Dependant's Pass and Working on an LOC

If you hold an Employment Pass or S Pass and want your family with you, the Dependant’s Pass (DP) is usually the route. It comes with one clear money test and a set of rules on who can come and who can work. Here is the current position from MOM.

The sponsor’s salary test

To sponsor a DP you must:

MOM Dependant’s Pass sponsor salary and family eligibility.

• Hold an Employment Pass or S Pass;
• Earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000 — this is based on your own salary, not combined household income; and
• Be sponsored by an established, Singapore-registered company (usually your employer).

Who qualifies as a dependant

A DP covers:

• Your legally married spouse; and
• Unmarried children under 21, including legally adopted children.

Family members outside those two groups are not eligible for a DP, but some may qualify for a Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) instead:

Can a Dependant’s Pass holder work?

This is where the rules changed. Since 1 May 2021, a DP holder who wants a job must obtain their own work pass — not a Letter of Consent (LOC). The options today are:

• Employment Pass or S Pass — the employer applies, and the holder must meet that pass’s criteria. The DP is cancelled before the new pass is issued.
• DP–Work Permit — the employer applies; validity is tied to the DP, and the employer’s Work Permit quota and levy apply.
• Letter of Consent (LOC) — now only for a DP holder running their own registered business (a sole proprietor, partner, or company director holding at least 30% of the shares). Renewal needs at least one local employee earning the Local Qualifying Salary.
• Volunteering — no work pass is needed if there is no payment and the activity is for a charitable purpose.

Applying: documents and who submits

The main pass holder’s employer (or an appointed agent) submits the DP application — the dependant cannot apply for themselves. MOM lists the documents it needs:

• a copy of the passport personal-particulars page for each applicant;
• for a child sharing a parent’s passport, the parent’s particulars page too;
• the marriage certificate for a spouse; and
• the official birth certificate naming the parents for a child (or the adoption order for an adopted child).

Documents not in English need an official translation. Most applications for dependants of EP and S Pass holders are processed within three weeks. Once approved, you complete the formalities to have each pass issued. Budget S$105 per pass when the application is submitted, then S$225 per pass on issue, plus S$30 for any Multiple Journey Visa.

Validity, fees and timing

• A DP’s validity follows the main work pass — it cannot outlast it, and it lapses if the main pass is cancelled.
• MOM charges S$105 for each pass applied for, then S$225 for each pass issued, plus S$30 for a Multiple Journey Visa where required. A renewal only needs the S$225 issuance fee.
• The employer or an appointed agent applies; you cannot apply for your own family’s DP as the dependant.

Related steps

Once your family is here, you will also want to sort schooling for the children and healthcare cover, both of which work differently for non-residents.

General information only, from MOM, with the date each figure was checked. We are not an immigration agent; the final decision on any pass rests with MOM. Confirm the current rules on the official MOM page for your own case.