Pass Holders & Foreigners
How Different Visa Holders Can Register a Pte Ltd in Singapore
The Singapore Companies Act allows any individual above 18 years of age to register a business. However, their immigration pass status dictates directorship eligibility and MOM approvals:
Singapore Citizen & PR
Can act immediately as local director and 100% shareholder with zero Ministry of Manpower restrictions. Registration completes within 24 hours.
Employment Pass (EP) Holder
Can hold 100% shares. To act as a director of their own company, they must obtain a Letter of Consent (LOC) from MOM or transition their EP sponsorship to the new entity.
ONE Pass & PEP Holders
Both Overseas Networks & Expertise (ONE) Pass and Personalised Employment Pass holders enjoy pass flexibility and can directly operate as local resident directors of their own Pte Ltd without requiring separate MOM employer transfers.
Dependant's Pass (DP) Holder
Can incorporate a Pte Ltd and apply to MOM for a Letter of Consent (LOC) to operate the company, provided they hold at least 30% equity and create local employment.
Manpower Law
Why Engage a MOM-Licensed Employment Agency for Work Passes?
In Singapore, placing foreign manpower or applying for employment passes on behalf of third parties requires an official Employment Agency Licence issued under the Employment Agencies Act (Cap. 92).
The Ministry of Manpower strictly advises businesses against engaging unlicenced intermediaries or trusting promises of guaranteed approvals made on messaging apps. Unlicensed agents operate outside MOM regulatory auditing, leading to forged job descriptions, inflated fee extortions, or company blacklisting.
How to Verify an Agency:
Always request the firm's MOM EA Licence Number (ACHI BIZ holds 18C9185) and verify it through the official MOM Employment Agencies and Personnel Search (EA Directory). Furthermore, applicants should verify In-Principle Approvals (IPA) directly via MOM's no-login verification portal using their FIN and date of birth.
Visa Policy Update
EntrePass Scheme: Abolition of the S$50,000 Capital Rule
Historically, foreign founders who wished to establish an innovative venture in Singapore under the EntrePass scheme had to inject at least S$50,000 in paid-up capital into a newly registered Pte Ltd.
Effective 3 August 2017, the Ministry of Manpower repealed this S$50,000 paid-up capital requirement. Instead, applicants are evaluated on qualitative commercial criteria:
- Entrepreneur Pillar: Securing funding of at least S$100,000 from a government-recognised VC or business angel, or being an incubatee at an Enterprise Singapore-recognised accelerator.
- Innovator Pillar: Holding registered intellectual property (IP) relevant to the proposed business, or engaging in technical research collaborations with A*STAR or Singapore universities.
- Investor Pillar: Having an established track record of investing in scalable high-growth technology companies.
Singapore Corporate Income Tax Framework
Flat 17% headline tax rate, with Start-Up Tax Exemption (SUTE) providing 75% tax exemption on the first S$100,000 of normal chargeable income for qualifying new companies.
Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) & Manpower Quotas
Determining Singapore citizen and PR full-time employee ratios to unlock foreign worker dependency ratios and S Pass eligibility under Ministry of Manpower quotas.
