Singapore · Dependant

Dependant's Pass

Dependant's Pass is issued by Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). VisaAI tracks 20 official requirements for it, each traced to the government page that states it.

Last verified against the official source on .

VisaAI is not a government body and does not issue visas. It cannot decide, predict or guarantee the outcome of an application, and this page is not legal or immigration advice.

Requirements change. Confirm every item on Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA)’s own page before you apply.

Each requirement below is written in plain English by VisaAI. The indented text beneath it is quoted from Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA)’s own page, so you can check what we say against what they say. Where a quotation shows “ ... ”, text has been left out.

Conditions you must meet

  • The family member you are joining must hold an Employment Pass or S PassThe first of three cumulative requirements, all of them on the work pass holder rather than on the family. Holders of an ONE Pass or EntrePass are covered by separate MOM requirements, not by these.
    Hold an Employment Pass or S Pass.
  • That person must earn at least $6,000 a month — their salary alone, not the household'sSGD 6,000MOM says the second half explicitly because the first half reads like a household test. A working spouse's earnings do not count toward it. Note the number: the Employment Pass floor starts at $5,600, so an EP holder at the bottom of the schedule holds a valid pass and still cannot bring a spouse.
    Earn a minimum fixed monthly salary of $6,000. This is based on your salary, and not based on your combined household income.
  • An established Singapore-registered company must sponsor the passUsually the work pass holder's own employer. A third party the family does not control is required to act.
    Are sponsored by an established, Singapore-registered company (usually your employer).
  • Only a legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21Adopted children are included. Everyone else — a common-law partner, a parent, a child of 21 — is outside this pass and MOM routes them to the Long-Term Visit Pass instead.
    You can get a pass for the following family members: ... Legally married spouse. ... Unmarried children under 21 years old, including legally adopted children.
  • Families of overseas intra-corporate transferees are excludedIf the work pass holder applied as an overseas ICT under WTO GATS or an FTA, their family gets neither a Dependant's Pass nor a Long-Term Visit Pass unless a specific FTA covers them. The exclusion follows from a choice made on the worker's own application, months earlier.
    Family members of Employment Pass holders who chose to apply as an overseas ICT under WTO GATS or an applicable FTA are not eligible for Dependant’s Passes or Long-Term Visit Passes, except where they are specifically covered by an applicable FTA and meet the prevailing criteria for consideration.
  • The employer applies, not the familyAs with every MOM pass except the EntrePass. The family cannot lodge this application itself.
    Who can apply An employer or appointed employment agent must apply on behalf of the candidate.
  • The pass lasts only as long as the main work passOr the duration requested, whichever is shorter. A dependant's right to remain ends with a job they do not hold — and if that happens mid-course, a child studying here needs their own Student's Pass, assessed on the criteria in force that day.
    What is the duration The duration is tied to the validity of the main work pass or up to the duration requested, whichever is shorter.
  • A Dependant's Pass does not let you work — you need a work pass of your ownThe Letter of Consent people still ask about is not the route. MOM's answer is an Employment Pass, an S Pass or a DP-Work Permit, and in every case the prospective EMPLOYER applies.
    Prospective employers can apply for an Employment Pass (EP), S Pass, or DP-Work Permit (DP-WP) for their DP holders.
  • Converting to an Employment Pass or S Pass ends the dependency — and the Dependant's PassThe better outcome removes the fallback. The DP must be cancelled before the new pass is issued, so a subsequent job loss no longer leaves the family's status resting on the other spouse's pass.
    Will no longer be dependent on the main pass holder for their stay in Singapore. They will need to have their DP cancelled before their EP or S Pass is issued.
  • The DP-Work Permit keeps the dependency instead, and has no salary floorOpen to any nationality, no minimum qualifying salary, validity tied to the Dependant's Pass, and exempt from the six-monthly medical examination and security bond. The cost is the employer's: the role sits inside their foreign-worker quota and attracts a monthly levy.
    DP holders who get a DP-WP: ... Can be of any nationality/citizenship. ... Are not subject to a minimum qualifying salary. ... Will have their DP-WP’s validity period tied to their DP.

Documents you must provide

  • The personal particulars page of each family member's passportWhere a child shares a passport with a parent, the parent's page is needed too.
    Copy of the personal particulars page of the candidate’s passport. Learn more about the upload requirements.
  • A marriage certificate for a spouse
    Copy of the marriage certificate.
  • A birth certificate stating the parents' names for a childNaming the parents, not merely the child — a certificate that omits them will not do.
    Copy of the official birth certificate stating the parents' names.
  • An adoption order for a legally adopted child
    Copy of the adoption order or other relevant documents.
  • Vaccination verification from the Communicable Diseases Agency for foreign-born children aged 12 and underNeeded for a NEW pass, and MOM counts a pass expired or cancelled for more than 30 days as new. Existing DP, LTVP and Student's Pass holders are exempt.
    Verification of Vaccination Requirements (for entry to Singapore) document issued by the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) is needed for foreign-born children who meet these conditions: ... Aged 12 and below. ... Applying for a new DP - this includes those whose DPs have expired or been cancelled for more than 30 days.
  • Non-English documents must be uploaded with an English translation as one fileOne file, not two — the same rule as the Employment Pass.
    For non-English documents, please upload the original document together with an English translation as 1 file. You may approach a translation service provider for translations.

Steps in the process

  • Three weeks for dependants of EP and S Pass holdersSix weeks if the main holder is on an EP under sponsorship, a Personalised Employment Pass or an EntrePass.
    For dependants of EP and S Pass holders ... Processing time: within 3 weeks. Some cases will take more time.
  • The approval letter is a single-entry visa valid six monthsThe same mechanism as every other MOM pass registered here.
    The IPA letter is a pre-approved single-entry visa for the foreigner to enter Singapore. It gives the foreigner 6 months to enter Singapore and get their pass issued.

Government fees

  • $105 for each pass at applicationSGD 105Per family member, not per family. MOM's Employment Pass page warns that these fees are lost if the main pass application is rejected, which is why it advises applying for family passes after approval.
    Pay $105 fee for each application. You can pay by GIRO, Visa, Mastercard or Amex.
  • $225 for each pass at issuance, plus $30 for a multiple journey visaSGD 225 · SGD 30 multiple journey visaAgain per family member. A spouse and two children cost $315 to apply for and $675 to issue, before any multiple journey visa.
    $225 for each pass ... $30 for each Multiple Journey Visa (if applicable)

Official sources

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