.

The Ministry of Manpower launched the EntrePass, enabling foreign entrepreneurs to incorporate and operate businesses in Singapore without requiring a local employer sponsor. It was Singapore's foundational instrument for attracting foreign startup founders and established the template for later employer-independent passes.