Concept
A Dependant's Pass lets the spouse and children of an Employment Pass holder live in Singapore — but it is a residence instrument, not a work permit. Since the 2021 rule change, a DP holder who wants to work needs a work route of their own: their own work pass, the DP-tied work permit variant, or one of the narrow consent carve-outs. The family planner's question is which route fits the spouse's profile.
The Main Rule: A DP Is Residence, Not Work
Dependant's Pass holders are welcome to live and to volunteer (unpaid, charitable) in Singapore, but paid work requires a work pass. An employer hires a DP holder by applying for an EP, an S Pass or a DP-WP — the DP alone authorizes none of them.
Route 1: The Spouse's Own EP or S Pass
The clean route for a professional spouse: they qualify on their own merits — EP salary floor (from S$5,600/month, age-banded; see the EP page) plus COMPASS, or the S Pass criteria. On approval the DP is cancelled and the spouse holds their own pass: independent of the main pass holder's employment — which matters if the main job ends.
Route 2: The DP-Work Permit
For roles that would not clear the EP/S Pass criteria: the DP-WP carries no minimum qualifying salary, stays valid as long as the DP does, skips the six-monthly medical and security bond, and needs no separate medical insurance where the DP holder is already covered to MOM's minimum standard. The trade-offs are the employer-side ones: the Work Permit quota (dependency ratio ceiling) and the monthly levy by sector — from S$200-300 up to S$600 by sector and tier (MOM levy table, read 2026-08-19; tier mergers announced for 2028).
Route 3: The Letter of Consent Carve-Outs
The LOC survives in narrow lanes: dependants of ONE Pass holders can apply for one; and an eligible DP holder who owns and runs their own ACRA-registered business may work in that business on an LOC (verify current eligibility and conditions at mom.gov.sg). A separate track exists for LTVP/LTVP+ holders — spouses and children of Singapore citizens or PRs — who may work on an LOC obtained by the employer; that is the citizen/PR family track, not the EP-dependant one (verify at mom.gov.sg/ica.gov.sg).
Q/A
What is the Letter of Consent?
MOM's lighter authorization that lets specific pass holders work without a full work pass. Today it covers narrow categories — dependants of ONE Pass holders and eligible DP business owners among them — not DP holders generally: since 2021 a DP holder taking ordinary employment needs an EP, S Pass or DP-WP. Verify current LOC categories at mom.gov.sg.
When must the spouse get their own EP?
When the role is professional and meets the EP criteria — qualifying salary plus COMPASS — the spouse's own EP is the right route: it makes their stay independent of the main pass holder's job (the DP is cancelled when the EP or S Pass is issued). Below the EP criteria, the DP-WP keeps them working but tied to the DP's validity.
Can a DP holder start a business instead?
Possibly — an eligible DP holder operating their own registered business may work in it on a Letter of Consent; the business must be real and registered (verify the current conditions at mom.gov.sg). Simply registering a company to hold shares is not the same as working in it — and a working shareholder-director without the right pass is exactly what the rule targets.
*Reviewed: 2026-08-19 · Sources: MOM — Working in Singapore (Dependant's Pass) (verified 2026-08-19); LOC carve-outs and LTVP+ track — verify current eligibility at mom.gov.sg / ica.gov.sg.*
Cite as: wiki.private.law — "Dependant's Pass and the Right to Work in Singapore: EP, DP-WP and the LOC", https://wiki.private.law/en/singapore-dependant-pass-work (reviewed 2026-08-19).