Singapore EntrePass Checklist

Updated September 2026 · The EntrePass is Singapore's pass for a foreign entrepreneur who will start and run a venture-backed or innovative-technology company. It is the self-employed counterpart to the Employment Pass, and it carries its own eligibility tests, document list and a renewal ladder based on business spending and local hiring. This page covers Singapore rules. Verified against the official MOM pages, 2026-09-29.

Who it is for, and what is excluded

The EntrePass is for a foreign entrepreneur, high-calibre innovator or experienced investor who will start and operate a private limited company in Singapore. There is no nationality restriction, but the pass holder must own at least 30% of the company. Certain consumer and service industries are excluded: coffee shops, hawker centres and food courts; bars, nightclubs and karaoke lounges; foot reflexology and massage establishments; acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine or herbal shops; employment agencies; and geomancy businesses.

The two conditions you must meet

An EntrePass application has to satisfy two things at once. First, you must have founded, or be about to found, an ACRA-registered private limited company in which you hold at least 30% of the shares, and which is venture-backed or uses innovative technology. Second, you must meet at least one of the innovation criteria below.

• Funding – a single funding round of at least S$100,000 in any past or current business, from a qualifying investor such as SEEDS Capital, Vertex Ventures, a Startup SG Equity partner, or a well-known international VC, corporate or angel.
• Incubator or accelerator support – from a government-recognised or internationally known programme, for example a Startup SG Accelerator or Startup SG Founder partner, Y-Combinator, MassChallenge or Alchemist.
• Founded and sold a venture-backed or innovative-technology business – with the subsidiary's incorporation documents, the current management team's letter, a business plan and a sale-and-purchase agreement naming you.
• Intellectual property registered with an approved national IP institution, giving a significant and hard-to-replicate competitive advantage.
• Research collaboration with a Singapore IHL or research institute (for example an A*STAR research institute or a CREATE partner). A service contract does not count as a research collaboration.

If your company has already been registered with ACRA for more than 12 months, it is assessed against the renewal criteria rather than the initial ones.

Checklist: documents to prepare

• Your passport bio page.
• An English business plan of up to 10 pages, covering the product or service, market analysis, operations plan, management team profiles and supporting documents such as licence agreements, product certificates or granted patents.
• Documents describing the type and activity of your past businesses.
• Your CV and proof of past employment, where applicable, showing professional experience, awards or recognition.
• The company's latest business profile or Bizfile instant information, if applicable.
• Latest financial statements, if the company has been registered with ACRA for more than 12 months.
• Criterion-specific documents: an investment agreement or shareholder proof for the funding route; an incubation agreement for the incubator route; an IP registration certificate for the IP route; a research collaboration agreement for the research route.

For any document that is not in English, upload the original together with an English translation, merged into a single file. The translation may be done by a service provider.

Fees, timing and the IPA

If approved, you receive an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter valid for 3 months, and you must complete the issuance before the IPA expires or your current pass ends, or a late-issuance fee applies. Note also that an approved EntrePass does not guarantee approval of a business licence or business registration; you still register with ACRA and apply for any licences you need. A short-term visit pass is not extended while an application is being processed, and it is usually better to apply for dependant passes only after the main pass is approved, since a rejected simultaneous application would forfeit the dependant application fee.

Renewal: the TBS and LWF ladder

Renewal is not automatic. You can apply from 3 months before expiry; the first renewal is for up to 1 year and later renewals for up to 2 years. Renewal requires the holder to still own at least 30%, to have a Startup SG Network profile for the person or company, to show the company is ACRA-registered as a private limited company and is venture-backed or innovative, to submit the latest financial statements, and to meet the Total Business Spending (TBS) and Local Workforce (LWF) thresholds for the round. The ladder rises each round – for example, by the second round TBS is S$100,000 with 1 local employee, and by the eleventh round it reaches S$1,150,000 with 10. The LWF formula is the number of PME staff plus the number of local qualifying employees divided by three, using at most 12 LQS employees. The official pages set out the full ladder and define which costs count towards TBS; the detailed interpretation of the ladder and the complete definition of “venture-backed or innovative technologies” are not published in full, so they are not stated here.

For the neighbouring work passes, see the Singapore Employment Pass documents checklist, the S Pass documents checklist and the LTVP documents checklist. For document preparation generally, the scan and upload and translation and copies guides apply here too.

Source: Ministry of Manpower, Singapore (mom.gov.sg), EntrePass eligibility, apply-for-a-pass, documents-required and renew-a-pass pages, retrieved 2026-09-29. Requirements, fees and the TBS/LWF ladder are revised periodically, so confirm them on the official pages before you apply.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the Singapore EntrePass for?
It is for a foreign entrepreneur who wants to start and operate a venture-backed or innovative-technology private limited company in Singapore. There is no nationality restriction, but the pass holder must own at least 30% of the company.

Which industries are excluded?
Coffee shops, hawker centres and food courts; bars, nightclubs and karaoke lounges; foot reflexology and massage establishments; acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine or herbal shops; employment agencies; and geomancy businesses.

What are the innovation criteria?
You must meet at least one: raised at least S$100,000 in a single funding round; support from a recognised incubator or accelerator; having founded and sold a venture-backed or innovative-technology business; holding intellectual property registered with an approved national IP institution; or an ongoing research collaboration with a Singapore IHL or research institute. A service contract does not count as a research collaboration.

What documents do I need?
Your passport bio page; an English business plan of up to 10 pages; documents on the type and activity of past businesses; your CV and past employment proof; the latest business profile or Bizfile instant information; and the latest financial statements if the company has been registered with ACRA for more than 12 months, plus criterion-specific documents.

How should I submit non-English documents?
Upload the original together with an English translation, merged into a single file. The translation can be done by a service provider.

What does it cost and how long does it take?
The submission fee is S$105 per pass, the issuance fee is S$225 per pass, and a multiple journey visa, if applicable, is S$30. Processing takes about 6 weeks, and you can check the status after two weeks. If approved, the IPA letter is valid for 3 months.

Is renewal automatic?
No. Renewal requires the holder to still own at least 30%, to have a Startup SG Network profile, and to meet the Total Business Spending and Local Workforce thresholds for the round, among other conditions. The first renewal is up to 1 year, and later renewals up to 2 years.

Does the EntrePass give me a business licence?
No. Getting an EntrePass does not guarantee approval of a business licence or business registration; you still register with ACRA and apply for any licences you need.