Published: 17 September 2026 · Reviewed by Ray Tay, Co-Founder & Managing Director, VIVOS PTE. LTD. (ACRA Filing Agent FA20240323 · MOM EA Licence 24S2425)
Last reviewed: 17 September 2026 · Reviewed by Ray Tay, Co-Founder & Managing Director, VIVOS PTE. LTD. (ACRA Filing Agent FA20240323 · MOM Employment Agency Licence 24S2425)
The Professionals/Technical Personnel and Skilled Workers (PTS) Scheme is the practitioner name for the main route to Singapore Permanent Residence (PR) used by foreigners who are currently working here on a long-term pass. It isn’t a separate application form — it runs through the same online e-PR system the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) uses for every PR category, and ICA’s own document checklist for this route is filed on its website as “…document_list_for_pts.pdf,” confirming ICA uses the term internally even though its public “Becoming a Permanent Resident” page does not spell out “PTS” as an acronym. On that page, ICA’s own eligibility table names “Holder of an Employment Pass or S Pass” as one of the categories of foreigner who may apply. Separately, MOM’s own FAQ confirms that ONE Pass holders are also eligible. There is no quota, no minimum investment, and — unlike the Global Investor Programme (GIP) — no requirement to inject capital into a Singapore business.
ICA assesses every PTS application holistically. In its own words, it “takes into account factors such as the individual’s family ties to Singaporeans, economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile and length of residency, to assess the applicant’s ability to contribute to Singapore and integrate into our society, as well as his or her commitment to sinking roots in Singapore.” There is no published points system and no minimum score.
The table below separates what ICA states directly from what is confirmed elsewhere by MOM, and flags where we could not find an explicit primary-source confirmation.
| Pass type | Confirmed by | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Employment Pass (EP) | ICA’s own eligibility table; MOM FAQ | Named directly: “Holder of an Employment Pass or S Pass” |
| S Pass | ICA’s own eligibility table; MOM FAQ | Same ICA table row as EP |
| ONE Pass (Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass) | MOM FAQ | MOM states outright: “Yes, you are eligible to apply for Singapore PR.” Not separately named in ICA’s table, which predates the pass’s 2023 launch. |
| Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) | Not found on ICA’s or MOM’s own PR-eligibility pages in this research | Widely reported by immigration practitioners as accepted under the same general route, since a PEP is a MOM-issued long-term pass held by someone working in Singapore — but we did not find ICA or MOM saying so directly. Verify before relying on this. |
| Tech.Pass | Not found on ICA’s or MOM’s own PR-eligibility pages in this research | Same caveat as PEP. |
| EntrePass | Not found on ICA’s or MOM’s own PR-eligibility pages in this research | Same caveat. EntrePass holders run their own Singapore business rather than being employed, which is a different profile under ICA’s “economic contribution” factor. |
If you hold a PEP, Tech.Pass or EntrePass and want certainty before you apply, speak to our licensed team — we can check your specific case rather than rely on general guidance.
ICA does not publish a minimum continuous-employment or residence period before you may submit a PTS application. Its eligibility table simply requires that you currently hold a qualifying pass. In practice, though, the document checklist requires an employment letter dated within 3 months of your application and pay slips for the last 6 months, so you need enough of a track record to produce those — and “length of residency” is one of the factors ICA states it weighs when assessing the application as a whole.
| Category | Typical documents |
|---|---|
| Personal | Passport-size photo (colour, white background, taken recently); passport/travel document; birth certificate (if not issued in Singapore) |
| Family | Marriage certificate, divorce/death certificates, adoption papers, custody papers — where applicable |
| Education | Educational certificates and transcripts; skill certificates or professional licences |
| Employment | Employer’s letter of employment (dated within 3 months of application, stating occupation, employment date, basic and gross monthly salary); pay slips for the last 6 months; latest 3 years’ income tax records if you worked overseas; for the self-employed, ACRA business profile plus 3 years’ balance sheets and profit-and-loss statements |
Non-English documents need certified translations — ICA accepts translations from the issuing embassy, a notary public, or a privately produced translation attested by either. ICA explicitly states it has no affiliation with any external migration agency or commercial entity that claims to be a Singapore immigration specialist — a good reminder to verify who you’re dealing with.
ICA does not publish an approval-rate table or a ranking of pass types, and every application is assessed on the applicant’s full profile — not the pass type alone. What follows is a neutral comparison of each pass’s own MOM-published criteria, not a claim about PR approval odds.
| Pass type | Min. fixed monthly salary (MOM) | Tied to one employer | PTS eligibility confirmed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Pass | From S$5,600 (S$6,200 financial services), rising with age to S$10,700 / S$11,800 at 45+ | Yes | ICA + MOM |
| S Pass | From S$3,300 (S$3,800 financial services), rising with age to S$4,800 / S$5,650 at 45+ | Yes | ICA + MOM |
| ONE Pass | S$30,000, or qualify via outstanding achievement | No | MOM (explicit FAQ) |
| Personalised Employment Pass | S$22,500 (and at least S$270,000/calendar year to retain) | No | Not found in ICA/MOM eligibility pages — verify |
| Tech.Pass | Reported (secondary sources, not independently verified against EDB) as 2-of-3 criteria including a S$22,500 salary history | No | Not found in ICA/MOM eligibility pages — verify |
| EntrePass | No fixed salary — instead funding raised (≥S$100,000), incubator/accelerator backing, IP, or a research collaboration (MOM criteria) | No (business owner) | Not found in ICA/MOM eligibility pages — verify |
Source: MOM Employment Pass, S Pass, ONE Pass, PEP and EntrePass eligibility pages, checked 17 September 2026. A higher, sustained salary is one data point commonly associated with a stronger “economic contribution” profile under the factors ICA states it weighs — but ICA does not publish pass-based approval statistics, so treat any ranking beyond this as informal practitioner experience, not an ICA rule.
