Singapore EntrePass Startup Visa 2026: Eligibility, Innovation Criteria, Renewal & Family Rules
Singapore EntrePass guide for 2026: 30% founder shareholding, S$100,000 funding route, incubator, IP and research criteria, excluded businesses, renewal thresholds, family passes, fees and processing.
Basic Eligibility
- The EntrePass is open to all nationalities and citizenships.
- You must have started, or intend to start, a Singapore private limited company that is or will be registered with ACRA.
- The EntrePass holder must hold at least 30% of the registered company's shareholding.
- The company must be venture-backed or possess innovative technologies.
- You must satisfy at least one of MOM's recognised eligibility criteria for funding, incubation/acceleration, a founded-and-sold technology business, qualifying IP or Singapore research collaboration.
- If the company was already registered for more than 12 months on the application date, MOM assesses the case according to the renewal criteria rather than treating it as a standard new-business application.
Innovation Criteria
Business Restrictions
Not Eligible Businesses
- Coffee shops
- Hawker centres
- Food courts
- Bars
- Night clubs
- Karaoke lounges
- Foot reflexology businesses
- Massage parlours
- Acupuncture businesses
- Traditional Chinese medicine businesses
- Herbal dispensing businesses
- Employment agencies
- Geomancy businesses
Important Clarification
The exclusion list is a specific MOM business-category restriction. The page should not expand it into a broader unsupported claim that every traditional retail, hospitality or consumer business is automatically excluded.
Capital And Company Rules
Paid Up Capital
MOM does not stipulate a minimum salary or a general minimum paid-up capital amount for EntrePass eligibility.
Company Type
The business must be a Singapore private limited company registered or intended to be registered with ACRA.
Shareholding
The EntrePass applicant must hold at least 30% of the registered company's shareholding.
Incorporation Timing
You can apply if you have started the company or intend to start it. There is no universal rule requiring incorporation within 6 months before applying.
Older Company Rule
If the company is more than 12 months old when the application is made, MOM assesses the application against the renewal criteria.
Licensing
EntrePass approval does not itself approve ACRA incorporation, regulated business licences or other statutory permissions. Those approvals must be obtained separately where applicable.
Application Documents
Core Documents
- Personal particulars page of the applicant's passport.
- Business plan in English, 10 pages or less, covering the proposed product or service, market analysis, operations plan, management-team profile and supporting material.
- Information or documents describing the applicant's prior business activities where applicable.
- CV and past employment testimonials, if any, to support the applicant's professional and entrepreneurial background.
- Latest company business profile or Bizfile information where the company has already been registered.
- Latest financial statement where the company has been registered with ACRA for more than 12 months.
- Additional supporting documents relevant to the particular innovation criterion claimed.
Criterion Specific Evidence
Translation Rule
For non-English documents, MOM requires the original document and English translation uploaded together as one file. The translation can be done by a service provider.
Business Plan Correction
The business plan requirement is '10 pages or less', not a mandatory 10-page document.
Application Process
Fees And Timing
Application Fee
S$105
Issuance Fee
S$225
Multiple Journey Visa
S$30 if applicable
Processing Time
Within 6 weeks for most cases.
Status Check
Applicants can check application status after 2 weeks.
Ipa Validity
6 months to enter Singapore and get the pass issued.
Issuance Processing
Immediate when the pass-issuance requirements have been completed.
Medical Exam
The IPA states whether a medical examination is required; it is not a universal requirement for every EntrePass applicant.
Pass Validity And Renewal
New Pass
Up to 1 year.
First Renewal
Up to 1 year.
Subsequent Renewals
Up to 2 years.
Renewal Application Window
Applications to renew can start 3 months before the pass expires.
Renewal Requirements
- Pass holder owns at least 30% shareholding in the company.
- Pass holder has created an individual profile and claimed the company profile on Startup SG Network.
- Company remains a private limited company registered with ACRA.
- Company remains venture-backed or possesses innovative technologies.
- Company demonstrates ongoing business activity and progress.
- Latest financial statements have been submitted.
- The applicable renewal-cycle Total Business Spending and Local Workforce criteria are met.
