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Work passes

EntrePass: the founder's work pass

The EntrePass is MOM's work pass for serial entrepreneurs, high-calibre innovators and experienced investors running a Singapore private limited company that is venture-backed or owns innovative technology. The founder applies directly and must hold at least 30% of the company, and meet one innovation criterion such as raising at least S$100,000 in a single funding round. There is no minimum salary. The first pass and first renewal last up to a year; each renewal needs rising business spending and local hiring.

Last verified against ICA/MOM information: 27 September 2026Updated 27 September 2026Checked against the official sources on this page on 20 Oct 2026.

Key takeaways

  • The company: an ACRA-registered private limited company, venture-backed or owning innovative technologies, with the pass holder owning at least 30%.
  • One innovation criterion: S$100,000 raised in a single round; a recognised incubator or accelerator; a founded-and-sold tech business; registered IP; or a research collaboration in Singapore.
  • Excluded: coffee shops and food courts, bars and nightclubs, massage and reflexology, TCM and herbal businesses, employment agencies, geomancy.
  • Duration: up to 1 year for the new pass and first renewal, then up to 2 years. The holder renews, from 3 months before expiry.
  • Renewal targets for total business spending and local jobs rise with each renewal cycle.

Who can get an EntrePass

Both conditions must be met: a private limited company registered with ACRA (started or to be started) that is venture-backed or owns innovative technologies, with the applicant holding at least 30%; and at least one of the innovation criteria below. A company more than 12 months old on the date of application is assessed on the renewal criteria instead.

MOM, Eligibility for EntrePass — verified 27 September 2026. One criterion is enough.
CriterionWhat MOM looks for
FundingAt least S$100,000 raised in a single round from investors for any past or current business — for example SEEDS Capital, partners under Startup SG Equity, or internationally renowned VCs, corporates and business angels
Incubator or acceleratorSupport from a government-recognised or internationally renowned programme, such as Startup SG Accelerator or Founder partners, Y Combinator or MassChallenge
Founded and sold a tech businessEvidence that you founded it, that it was venture-backed or owned innovative technologies, and that it was sold under your management
Intellectual propertyIP registered with an approved national IP institution that gives the business a significant advantage that cannot easily be copied
Research collaborationAn ongoing collaboration in Singapore with an Institute of Higher Learning or research institution, involving you, related to the business and verified by the institution — not a contract of service

Renewal: the milestones rise every cycle

The holder renews personally, from 3 months before expiry; most renewals are decided within 8 weeks and cost S$225 to issue. At every renewal the holder must still own at least 30% and have a Startup SG Network profile, and the company must remain venture-backed or innovative, show ongoing activity, have filed its latest financial statements and meet MOM's total business spending and local workforce targets for that cycle.

  • The first renewal carries no spending or hiring target. From the second, both are required, and they climb with each cycle in MOM's published table.
  • Local workforce is counted as professionals, managers and executives earning at least MOM's stated basic monthly salary, plus local employees at the Local Qualifying Salary divided by three.
  • A founder planning for the third and later renewals should budget the hiring early; MOM's renewal page has the full table.

Family and working spouses

MOM ties EntrePass family passes to the business rather than a salary: a spouse and children qualify when the business meets MOM's spending and local-workforce figures (or another listed route), and parents need higher figures. A spouse on a Dependant's Pass needs a work pass of their own to take a job, or a Letter of Consent to run a qualifying business.

EntrePass, other passes and PR

  • An experienced founder or executive with a salary record may fit the ONE Pass better; MOM also points experienced founders to EDB's Global Founder Programme.
  • The Tech.Pass that MOM's EntrePass page still mentions closes to new and renewal applications from 28 January 2027, replaced by the ONE Pass AI and Tech track.
  • ICA's PR page names Employment Pass and S Pass holders, not EntrePass holders, and no official page addresses PR for the EntrePass. PR eligibility lists the categories as ICA words them.

Thinking about PR as a founder?

The eligibility checker applies ICA's categories to your situation, including founders who also hold another pass or have family ties.

Check PR eligibility

Official sources referenced

Editorial information

Written by
SingaPR Editorial Team — Research & editorial
Reviewed by
SingaPR Immigration Research Desk — Fact review against ICA/MOM sources
Published
27 September 2026
Facts verified
27 September 2026 (re-checked at least every 90 days)
Revision history
  • 2026-09-27 — First published after verification against MOM, EDB and ICA pages fetched on 27 September 2026.

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