Personalized employment pass (PEP)

PEP is Personalized Employment Pass that is issued to individuals who are not linked to any particular employer. It is available to highly qualified professionals who plan to be employed in Singapore. You can apply for this visa on your individual merit. After approval you can shift to Singapore and look for suitable opportunities for work in Singapore.

1. Holders of PEP pass are not permitted to engage in any form of business in Singapore. They are not allowed to start their own business either in their own name or in the name of their family members;
2. An individual holding PEP can be a director of a company not under his or her ownership;
3. PEP eligibility requirements are stricter compared to Employment Pass requirements;
4. PEP is valid for 3-years by which time the holder must earn a fix rate of S$144,000 per annum.
5. PEP holders can move from one employment to another without the need to secure a work visa every time. The period of unemployment allowed between each job is only six months. If they cannot find a job for this six months then they must leave Singapore and their PEP gets cancelled
6. PEP holders can apply for Dependant’s Pass (DP) for their children who are below 21 years of age and their spouses. Long Term Visit Pass (LTVP) is also available for the parents of PEP holders.
7. PEP holders must earn minimum of 144,000 SGD per year through their employment. So even if they can be unemployed for some period of time, they must still need to achieve this figure every year.

PEP is available to individuals who are:

1. Holders of an existing Employment Pass with a minimum monthly salary of S$12,000. Those people who are already in Singapore on a company sponsored employment pass and earn more than 12000 SGD per month can apply for PEP
2. Foreign professionals whose last monthly salary from his/her employment is equivalent to S$18,000. The last salary received by the applicant must not be more than six months from the time s/he applies for PEP. These are the people who are applying for PEP from abroad.

Approval of PEP takes anywhere from four to six weeks upon submission of application and other required documents. Once approved, an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter will be sent by MOM to the applicant. The applicant is then given six months to secure personally his or her pass from the office of MOM in Singapore. S/he is also required to bring all other requirements as stated in the letter like original copy of the previous documents submitted, medical test reports, and others. The issued EP is valid for three years.

1. Change in Employment. The Work Pass Division of MOM must be informed when a PEP holder has another employer through a Notification Form. It must be sent within a week from the change of the employment status. The same notification form must also be submitted by the current and previous employer.
2. Change in Local Contact. The Notification Form must also be used when there are changes in the PEP holder’s local contact.
   Declaration of Salary. Within a month after the end of each calendar year, a PEP holder is required to declare his/her annual salary through the Notification Form.
3. Travel Documents. An Amendment of Personal Particular form must be filled and submitted to MOM if there are changes in a PEP holder’s travel documents.
4. Replacement of PEP card. Damaged or lost PEP cards must be replaced by applying through EP-Online.
5. Residential address. MOM must be notified through EP-Online about any change of residential address

PEP is only issued once and cannot be renewed. Holders of expiring or expired PEPs must apply for either an Employment Pass or Permanent Residence should they decide to continue their work in Singapore. Cancellation of PEP is also possible if the holder decides so, but s/he cannot re-apply to secure a new PEP.