On January 1, 2007 Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) introduced the Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) that unbinds Employment Pass (EP) holders and non-permanent residents from a specific employer. The traditional employment pass is tied to a particular employer. If you change jobs, you must re-apply for a new EP with your new employer as your sponsor. However, with a PEP, you are not tied to any employer.
Key Points about PEP
- PEP pass holders are not allowed to start their own business in Singapore. Such individuals must apply for Employment Pass instead.
- if the PEP holder is not involved in the daily operations of the company that the holder is interested to invest in, he/she is required to obtain approval from government authorities.
- PEP holder can be a salary-drawing Director of the company.
- The eligibility requirements for PEP are more stringent than the Employment Pass. See eligibility section below for more details.
- The main advantage of PEP is that a PEP holder can switch jobs without re-applying for a visa as long as the holder is not unemployed for longer than six months. During those six months, the PEP holder can stay in Singapore without having to apply for any other type of stay visas.
Eligibility
The following individuals are eligible to apply for a personalised employment pass:
- Current EP holders – If you are on a P1, P2 or Q1 Pass, you can apply for a PEP. However, P2 Pass holders must have held their status for at least two years while Q1 Pass holders must have been working for at least five years. P1 holders can apply for PEP anytime. You should have been earning a basic salary of at least S$30,000 per annum during the previous year.
- Former P1 holders – If you used to work in Singapore as a P1 Pass holder but are now residing overseas, you can also apply for a PEP. But you should not have been unemployed for a continuous period of longer than six months at the time of application.
- Overseas professionals – If your last drawn fixed monthly salary was the equivalent to at least S$7,000, you can apply for a PEP.
- Singapore graduates – those who have graduated from Singapore institutes of higher learning can also apply for a PEP. The MOM is flexible on eligibility in these cases, based on the merits of the applicant.
Documents needed
The MOM does not indicate the need for specific documents, however, you will need to furnish the following the information when you fill out Form 8.
- Details of your passport
- Name and address of employer
- Job and salary details
- Local contact details
- Details of dependant pass holders, if applicable.
- Details of long-term social visit pass holders, if applicable.
If you currently don't hold a Singapore employment pass, it's likely that MOM authorities will ask for additional details once the personalised employment pass application has been filed. Therefore, as a good practice and in order to preempt delays caused by such procedure, it's best to attach the following documents when submitting the PEP application:
- Copy of your passport
- Appointment letter from the current employer
- Last three months salary slips
- Copied of higher education certificates
- Copy of your resume
Processing time
The processing time for PEP applications is about 2-3 weeks.
Once your PEP application is approved, you will be sent an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter. This is valid for three months and you should collect your pass within this period from the MOM office in Singapore as listed in the letter. You will also need to bring any other documents as requested in the letter such as medical tests report, originals, etc. Once issued, your personalized employment pass will be valid for five years.
During the validity period
You are required to keep authorities up-to-date with the following information:
- Employment – You may not need to re-apply for a visa when you change employer but you still need to inform the MOM's Work Pass Division if you find a new job or you become unemployed. You can do this with the Notification Form for PEP Holders and mail it within seven days of your change in status. Your employer or previous employer is also required to inform authorities with the Notification Form for Employers.
- Local contact – You should inform authorites of any changes to your local contact, using the Notification Form.
- Salary – You should declare your annual salary at the end of each calendar year, within 30 days of the end of the year. Again, you can use the Notification Form.
- Travel documents – If you have changed your travel document, you should have your PEP endorsement transferred to your new passport. You should submit your disembarkation/embarkation card (Green card), as well as your old and new passports to the authorities.
- PEP card replacement – if you lose your PEP card, you should apply for a replacement one. You need to submit your passport and police report card in order to receive a new card.
- Address – if you change your address, you should complete the Notification of Change in Address Residential Address Form.
Renewal
Unlike other employment passes, the PEP cannot be renewed after the five years is up. After five years, you could continue working and living in Singapore with an Employment Pass or apply for Singapore permanent residence. You can also cancel your PEP at any time. But once canceled, you will not be able to apply for a new PEP.
Other Related Topics
Singapore Immigration | EntrePass | Employment Pass