Renewal Table
Renewal Cycle Definition
MOM calculates the renewal cycle using the EntrePass issuance date or, where applicable, the company's incorporation date if the original pass has expired.
Renewal Warning
The source page's claim that every first renewal requires S$100,000 spending and 3 local FTEs is incorrect. The first renewal has no TBS/LWF minimum in MOM's current table; S$100,000 and LWF 1 begin at the second renewal cycle.
Business Spending Definition
Total Business Spending Formula
Total Operating Expenses - overseas royalties/franchise/technical-know-how fees - overseas outsourced-work expenses - total remuneration to the EntrePass holder(s).
Excluded Operating Items
- Cost of Goods Sold
- Cost of Service
- Cost of Sales
- Personal expenses
- Rental expenses for residential properties
Important Note
TBS is not simply gross revenue, total company expenditure or a founder's personal spend. MOM uses its defined operating-expense calculation.
Local Workforce Definition
Formula
LWF = number of qualifying PMEs + (number of qualifying LQS employees / 3).
Pme Requirements
- Singapore citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident
- Basic monthly salary at least equal to the salary in the applicable renewal-cycle table
- CPF contributions received for at least 3 months
- Direct payroll of the registered company
Lqs Requirements
- Meet MOM's Local Qualifying Salary guidelines
- CPF contributions received for at least 3 months
- Direct payroll of the registered company
Lqs Cap
Up to 12 LQS employees can be used in the LWF calculation.
Timing
The company must meet the applicable LWF requirement at the time the renewal application is submitted.
Family Passes
Spouse And Children
Available Passes
- Dependant's Pass for legally married spouse
- Dependant's Pass for unmarried children below 21, including legally adopted children
- Long-Term Visit Pass for common-law spouse
- Long-Term Visit Pass for unmarried handicapped children aged 21 and above
- Long-Term Visit Pass for unmarried stepchildren below 21
Qualification Routes
Important Correction
Family eligibility is not simply delayed until a first renewal and is not limited to the 3-local-worker rule in the original page. MOM lists multiple alternative routes for spouse and child family passes.
Parents
Available Pass
Long-Term Visit Pass
Business Condition
Annual TBS of at least S$200,000 and Local Workforce of at least 2
Important Note
The parent route has a separate business-performance threshold; do not substitute the spouse/child S$100,000 + LWF 1 threshold.
Application Timing
Family passes can be applied for after the EntrePass is approved. MOM warns that submitting family-pass applications at the same time as an EntrePass application can result in loss of those family-pass application fees if the EntrePass itself is rejected.
Family Pass Fees And Processing
Dependants Pass Application
S$105
Dependants Pass Issuance
S$225
Ltvp Application
S$105
Ltvp Issuance
S$225
Entre Pass Family Processing
MOM states that applications for family members of EntrePass holders are generally processed within 8 weeks.
Multiple Journey Visa
S$30 if applicable
Examples
Decision Guide
💡 Action / Assessment: If no, EntrePass is not the correct route. You need a qualifying Singapore private limited company or a genuine intention to start one.
💡 Action / Assessment: You need at least 30% shareholding for the standard EntrePass eligibility route.
💡 Action / Assessment: The company must be venture-backed or possess innovative technologies.
💡 Action / Assessment: Check funding, incubator/accelerator support, founded-and-sold technology business, qualifying IP or Singapore research collaboration.
💡 Action / Assessment: MOM will assess the application according to the renewal criteria rather than the normal new-business framework.
💡 Action / Assessment: The first renewal can be up to 1 year and has no minimum TBS/LWF threshold in the current renewal table, but all other renewal criteria must be met.
💡 Action / Assessment: Check the applicable renewal-cycle TBS and LWF thresholds. They rise substantially across later cycles.
💡 Action / Assessment: Check the four current family-eligibility routes: TBS/LWF, two founded-and-sold companies, more than S$2 million past/current funding or two qualifying deep-tech IPs.
💡 Action / Assessment: The current business-performance route requires annual TBS of at least S$200,000 and LWF of at least 2.
Common Mistakes & Legal Misconceptions
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Official Government Sources & Statutory Verification
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