Citizeo Expand your global options
Pathway

Singapore Entrepreneur Visa

Singapore Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

EntrePass is for founders who own at least 30% of a qualifying venture-backed or innovative-technology company. You must prove an accepted founder qualification and meet increasingly demanding business requirements to renew the pass.

Business
A qualifying Singapore private limited company
Ownership
At least 30%
Founder evidence
A defined funding, accelerator, business-sale, intellectual-property, or research category

Summary

Singapore’s EntrePass lets qualifying founders live in Singapore and run a business backed by venture investors or built around innovative technology. You must own at least 30% of the company and prove one of the accepted founder qualifications.

There is no set minimum salary. The main challenge is showing that the founder and business qualify, then meeting the business activity, spending, and local employment requirements for renewal.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

The company

You must have started, or genuinely plan to start, a Singapore private limited company registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). After registration, you must own at least 30%.

The company must have venture backing or own innovative technology. If it is already more than 12 months old when you apply, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) assesses it under renewal standards.

At least one accepted founder qualification

You need clear evidence for one or more of these categories:

A strong resume, available money, friends-and-family funding, or a general claim of innovation is not a substitute for meeting a defined category.

MOM excludes coffee shops, hawker centers, food courts, bars, nightclubs, karaoke lounges, foot-reflexology and massage businesses, acupuncture and traditional-medicine or herbal-dispensing businesses, employment agencies, and geomancy businesses.

Prepare a business plan and evidence for the chosen category, along with passport and company records. You can apply directly without an employer sponsor.

Building a business through Singapore’s EntrePass
  1. Prove the founder and company fit Choose an accepted evidence category and confirm ownership and company age.
  2. Apply with a supported business plan Show how the Singapore business and qualifying technology or funding fit together.
  3. Build and document the business Maintain operations and plan for spending, hiring, and renewal requirements.

Registering a company is only one requirement; founder evidence and continuing business performance are essential.

What This Route Allows

An approved pass lets you live in Singapore and operate the qualifying company. The initial pass and first renewal can each last up to one year; later renewals can last up to two years.

What renewal requires

Keep at least 30% ownership, claim the company profile on Startup SG Network, and show continuing venture backing or innovative technology, real business activity, progress, and current financial statements.

MOM also uses specific definitions of Total Business Spending and Local Workforce:

Renewal Annual qualifying spending Local Workforce units
First No stated minimum No stated minimum
Second SGD 100,000 1
Third SGD 200,000 2
Fourth SGD 300,000 3
Fifth SGD 400,000 4

Requirements continue to rise in later cycles, reaching SGD 1.15 million and 10 workforce units at the eleventh cycle. Use the full current table for your renewal.

Not all accounting costs count. Founder pay, overseas outsourcing, some royalties and technical fees, and other excluded expenses cannot simply be added to the spending total. Workforce units use qualifying citizens and permanent residents on direct payroll with CPF contributions; professional employees and employees meeting the Local Qualifying Salary are counted under different parts of the formula.

Family and later residence

A spouse and qualifying children may apply once the business has SGD 100,000 annual qualifying spending and one workforce unit, or an accepted high-level founder alternative is met. Parents generally require SGD 200,000 and two units. Family passes are separate applications.

Permanent residence is also a separate ICA application, without automatic approval after a set period on EntrePass.

What This Route Is Not

EntrePass is not a general freelance, remote-work, consulting, retail, or ordinary small-business visa. Incorporation alone does not qualify you, guarantee renewal, or provide family residence.

The company must carry out the proposed business. MOM may request evidence, and Enterprise Singapore may engage with or audit the business. Cancel the pass if the business closes.

Next Steps

  1. Choose the founder category you can prove and gather the funding, accelerator, sale, IP, or research evidence.
  2. Check company age, qualifying business activity, and your 30% ownership. Prepare a consistent business plan and application.
  3. Apply through MOM and complete pass issuance if approved. Keep company, banking, contract, invoice, payroll, CPF, and financial records as the business operates.
  4. Plan for renewal well before the three-month renewal window, using MOM’s spending and workforce definitions. Check family or permanent-residence requirements separately.

Stay up to date on this pathway

Get an email when something important changes.

No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Similar business pathways in other destinations.

Sources