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SINGAPORE – New Government Fees for Work Passes

The Ministry of Manpower has announced new administrative fees for all work passes, to be introduced from 1 December 2011. This is the first increase in government charges since fees were first introduced in 2005 and, according to the Ministry of Manpower, is part of the initiative towards full cost recovery for the Ministry’s work pass operation.

What Are the Fee Increases?

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

Application fees for Employment Passes, S Passes and Work Permits (the Employment Pass is the most common category for corporate transfers) 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

Notes on the New Fees

  • Full details of the new fees for other passes can be found here.
  • Note that the new fees are per “issuance” rather than per year. However, as work passes are generally issued with a maximum duration of two years, this still equates to a doubling of current fees for the Employment Pass and Dependent Pass categories.
  • The new “issuance” fees apply to renewal applications as well as first time applications.

Subsidies for Online Applications?

Currently, employers who apply online for work passes are rewarded with a $20SGD discount on the government fee. This benefit will be withdrawn from 1 December 2011. It was initially introduced to encourage employers to go online. The online system has been so successful that the Ministry of Manpower considers the subsidy to be no longer necessary.

Action Items

  • Note the new government administrative charges, to be effective from 1 December 2011, and budget accordingly.

This alert was prepared using information from the Ministry of Manpower in Singapore, Santa Fe Relocation and NCompass Mobility

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this immigration alert has been abridged from laws, court decisions, and administrative rulings and should not be construed or relied upon as legal advice. If you have specific questions regarding the applicability of this information, please contact Peregrine © 2017 Peregrine Immigration Management Ltd.