Singapore increases work pass fees

10-10-2011

Employers seeking work passes for their assignees will face significant fee increases from 1 December 2011, as the Singapore Ministry of Manpower aims to recoup admin costs.

Employers have been paying administrative fees for the application and issuance of work passes since 2005. But the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) say that current fee levels do not allow them to recover the outlays involved.

There are two types of fees for work passes in Singapore: an application fee, and an issuance fee that is paid when the pass is actually issued.

Application fees for Employment Passes, S Passes and Work Permits will increase from $10SGD to $20SGD.

However, the greatest increases come in the issuance fees, particularly for Employment Passes. Issuance fees are increased as follows:

• Employment Pass: Increased from $30SGD/year to $120SGD per issuance
• Dependent Pass: Increased from $30SGD/year to $120SGD per issuance
• S Pass: Increased from $30SGD/year to $70SGD/issuance
• EntrePass: Increased from $30SGD/year to $120SGD per issuance

If you have any questions on these changes, please contact your Sterling representative.