| Stage | Time ICA states |
|---|---|
| Singpass registration (if needed) | 2–5 working days |
| PR application processing | Within 6 months (some cases longer) |
| Re-Entry Permit renewal (after PR is granted) | Within 1 week, excluding day of submission |
| Voluntary renunciation of PR | Up to 4 weeks |
We did not find an ICA-published average, nor an approval rate — only the “within 6 months” processing-time commitment. Be cautious of any site quoting a precise average processing time or success percentage; that is not information ICA publishes.
| When | Fee |
|---|---|
| At submission | S$100 per application (non-refundable) |
| At completion of formalities | S$20 for the Entry Permit, S$50 for a 5-year Re-Entry Permit, S$50 for the Singapore Identity Card |
| Re-Entry Permit renewal (ongoing) | S$10 for every year, or part thereof, of the approved REP |
Payment can be made by Visa/Mastercard, Amex, internet banking (DBS/POSB, OCBC, UOB, Standard Chartered) or PayNow.
Successful applicants first receive an In-Principle Approval; PR status is only formally granted once the necessary conditions are fulfilled and the formalities fee is paid. Once granted:
A valid REP lets you leave and re-enter Singapore while remaining a PR. Renew it online (Singpass) up to 3 months before expiry; the fee is S$10 per year of validity, and general processing is within one week. Under rules effective 1 December 2025, you lose PR status if you leave Singapore without a valid REP and don’t apply for one within 180 days of departure, or if your REP expires while you’re overseas and you don’t apply within 180 days of that expiry — and in both cases the replacement REP application must actually succeed.
PRs who intend to relocate permanently can voluntarily renounce via ICA’s online portal (about 20 minutes to complete). If the main applicant renounces, dependants (spouse and children under 21) sponsored under that application must renounce together; children 21 and above who hold PR via a parent’s sponsorship apply separately. ICA states it may reject or withhold a renunciation application where the applicant has unresolved matters with government agencies or outstanding NS obligations. General processing time is up to 4 weeks.
This guide covers the pass-holder route to PR (informally “PTS”) as ICA and MOM describe it on their own websites, as checked on 17 September 2026. It does not cover: the family-sponsorship routes (spouse/child/aged parent of a citizen or PR), the student route, or the Global Investor Programme (GIP) — GIP is a separate, investment-based route administered by the Economic Development Board via Contact Singapore, with its own assessment criteria that we did not independently verify for this guide. It also doesn’t predict individual outcomes: ICA assesses every case holistically, and no published formula converts salary, age or qualifications into an approval likelihood.
Not as a page title on ICA’s public site — its main page is titled “Becoming a Permanent Resident.” But ICA’s own document checklist is filed under a URL containing “…document_list_for_pts.pdf,” so the term is used internally, and it’s the name immigration practitioners commonly use for the pass-holder route to PR.
ICA’s own eligibility table names Employment Pass and S Pass holders directly. MOM’s own FAQ additionally confirms ONE Pass holders are eligible. We did not find an equivalent explicit statement from ICA or MOM for PEP, Tech.Pass or EntrePass holders, though practitioners commonly report these are also accepted — confirm your specific case before relying on this.
ICA does not publish a minimum period. Its eligibility criteria require only that you currently hold a qualifying pass; in practice you’ll need enough of an employment history to produce a current employment letter and 6 months of pay slips, and “length of residency” is one factor ICA says it weighs in its holistic assessment.
ICA’s eligibility table does not list EntrePass by name, and we did not find an ICA or MOM statement confirming it. EntrePass holders run their own Singapore business rather than being employed, so if this applies to you, we’d recommend a direct check rather than relying on general online guidance.
PTS (this route) is for people already working in Singapore on a long-term pass, assessed on employment, qualifications and economic contribution through work. The Global Investor Programme is a separate, investment-based route administered by the Economic Development Board via Contact Singapore, aimed at entrepreneurs and investors relocating capital to Singapore. ICA’s own eligibility table redirects “foreign investor” applicants to EDB rather than assessing them itself.
S$100 per applicant at submission (non-refundable). ICA states applications are processed within 6 months, though some take longer. On approval, formalities fees add S$20 (Entry Permit), S$50 (5-year Re-Entry Permit) and S$50 (Identity Card).
You first get an In-Principle Approval, then complete formalities to be formally granted PR status. If you’re 15 or older you’re issued the Blue Identity Card, and you’ll need a valid Re-Entry Permit every time you travel to keep your PR status.
Since 1 December 2025, you have 180 days from the date of departure (or from your REP’s expiry, if it lapsed while you were overseas) to apply for a new REP — and that application must succeed. Missing the window, or having the application rejected, results in loss of PR status.
The PTS route rewards a well-prepared file — consistent employment history, the right supporting documents, and an application that speaks to the factors ICA says it weighs. VIVOS is a MOM-licensed Employment Agency (Licence 24S2425) and ACRA Registered Filing Agent (FA20240323) advising foreign professionals and their employers on Employment Pass, S Pass, ONE Pass and PR strategy in Singapore.
Every eligibility criterion, fee, processing time and post-approval obligation above was checked directly against ICA’s (www.ica.gov.sg) and MOM’s (www.mom.gov.sg) own published pages on 17 September 2026, not against third-party summaries. Primary sources used, with each page’s own “last updated” date:
This guide is provided for general information and does not constitute immigration or legal advice; every PR application is assessed individually by ICA, and requirements can change. Speak with VIVOS’s licensed team for advice on your specific circumstances.
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