Year of the snake Chinese New Year 2025
Lunar New Year Special: Incorporate Now & Enjoy ‎‎ 20% Off  all Services! Hurry, offer ends 28th Feb!

EP vs. PEP – Rights,
similarities, and
differences

2 minute read

Employment Pass (EP) and Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) are just 2 of the work passes available to foreigners who want to stay and work in Singapore.

Overview:

Employment Pass (EP)

The characteristics of an Employment Pass are:

  • This work pass is for foreign professionals, managers, and executives earning at least S$5,000 a month. Older and more experienced candidates are expected to earn higher salaries to qualify, up to S$10,500 for candidate in mid-40s.

In addition to meeting the EP qualifying salary, the candidate will also need to pass the points-based Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) at 40 points.

Note:

  • For candidates in the financial services sector, they will need to earn at least S$5,500 a month to qualify for the pass. Older candidates will need higher salaries to qualify, up to $11,500 for each candidate in their mid-40s.
  • The validity of the EP is usually 2 years for new applications and 3 years for renewals.
  • An Employment Pass holder needs to apply for a new EP if the holder plans to change employers.
  • There is no foreign worker levy or quota required.
  • The EP holder can be the director and/or shareholder of a company.
  • The EP application takes about 3 weeks to process.
  • The EP holder is eligible to apply for long-term passes for spouse and children if the monthly salary is at least $6,000 and for parents if the monthly salary is at least $12,000.

Personalised Employment Pass (PEP)

The characteristics of a Personalised Employment Pass are:

  • This work pass is for foreign professionals earning at least S$22,500.
  • The PEP is not tied to an employer and it offers a greater flexibility than an Employment Pass. The PEP holder can move to a different employer without the need to apply for a new PEP, as long as it is within the validity period of the current PEP.
  • The PEP holder can be without a job for up to 6 months to look for new employment.
  • The validity of a PEP is 3 years and is not renewable upon expiry.
    • The PEP is a one-time issued pass and the holder will not be able to get another PEP once it has expired or cancelled.
  • There is no foreign worker levy or quota required.
  • The PEP holder cannot be start his/her own business and conduct any entrepreneurial activities
    • A business owner in an ACRA-registered company is defined as a sole proprietor, partner, shareholder or where a director is also a shareholder.
  • The PEP application takes about 8 weeks to process
  • The PEP holder is eligible to apply for long term passes for spouse, children and parents.

Conclusion

EP and PEP are distinctly different work passes for different types of candidates. You have to consider in depth the differences between the 2 work passes and the requirements for each of them before you proceed to apply for it.

Contact us to get started!

Ready to start your business?

Our expert team is here to help you. Explore our visa services or contact our team to get personalised advice today.

Stay up to date with Sleek

Got questions?

Get them answered for FREE by our experts.

Become a part of the Sleek Community now!

Other articles that might interest you

Related content

ACRA Compliance Checklist 2025

Ready to get started? Let’s do this! Set-up a new company Running a business in Singapore means being a part

Sleek logo in blue circle
Let’s Connect
Leave our friendly team a message and we’ll be in touch in no time.

Need expert advice?